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Six Simple Mindfulness Practices for Kids with Autism

The practice of quieting the mind, otherwise known as mindfulness, is increasingly being practiced across the world. Mindfulness specifically refers to the practice of paying attention to the present moment non-judgmentally. Observation of our thoughts and feelings allows us to better understand our emotions and react rationally to negative situations. This practice is very important to children with autism.

Imagine snacking on a bag of chips. We then think about yesterday’s meeting, or all the dishes that need to be washed. Eventually, without even noticing, a few chips turn into half of the bag. Our minds are constantly wandering, ruminating on anything but the present, which can lead to increased anxiety or depression. This is where mindfulness comes in. Despite all the recent buzz, mindfulness is backed by hard science: the practice has been shown to not only reduce stress, depression, and aggression but also change brain regions associated with emotional regulation, introspection, and awareness.

Although most of the research has been done on typically developing adults, a new body of work has shed light on the benefits of mindfulness in children with Autism. Aggression, an especially challenging behavior, has been an important behavior of study in the scope of mindfulness techniques. In contrast to the current behavioral and psychopharmacological interventions for aggressive behaviors, mindfulness-based interventions empower individuals to develop self-management strategies to regulate their challenging behaviors. In a longitudinal study and intervention, researchers had adolescents with autism learn the “Soles of the Feet Procedure,” which involved shifting attention from the emotional trigger to the soles of their feet. Aggressive acts were significantly reduced from 14-20 per week to 4-6 per week after the 3-year follow up period. 

Additionally, mindfulness techniques have been shown to improve parent-child relationships and significantly reduce parental stress, improve parental wellbeing and overall health after just a few weeks. This parental change in behavior has the reciprocal effect of reducing stress and anxiety among their kids. In addition to parents, mindfulness training can allow teachers to better regulate their reactions to stressful classroom situations and manage the social, emotional, and educational needs of their students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A five-week mindfulness teacher training intervention introduced stress management and relaxation techniques as well as the application of mindfulness techniques to teaching. The training not only improved teacher’s self-efficacy beliefs but also allowed teachers to better cope with challenging situations. 

Therefore, mindfulness practices may be a viable technique in not only improving behavioral and cognitive responses in those with ASD, but also the overall well-being of their caregivers. Although mindfulness may seem like foreign territory, incorporating mindful practices into daily life can be quite simple.

Here are six simple mindful practices you can introduce to your child (and yourself!)

  1. Bell Listening Exercise: Ring a bell, either a physical bell or one from an App or online, and ask your kid to close their eyes and listen to the vibration of the bell. Tell them to raise their hand once the ringing stops and pay attention to any other sounds they hear for about another minute. This is a simple but powerful exercise that shifts one’s attention to the present moment and the surroundings.
  2. Bedtime Mindfulness: Ask your child to lie in their bed, close their eyes, and bring their attention to various parts of their body. Start at the toes and slowly move up to the head. This is a calming method to return to one’s body at the end of the day and develop a sense of gratitude for their body.
  3. Mindful Walks: Stroll through your neighborhood in silence for a few minutes and have your child pay attention to all the sounds they hear. Then have them report back what they heard. You can also guide them to other sensations such as the breeze through their hair or the crunching of the leaves as they walk. If your child is particularly active, you may ask them to run or skip and notice their increased heartbeat or breath.

  4. Mindful breathing and meditation: Ask your child to close their eyes and sit comfortably. Direct their attention to the sensation of breathing in and out. Ask them to put their hands on their stomach and feel the rise and fall of each breath. You can do this for about five cycles then guide them to any present feelings or thoughts. Tell them to observe those thoughts and feelings and let them go like a balloon. You can repeat this as many times as needed or possible. Here is a guided meditation. 
  5. Soles of the Feet: This technique was developed by researchers to manage angst, anger and aggression. When faced with emotionally arousing situations, you can teach your child to redirect their attention and awareness to a neutral part of the body such as the soles of their feet. This technique helps calm and clear one’s mind during stressful and arousing situations.
  6. Glitter Jar: Fill a clear jar with water, some glitter, and glycerin or baby oil. A snow globe would be equally great for this activity. Particularly when your child is having a stressful day, ask them to shake up the jar and watch as the glitter settles after swirling chaos. This technique allows for a powerful metaphor that relates the internal state of the mind to a visual object.

Congenital Heart Defects: Caring for Your Child

Caring for children with congenital heart defects can be challenging. The following tips may help you care for your child so that he or she is as healthy and comfortable as possible. These tips may also help you cope with the difficulties that parents often experience.

Caring for your child in the hospital

You and your child might take many trips to the hospital or doctor’s office for tests, procedures, or surgery.

It’s normal to be frightened and worried about your child being in the hospital. Ask questions about any procedures that you don’t understand or any special care that is needed. In general, try to be with your child as much as possible.

What to expect

While your child is in the hospital for surgery, treatment may involve:

  • Receiving intravenous (IV) fluids until your child wakes up after surgery and can eat.
  • Having oxygen levels in the blood measured with a pulse oximeter.
  • Making adjustments to help make breathing easier. Your child may have the head of the bed or crib raised, be given oxygen (through a hood, tent, or face mask), or sometimes be given treatment with a breathing machine called a ventilator.
  • Draining fluids from the chest after surgery. Pressures within the body also may be measured.

How to help

The following are tips to help your child while he or she is in the hospital:

  • Take some of your child’s familiar things to the hospital. Favorite toys or blankets will help the child feel more at ease.
  • If you cannot stay with the child, visit often.
  • Take some pictures of the family. Place them where your child can easily see them. Talk about what is happening with other family members or sing favorite songs.
  • Tell the nurses about your child’s habits, typical routines, and general preferences.
  • Tell the nurses about any special words that your child may use to tell others what he or she needs.
  • If your child is a newborn, hold and touch him or her often to promote bonding.
  • As much as possible, help the hospital staff with your child’s care. Find out whether you will be responsible for any treatments at home. Take this time to learn how to do these treatments while the hospital staff is there to teach you.

Coping with oxygen problems

Some heart defects, called cyanotic defects, cause oxygen problems. This means that the child’s body isn’t getting a normal amount of oxygen. Children with cyanosis may have a bluish tint to the skin.

If your child has “blue spells”:

  • Attempt to calm the child. This is the most important thing you can do.
  • Try placing the child with his or her knees to the chest—either on the back with the knees drawn up to the chest or in a sitting position with the chest to the knees.
  • You may need to give your child oxygen if the spells are severe and don’t improve with a change in position. Oxygen is given by placing a small tube at the entrance to the nostrils. Your doctor will determine the proper amount of oxygen needed.
  • Try to prevent the cyanosis by keeping your child warm, decreasing activity, and frequently feeding small meals.
  • Notify your child’s doctor when a blue spell occurs.

Oxygen therapy

Your child may need extra oxygen at home. It is given through a small tube that rests at the entrance to your child’s nose. Oxygen can cause a fire to burn very rapidly, so no smoking or open flames are allowed in the room where oxygen is being used. The amount of oxygen will be prescribed by your child’s doctor. Don’t change the amount of oxygen you give your child without the advice of your doctor.

Giving medicine

Be sure you know how to give your child’s medicines safely. Heart medicines can be very strong, so they can be dangerous if they are not given correctly.

  • Be sure you understand how much medicine to give and how to give it.
  • If your child takes a blood thinner, be sure to get instructions about how to give this medicine safely. Blood thinners can cause serious bleeding problems.
  • If you aren’t comfortable giving medicine to your child, ask a health professional to help you.
  • A home health nurse can help. Talk to your doctor about having a home health nurse visit you. The nurse can set up a schedule for the medicines, show you how to store them, and help you become more comfortable giving them.

Getting your child to eat well

Nutrition is very important for children who have heart defects. Getting your child to eat right can be a challenge. Children with congenital heart defects:

  • Often tire when eating, so they eat less and may not get enough calories. Feeding may take longer than you expect.
  • Tend to use more calories (have a higher metabolic rate) than other children.

To help overcome feeding difficulties or lack of weight gain:

  • Learn to recognize your baby’s first signs of hunger, such as fidgeting and sucking on a fist. This will help you to begin feeding before your baby starts to cry. Your baby will have more energy to eat well if he or she isn’t tired from crying.
  • Use a soft, special nipple made for babies born early (premature infants). These nipples make it is easier for your baby to get enough formula or breast milk if you bottle-feed.
  • Burp your baby often, especially when using a bottle. Babies who have trouble sucking take in large amounts of air when they eat, which makes them feel full before they get enough breast milk or formula.
  • Feed small, frequent meals. Smaller meals don’t require as much energy to eat or digest.

If you have difficulty preparing balanced meals, talk with a registered dietitian. Ask your doctor whether you should increase the number of calories in each meal.

Preventing infections

A congenital heart defect can raise the risk of an infection in the heart called endocarditis. To help prevent this infection, your child needs to take excellent care of his or her teeth throughout life. Good oral care can limit the growth of mouth bacteria that could get into the bloodstream and lead to infection. Call your child’s doctor if he or she has signs of a skin infection or infected wound.

Some children take antibiotics before having any dental and surgical procedures that could put bacteria or fungi into the blood. The antibiotics lower the risk of getting endocarditis.

Make sure that your child gets all the recommended vaccines, which helps keep your child healthy. Make sure family members and people who are in close contact with your child also get recommended vaccines.

Helping with emotional issues

Children and teens with congenital heart defects may have self-esteem issues because of how they look. They may have scars from surgery, and they may be smaller, have clubbing, or have limits on how active they can be.

Children may feel alone and have trouble coping because they have to stay in the hospital often. Most children deal well with having a heart defect. But some children with serious heart defects may have a hard time feeling “normal.”

Taking care of yourself

Dealing with a lifelong and possibly life-threatening illness in your child can have a strong impact on your life as a parent. It can be hard to accept that your child has a serious illness. And it’s normal to worry about the effect the condition will have on your child’s future.

Try to take good care of your own physical and emotional healths. Doing so will help give you the energy needed to care for your child with special needs.

It might help to:

  • Learn all you can about your child’s heart defect.
  • Stop blaming yourself. You didn’t cause the heart defect. Many things occurred for the defect to happen. No single factor causes congenital heart defects.
  • Allow yourself to grieve about having a child with a heart defect.
  • Ask questions. Don’t expect to remember everything that is involved in caring for your child. Ask questions when you don’t understand. Ask your doctor for written directions on caring for your child. If directions are written, you can look at them later and call the doctor if you have questions.
  • Join a support group. It’s helpful to be in contact with organizations and people who can offer support and answer your questions. Talk with your health professional to see whether there is a local support group you might join. A support group is a good place to meet other parents who are dealing with similar issues.
  • Talk to a counselor. It’s normal to feel sad. You may grieve because your baby is not the perfectly healthy infant you imagined. If you or a family member continues to feel extremely sad, guilty, or depressed or is otherwise having trouble dealing with your child’s illness, talk with a doctor.
  • Get financial help if needed. Expenses can quickly multiply if your child’s heart defect requires several hospital stays and tests. You may qualify for help from organizations. Talk with your doctor about a referral to a social worker or financial counselor who can help you.

Family counseling

Coping with a child who has a lifelong illness impacts the entire family. If you feel that you or your family needs help dealing with the condition, talk with a health professional about counseling.

Case Study Research Method

Case studies are in-depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community. Typically, data are gathered from a variety of sources and by using several different methods (e.g. observations & interviews). The case study research method originated in clinical medicine (the case history, i.e. the patient’s personal history). In psychology, case studies are often confined to the study of a particular individual.

The information is mainly biographical and relates to events in the individual’s past (i.e. retrospective), as well as to significant events which are currently occurring in his or her everyday life.

The case study is not itself a research method, but researchers select methods of data collection and analysis that will generate material suitable for case studies.

How is a case study conducted?

The procedure used in a case study means that the researcher provides a description of the behavior. This comes from interviews and other sources, such as observation.

The client also reports detail of events from his or her point of view. The researcher then writes up the information from both sources above as the case study, and interprets the information.

The research may also continue for an extended period of time, so processes and developments can be studied as they happen.

Amongst the sources of data the psychologist is likely to turn to when carrying out a case study are observations of a person’s daily routine, unstructured interviews with the participant herself (and with people who know her), diaries, personal notes (e.g. letters, photographs, notes) or official document (e.g. case notes, clinical notes, appraisal reports).

The case study method often involves simply observing what happens to, or reconstructing ‘the case history’ of a single participant or group of individuals (such as a school class or a specific social group), i.e. the idiographic approach.

The interview is also an extremely effective procedure for obtaining information about an individual, and it may be used to collect comments from the person’s friends, parents, employer, workmates and others who have a good knowledge of the person, as well as to obtain facts from the person him or herself.

Most of this information is likely to be qualitative (i.e. verbal description rather than measurement) but the psychologist might collect numerical data as well.

How to analyze case study data

The data collected can be analyzed using different theories (e.g. grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, text interpretation, e.g. thematic coding).

All the approaches mentioned here use preconceived categories in the analysis and they are ideographic in their approach, i.e. they focus on the individual case without reference to a comparison group.

Interpreting the information means the researcher decides what to include or leave out. A good case study should always make clear which information is the factual description and which is an inference or the opinion of the researcher.

Strengths of Case Studies

  • Provides detailed (rich qualitative) information.
  • Provides insight for further research.
  • Permitting investigation of otherwise impractical (or unethical) situations.

Case studies allow a researcher to investigate a topic in far more detail than might be possible if they were trying to deal with a large number of research participants (nomothetic approach) with the aim of ‘averaging’.

Because of their in-depth, multi-sided approach case studies often shed light on aspects of human thinking and behavior that would be unethical or impractical to study in other ways.

Research which only looks into the measurable aspects of human behavior is not likely to give us insights into the subjective dimension to experience which is so important to psychoanalytic and humanistic psychologists.

Case studies are often used in exploratory research. They can help us generate new ideas (that might be tested by other methods). They are an important way of illustrating theories and can help show how different aspects of a person’s life are related to each other.

The method is therefore important for psychologists who adopt a holistic point of view (i.e. humanistic psychologists).

Limitations of Case Studies

  • Lacking scientific rigour and providing little basis for generalization of results to the wider population.
  • Researchers’ own subjective feeling may influence the case study (researcher bias).
  • Difficult to replicate.
  • Time-consuming and expensive.
  • The volume of data, together with the time restrictions in place, impacted on the depth of analysis that was possible within the available resources.

Because a case study deals with only one person/event/group we can never be sure if the case study investigated is representative of the wider body of “similar” instances. This means the the conclusions drawn from a particular case may not be transferable to other settings.

Because case studies are based on the analysis of qualitative (i.e. descriptive) data a lot depends on the interpretation the psychologist places on the information she has acquired.

Cancer surgery in elderly patients: risk assessment

Senior patients with cancer are more frequently referred for possible surgical resection. Surgeons must ask: Do we know how to assist them? Do we understand their needs? Are we able to assess and predict operative risks? This review article focuses on such aspects and aims to assist surgical oncologists in the decision-making process.

Modern decision making is based on evidence. Unfortunately, there is often insufficient evidence guiding the choice of surgical options for senior patients with cancer.

It is generally believed that surgery is the most effective cancer-ablative therapy. However, complication rates, mortality, length of hospital stay, and intensive care unit admissions increase with patient age, which can offset oncologic advantages. Delay in cancer diagnosis can lead to a greater number of emergency presentations, and emergency surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in this population. In the absence of clear guidelines and concerns about their ability to tolerate treatment, older patients are less likely to be offered standard cancer treatments that have been shown to improve survival. Nevertheless, high-profile centers have repeatedly demonstrated the feasibility of surgical treatment in this age group.

Poor understanding of frailty is, to a large degree, responsible for under-treatment. A particularly striking example of this is the nonsurgical treatment of older women with breast cancer. Only one in two older women have their cancer excised; too often, primary endocrine treatment is preferred. On the other hand, there can be overtreatment. When frailty is not identified, patients may be treated aggressively, resulting in poor oncologic outcomes, increased mortality, substandard quality of life, and high monetary costs. Alternative options should be discussed.

The decision of how to treat has to be thorough and honest. It should include the patient’s preferences, because older patients are keen to participate in the decision-making process. Patients should be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of a surgical procedure. Too often, for cases in which the operation is likely to be successful, practitioners forget to reassure the patient that the operation is feasible, perhaps slightly risky, but certainly worth undertaking and, most importantly, that the associated long-term prognosis is favorable. On the other hand, practitioners should not be swayed by a demanding family into offering an overwhelmingly risky operation to a frail patient who is unlikely to overcome multiple potential postoperative complications.

To guide these discussions, what is needed is clinical research that focuses not only on standard peri- and postoperative mortality and complication rates but also on longer-term outcomes and quality of life. Elderly patients who survive the first year after surgery have the same cancer-related survival as younger patients; therefore, decreased long-term survival in the elderly is mainly a result of differences in early mortality. The treatment of senior oncologic patients should focus on enhancing functional capacity preoperatively (prehabilitation), perioperative care, and 1-year outcomes after surgery.

SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE OLDER ADULT WITH LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is primarily a disease of the elderly. More than 65% of lung cancer patients are older than age 65 years when diagnosed.41 The percentage of patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer who are age ≥ 75 years is approximately 25%, and the percentage of patients age ≥ 75 years who die of lung cancer is approximately 30%. Thus, the average patient with lung cancer is paradigmatic of the issues involved in the treatment of any elderly patient with cancer, which may be framed as the following: How should an elderly patient with a cancer that, if left untreated, will likely cause his or her death be offered treatment with the lowest risk of operative morbidity and mortality that, at the same time, aims at the longest life expectancy, with acceptable functional status and quality of life?

The information needed to guide such difficult clinical decisions for the elderly patient with lung cancer remains incompletely collected. For example, the standard of care for patients of any age with resectable lung cancer has been anatomic lung lobectomy; the relative risks and efficacy of lesser resections (ie, segmentectomy) are being evaluated in clinical trials. In large randomized trials, lobectomy is associated with an operative mortality of 1.4%, and no increased risk was found to be associated with advanced age. However, this study and other smaller studies of elderly patients with lung cancer did not clearly characterize the population of patients considered for surgery. Some patients believed to have an increased perioperative risk, by use of unknown selection criteria, were referred for alternative ablative therapies such as radiation treatment.

It is possible that, in elderly patients who are not currently offered lobectomy, treatment with sublobar resection may have a better chance for cure with acceptable risks compared with nonsurgical ablative therapies. Conversely, some elderly patients undergoing lobectomy for lesions resectable by segmentectomy may not be offered a more extensive resection (and its benefits).

The effect of thoracic surgery on quality of life has been examined in only a few studies. They suggest that elderly patients experience a pattern of initial decrement followed by recovery similar to that seen in younger patients. Overall, patients with lung cancer have a baseline quality of life lower than that of their peers, and preoperative quality of life has been found to predict long-term survival after thoracic surgery.

Paralleling the efforts to preoperatively define patients at risk because of diminished quality of life has been the effort to define thoracic surgery patients at risk for postoperative complications because of frailty, disability, and multiple comorbidities. A geriatric preoperative assessment using these measures predicted both risk of postoperative institutionalization and 6-month survival.

Overall, intraoperative and postoperative management of patients undergoing lung cancer surgery has advanced considerably, such that the majority of patients can safely undergo effective surgery. The challenge now is to define the high-risk patient population, which will usually be a subgroup of the elderly.

Successful surgical treatment of the elderly patient therefore depends on a proactive, patient-centric, multidisciplinary program that involves a geriatrician and in which all stakeholders are committed to understanding the unique needs and expectations of the patients and their families.

In conclusion, surgery remains the best modality to treat solid tumors, regardless of patient age. Surgeons treating elderly patients with cancer should take into account that other factors, such as frailty, comorbidities, performance, and cognitive status, are important considerations when predicting outcomes. With adequate perioperative care, elderly patients can do as well in terms of morbidity and mortality as their younger counterparts. Therefore, if surgery is determined to be the appropriate treatment modality, patients should not be denied this option because of their age.

Bipolar disorder: early detection and risk factors

While researchers don’t yet fully understand the exact cause of bipolar disorder, they have identified certain factors which may increase your risk of developing the disorder.

Roughly 2.6% of Americans will experience the condition known as bipolar disorder Characterized by extreme highs and lows in mood, bipolar disorder can disrupt daily life when not treated effectively.  Also, because the disorder can increase the risk of substance use, suicide, and other risky behaviors, it’s important to diagnose and treat the disorder as early as possible. Knowing the causes and risk factors of bipolar disorder can help with early detection and treatment.

There is no known exact cause of bipolar disorder. Researchers have yet to find the exact genes that contribute to the disorder or understand exactly how the brain physically changes when the disorder is present. Researchers, however, do have a sense of what factors increase your risk of developing the disorder. The disease is highly heritable, so having a family member with the condition increases the risk greatly. While people are genetically predisposed to be at risk of the disorder, not all of these people develop bipolar disorder. This suggests that environmental factors and psychological factors can trigger manic or depressive episodes, although not everyone with the disorder will experience a triggering event.

Genetics and bipolar disorder

People are more likely to develop bipolar disorder if they have a close relative with the condition.

Individuals are also more likely to develop bipolar disorder if they have another mental health condition, such as depression or schizophrenia.

Some research suggests that the lifetime risk of bipolar disorder in relatives of someone with the condition is 5–10 percent for a close relative and 40–70 percent for a twin.

However, scientists do not fully understand the role that genes play in bipolar disorder.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), some studies indicate that irregularities in many genes combine to increase a person’s chance of bipolar disorder. The exact way that this occurs remains unclear.

It is likely that just having a genetic predisposition to the disorder is not enough to trigger its development. Environmental factors may also be necessary to trigger symptoms in people with the relevant gene variations.

It is also important to note that just because someone has a greater chance of having bipolar disorder, it does not mean that they will go on to develop it.

ResearchTrusted Source suggests that the majority of people with a genetic predisposition are healthy, and most people with a relative who has bipolar disorder do not have the condition themselves.

Risk Factors

Family with the Disorder

If you have a relative in your nuclear family with bipolar disorder, such as a parent or sibling, then you may be at higher risk for the mood disorder. Symptoms may first emerge during teenage years or early adulthood, with the average of onset being 25. One analysis of the literature found that children of parents with a severe mental illness had roughly a one-third chance of developing a severe mental illness by adulthood. Researchers have also found that the earlier age your parent is diagnosed with the disorder, the higher your risk is for also developing it.

However, we know that genetics isn’t the only factor. Studies of identical twins have shown that while bipolar disorder is very heritable, both twins will not always develop the disorder. This means that environmental factors can play a role as well in increasing or decreasing risk of developing the condition.

High Stress

People who experience traumatic events are at higher risk for developing bipolar disorder. Childhood factors such as sexual or physical abuse, neglect, the death of a parent, or other traumatic events can increase the risk of bipolar disorder later in life. Highly stressful events such as losing a job, moving to a new place, or experiencing a death in the family can also trigger manic or depressive episodes. Lack of sleep can also increase risk of a manic episode.

Substance Abuse

People who abuse drugs or alcohol are also at risk for developing bipolar disorder. Substance use doesn’t cause the disorder, but it can make mood episodes worse or hasten the onset of symptoms. Sometimes medications can also trigger the onset of a manic or depressive episode. However, because substance use can trigger psychosis, a person may have to detox from substances before a doctor can give them a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Gender

Bipolar disorder affects men and woman equally, but women are three times more likely to experience rapid cycling of mood episodes. They are also more likely to experience depressive and mixed episodes of the disorder compared to men.

If you’re not sure whether you’re at risk for bipolar disorder, you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • Has anyone in your family been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or another mental illness?
  • Have you experienced childhood trauma?
  • Have you experienced recent stressful events or lack of sleep?
  • Have you noticed extreme changes in mood after using drugs or alcohol?
  • Have extreme mood changes impacted your work, daily responsibilities, or relationships?

Even if you answer “no” to all these questions, you can still talk to your doctor or a mental health professional about your concerns and receive a diagnostic evaluation. If you have the disorder and are concerned about the risks for your own children, consult with a professional about the risks and what interventions can help your child maintain good mental health.

Above all, remember that bipolar disorder is very treatable, and medication, therapy, and other interventions can play a huge role in managing symptoms and slowing rapid mood changes. Talk to someone today who can help you get started on the right path towards a healthier daily life.

Choosing Nursing as a Career

Nurses are one of the most trusted groups of professionals. After receiving the required education, nurses must become licensed in their practicing state and are required to complete continuing nursing education courses to maintain their licensure, depending on their state’s regulations.

What are the Roles of Nurses?

Nurses work in a variety of settings and specialties. They may choose to practice in hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, ambulatory care, occupational health, and community health centers, schools, clinics, camps, and shelters.

Specialties

Nurses perform many professional tasks which may differ based on where they work or what area they specialize in. The American Nurses Association (ANA) lists nursing responsibilities to include tasks such as:

  • performing physical exams
  • obtaining medical/health histories
  • providing patients with health promotion, counseling and education
  • administering medications, wound care, and other health interventions
  • coordinating patient care collectively with other members of the healthcare team
  • supervising staff such as LPN’s and nursing assistants
  • taking part in critical decision making
  • research responsibilities

The degree they hold may also dictate which are of specialty they are competent in practicing in. There are over 100 nursing specialties, including:

  • Ambulatory
  • Burn care
  • Camp or school
  • Diabetes care
  • Emergency nursing
  • Flight/transport
  • Forensic nursing
  • Geriatrics
  • Home health
  • Hospice
  • Labor and delivery
  • Medical surgical care
  • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
  • Nephrology
  • Neuroscience
  • Obstetrics and gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Psychiatric care
  • Radiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Telemetry
  • Transplant
  • Trauma
  • Wound, ostomy and continence care

Some specialties and practice settings require certain educational criteria such as an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN or ASN), Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN), ), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP,), Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), or for legal nursing specialties, a Juris Doctor (JD) may be required. A registered nurse can also earn a specialty certification.

Advanced practice nurses

Some nurses may choose to extend their career by earning a graduate degree to advance their clinical training by going on to receive a master’s or doctorate. These nurses are called Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN’s). Some APRN specialties include:

Nurse practitioner (NP): These advanced practitioners work in a variety of specialties and provide comprehensive care to patients. Depending on their state licensing boards, they are able to provide primary and preventative care, diagnose and treat certain conditions, and prescribe certain medications.

Nurse practitioner specialties may include acute care, adult health, family health, gerontology, neonatal health, oncology, pediatric or child health, psychiatric or mental health, and women’s health. Nurse practitioners provide care to patients in settings like hospitals, nursing homes, clinics,and private practices.

Certified nurse-midwife (CNM): These advanced practice nurses are able to provide healthy and non-high risk women with obstetric and gynecologic care. They may practice in settings such as hospitals, birthing centers and patient homes.

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA): These advanced practice nurses provide anesthesia to patients for surgery or certain procedures.

Clinical nurse specialist (CNS): Experts in an area of nursing practice, a CNS may be found working in many settings like hospitals, clinics, nursing home, offices, and within the community.

Fast facts about nursing:

Nursing is one of the most trusted professions in the U.S., polls show.

Nurses can choose from a wide range of specialties.

Qualifications range from a 1-year certificate to a PhD, depending on the role. Most nurses begin with a science degree.

Training can take from 1 to 4 years, depending on the desired entry level.

There is an ongoing need for nurses, resulting in good job security, a competitive salary, and a range of professional opportunities.

Becoming a nurse

There are 2 types of nurses, a licensed practical nursing (LPN) or in some states referred to as licensed vocational nursing (LVN) and a registered nurse (RN). Educational requirements vary for each and depend on the degree in which a nurse plans on accelerating their career.

The education that an LPN/LVN or an RN receive differ, as does their scope of practice.

An LPN/LVN receives a 1-year certificate or degree from a vocational or hospital or trade school. They can perform certain nursing duties, but they are not able to provide the same level of care to patients as an RN. To obtain a license as an LPN, they must take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX-PN.

An LPN/LVN may continue their education and pursue either an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) through bridge programs. These can take anywhere from 2 to 4 years, depending on the chosen degree.

Some RNs choose to obtain an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), a 2-year technical skill focused program.

There are many ways to enter into a nursing career and become an RN, but the preferred degree to obtain is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

This is a 4-year college program. It includes a curriculum based on coursework, lab time, and clinical skill development through a hospital or other medical experience-based program.

In order to practice as a registered nurse, the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX-RN must be taken and passed.

How long does it take to become a nurse?

Becoming a nurse can take anywhere from 1 to 4 years, depending on the level of nursing education planned.

  • LPN/LVN: 1 year
  • Associates degree RN: 2 years
  • Bachelor’s degree RN: 4 years

Nurses seeking an advanced degree will require additional education beyond their basic nursing education, which can range from two to five years depending on the degree being obtained.

Benefits of a nursing career

Shortage of nurses will offer potential job security, an option to advance or change career paths within the scope of nursing practice, and advanced education opportunities.

In addition, nursing currently offers a chance to work in non-traditional work environments, such as schools, government agencies, parks, and offices.

The wide range of specialties means that nursing can appeal to people with varied interests. They can use their nursing skills in a multitude of practice areas.

1. Always in Demand

The nursing field is one that is always in demand. We are living much longer, the elderly population is constantly growing and will require more medical care in the coming years. Hospitals and medical facilities are almost always in need of qualified nurses, so the chances of a being laid off as a nurse are minimal.

2. A Rewarding Career Path

Nurses help people. As a result, they receive the unmatched satisfaction of knowing that they have made a difference to patients and their families.

A nurse can enjoy a long and rewarding career of helping those in need – and often, those in pain. They are the key link between doctors and patients, interacting with patients on a daily basis, caring for and attending to their various health needs. This level of patient care – this ability to work so closely with people in need – is something that fulfills a desire in many nurses, to give back to humankind.

3. Flexibility

Few careers are as flexible as those in the nursing field. Many nurses aren’t nine-to-fivers. Healthcare is needed around the clock! The beauty is, nurses can choose to work when and where they want. Would you like to work part-time, full-time, or freelance? Would you like to work four days on, three days off? How about nights and weekends for family obligations, or a second job? All options are possible in the field of nursing.

4. Nurses are trusted, respected, and appreciated.

Nurses are viewed as the most honest, ethical, and trusted professionals in the United States. In fact, nurses have been ranked the most trusted professionals for 19 consecutive years, including in 2020, when they fought relentlessly against the COVID-19 pandemic. This underlines how important nurses are to Americans, and how much nurses are appreciated by patients and communities alike.

5. There is great job security.

Simply put, there will always be a need for nurses. There will always be a need for qualified, compassionate healthcare professionals. No matter where you are in the world, the skills and knowledge that you carry as a nurse will be both valued and vital. In fact, the need for nurses is expected to grow, promising job security for nurses both old and new.

If 2020 taught us anything, it is the need for nurses and healthcare professionals. The global COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the importance of having nurses staffed at all stretches of our communities – in hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and more. It heightened the need for nursing employment, which was already growing at above-average rates even before the pandemic hit.

Nursing is a responsible and rewarding career, but it is not always easy. Developing skills such as stress management, listening skills, compassion, and inner strength can help nurses face the daily challenges of their chosen career path.

Homework Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities

Education sector has advanced in the last couple of years. Old teaching methods and practices have been abandoned for modern ones. The new ones that are being used are more effective for teachers to use. Schoolwork is the most important task in every learning institution across the world. This is because it sharpens students’ skills and help them remember what they have learned.

A research was conducted and it showed that students need to study at least one to two hours a day at home. This is going to help in increasing their knowledge and skills. Homework is what teachers use to gauge how students are performing and progressing. So it is used to measure students’ ability to grasp what they’re being taught.

Each and every student is supposed to complete the assignment given to them in order to get good grades. On the other hand, there are students who might be having difficulties in learning. Therefore, what teachers do to help these students is that they go an extra mile to put more effort while teaching them. These students with special needs require help to finish their assignments. Generally, when students with disabilities participate in the general education curriculum, they are expected to complete homework along with their peers. But, just as students with disabilities may need instructional accommodations in the classroom, they may also need homework accommodations.

Many students with disabilities find homework challenging, and teachers are frequently called upon to make accommodations for these students. What research supports this practice? This article describes five strategies that researchers have identified that help students with disabilities get the most from their homework. They include:

  1. Give clear and appropriate assignments
  2. Make homework accommodations
  3. Teach study skills
  4. Use a homework calendar
  5. Ensure clear home/school communication

Below are five homework strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities.

1. Simple homework

The assignment that students are being given is usually designed by the teachers. What teachers need to do is that they should design those assignments in a way that students won’t have a difficult time handling them. The instructions of the schoolwork should be very clear and simple. Categorize the assignment into parts for the students to comprehend easily. Ensure that the objective of the assignment is understandable for the students. Set flexible submissions dates and keep reminding the students about the requirements.

2. Ensure homework flexibility

Teachers need to be more flexible while dealing with these students. Whenever there are changes that need to be done, teachers should be more than willing to do the modifications. They should be there to offer them individual time. Also, they should be allowed to submit reports in a format they’re more comfortable in. The evaluation and checking criteria should also be a little lenient for such students. Overall they should reduce the strictness in the assignment and homework regime for students with special disabilities of learning.

3. Improve their study technique

When students are studying and doing homework, they usually get distracted by a lot of things. And this applies to all students, be it the ones with learning disabilities and general students. So teachers should play an important role to improve their study routine. How this can be done, is by teachers inquiring about their study location and environment at home. They should also enquire about the resources they have for doing their assignments, time frame for completion of the assignment, and the notes written in their lectures.

4. Introduce a work planner

Students need to plan themselves well so that they won’t get overwhelmed by the assignments. As a result, they end up not submitting certain homework. This is more likely to happen to students with learning disabilities. So parents and teachers should work together to ensure that these students are have a calendar. The purpose of this calendar is to highlight all the assignments that they have to finish within a given time frame. It will also reflect milestones for them to achieve. This way doing work and assignments would be more sequential and systematic. Students with disabilities often need additional organizational support. Just as adults use calendars, schedulers, lists, and other devices to self-monitor activities, students can benefit from these tools as well. Students with disabilities can monitor their own homework using a planning calendar to keep track of homework assignments. Homework planners also can double as home-school communication tools if they include a space next to each assignment for messages from teachers and parents.

5. Open Communication

Homework accounts for one-fifth of the time that successful students invest in academic tasks, yet students complete homework in environments over which teachers have no control. Given the fact that many students experience learning difficulties, this creates a major dilemma. Teachers should always open their doors for students to communicate with them. They should be there in case students want to ask questions about their schoolwork. Mostly for those students with learning disabilities, teachers need to be extra observant. This is because they need to keep checking their work and be there every time to guide them.

Recommended ways that teachers can improve communications with parents include:

  • Encouraging students to keep assignment books
  • Providing a list of suggestions on how parents might assist with homework. For example, ask parents to check with their children about homework daily
  • Providing parents with frequent written communication about homework (e.g., progress reports, notes, letters, forms)
  • Sharing information with other teachers regarding student strengths and needs and necessary accommodations

Ways that administrators can support teachers in improving communications include:

  • Supplying teachers with the technology needed to aid communication (e.g., telephone answering systems, e-mail, homework hotlines)
  • Providing incentives for teachers to participate in face-to-face meetings with parents (e.g., release time, compensation)
  • Suggesting that the school district offer after school and/or peer tutoring sessions to give students extra help with homework

6. Communicating with Parents

Parents are often effected by the amount and type of homework assigned to a student with learning disabilities. Homework assignments that are complex, lengthy or unfamiliar to the student may create difficulties for the parent as well. The parent may attempt to teach the content, thus further confusing the student. The parent may overcorrect the assignment, creating frustration for the student. The parent and teacher should agree at the beginning of the school year on a process for communication if the homework assignments seem too difficulty or too easy for the student. This communication may be through notes, telephone calls, fax, e-mail messages or conferences.

7. Parent Suggestions

Provide support and encouragement to your child in completing homework. If your child seems to be having difficulty with homework, contact the teacher to discuss the problems. Share comments with teachers about homework that is especially beneficial to your child. Don’t wait until there is a problem to communicate with the school. Provide a space for your child to complete homework. Some students work best away from all distractions, others need the comfort of knowing a parent is nearby offering encouragement. Consider establishing a drawer or box designated for homework supplies that will always be available. Set aside an appropriate time for completing homework. For some students that may be soon after school dismisses, for others it might be first thing in the morning.

By working together parents and teachers can help students with disabilities benefit from homework and avoid frustration.

8. Teach Self-Monitoring

Your child isn’t going to always have someone available to create systems for them or hold them accountable. They need to learn to manage these responsibilities themselves. Create an accountability chart that helps them stay on track. The chart might give stars for days with completed homework, blank marks for days that homework was not completed, and a checkmark if the homework was done but late. This type of system can also alert parents to potential issues. For example, if you notice that your child has had late homework three days in a row, you know that something’s not working.

9. Make It Fun

When possible, make homework something that your child doesn’t dread. Provide snacks, allow them to listen to music (if it isn’t distracting), and let them take breaks. If your child has a positive attitude about homework, it can reduce their resistance and potential struggle. The most important homework strategy for parents with children who have learning disabilities is to have an open line of communication with the child’s teachers. When parents and teachers work together to create appropriate homework, children benefit.


Order a Nursing Dissertation in APA Format Today

Nursing is one of today’s most popular professions. In addition to the idea of participating in life-saving and patient care, nursing is an attractive career, due to the benefits its practitioners receive. Students that choose to become nurses renounced that they do more to convince their teachers that they are willing to join the profession than to understand the field’s practical qualifications. You must therefore study and memorize such things as diagnoses, doses and the lingo, which may be quite mouthful. We do not think it needs to be this hectic to be called a nurse, so we do the best to write your nursing dissertation. For most students, APA nursing dissertation is particularly hard to produce.

You are torn between the skills you need to care for your patients and write papers and take your course. You are torn between the skills. Although we believe that you should not pay as much attention to the latter as the former, you must be careful that the two abilities are important to your career. For example, if you do not understand the basic skills for the profession, you will not be competent in your practice. Likewise, if you do not write and submit your infants on time, you are not eligible to participate in the career. Such a dilemma causes students to wonder who is going to write my APA dissertation for them.

We are well aware of the many activities that you need to juggle as a nursing student. You need to practice and at the same time, attend your classes. You have a personal life that you cannot neglect, and you probably have to take care of your kids as well. Writing a dissertation is seeming going to make things even more difficult for you. This is a significant paper for you, and we know why you have a strong desire to do well in your nursing dissertation writing project. With our dedicated team of nursing online dissertation writers, we will always do our level best to ensure that you get the best results after so many years of study and dedicating yourself to the field of nursing.

The nursing dissertation paper is probably the most prolonged and most complicated paper that you will have to complete at this level of your studies. To prepare this document, you will need to carry out days and months of research that will exhaust you to the last nerve. Your information will need to be 100% accurate, and also the methodology you will need to apply in your research will need to be a suitable and reliable one. This method will also need to allow room for research in the future.

We ensure that we have your paper written from scratch and keep an eye on your instructions, your professor’s guidelines and the instructions for formatting. We therefore strongly discourage the option of purchasing APA nursing dissertation online before we see whether the writing style meets your needs. Lionessays.com reviews will show you why we are the most credible in the industry.

Find Best Nursing Papers in APA Format Online

You cannot reach a dead end with your nursing paper if you utilize our online service. We have the team and logistics to write all nursing papers within the deadline, even when it is tight. It just takes a few steps to start enjoying our writing help. Start by signing up if you are a new client for an account that we use to communicate and upload a paper after completing. Follow up by going to the ‘order now’ page on our website to fill in the writing instructions for your assignment. Fill in accurate information because it helps us to draft best nursing papers in APA format. The data also guides our automated system to calculate the actual price for your paper. The price displays after you fill in all the instructions. 

When things get too tricky, and you feel that you will not be able to produce a good paper, do not hesitate. Request our nursing dissertation help services, and we will ensure that you succeed. When you contact Peachy Essay, you will get 100% certified nursing professionals to write your dissertation for you. The professionals are highly dedicated to delivering superior quality work and are prepared to deliver the final paper promptly.

If you’re in a dilemma and you want someone to write your APA nursing dissertation, we’re your best bet in guaranteeing high quality and reliable services. We have several examples in nursing papers that we hope will help you decide to work with us quickly as they demonstrate the depth of the research we have carried out on behalf of every client.

To put it in other terms, your dissertation will need to need to yield useful real-world research. This is a study that you will conduct towards the development of nursing. Your idea will need to be applicable in the field, and you will need research to back it all up. This is not a task for the fainthearted, and you will need to put in work like never before. 

So if you have a write my nursing APA dissertation for me dilemma, we are your best bet when it comes to a guarantee of a top grade and reliable services. We have some nursing paper examples that we hope will help hasten your decision to work with us because they show the depth of research we put into every client’s order. We have served thousands of students who have joined the nursing profession with a trail of success. We hope you could also be part of the community of successful nurses that we are building by allowing us help you with your nursing APA dissertation. Here are some of the reasons many students continue to work with us and even refer their friends to.

Write my Nursing APA dissertation for me

You are probably looking for writers who help you impress your professors in a high quality paper if you go online with your written application of my APD dissertation. We are what you’re looking for. We have the highest academic skills in the fields of medicine and other sciences. Also in the industry, we’ve been long enough to understand what teachers want in their APA dissertation.

WHY CHOSE OUR NURSING DISSERTATION WRITERS?

Our well-trained professional writing assistants offer nursing dissertation papers written from scratch and customized to meet all your requirements. We are always dedicated to making you succeed and always ensure to meet our primary goals. 

We always guarantee superior quality work that is thoroughly scrutinized by our quality assurance team to ensure that it meets the highest standards. When you work with our dedicated team, you can be assured of the following perks: 

Reliability

We do not see ourselves as the industries best nursing essay writers. Our customers have confirmed their faith in us, both past and present, by bringing new customers and returning new orders. For us, we are confident in meeting the expectations of our customers.

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There is a lot of research required in a nursing APA dissertation. It has to be detailed and supported by data from authoritative sources as an important document in the case of a nursing student and the nursing profession. In addition to being flawless, the final document provides an essential addition to knowledge. So your work will be handled by highly qualified professionals that are dedicated to writing your dissertation to perfection

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We Guarantee you Satisfaction

Our aim is to meet the expectations of our clients. All the measures that we have in place work towards achieving this objective. Therefore, our promise to you is that if we inconvenience or disappoint you in any way, be sure that you will get your money back.

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We have a 24/7 customer support team that ensures comfort and happiness. Whenever you have a question or concern, contact us and be sure we’ll find a quick solution for you. This makes lionessays.com/order one of the industry’s leading nursing services, as we respond in real time to all of your needs.

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We allow each customer a 14-day period to make revision requests after submitting their dissertation on the agreed date. This is a way to further cultivate student opinions, making the paper even more personalized.

Make a wise decision today. Make a move that will ensure that you enjoy your life as a student and that you get your degree in the easiest way possible. Contact Peachy Essay today and let the professionals propel you to the next level. 

Is it Important for Nurses to Engage in Meditation?  

Meditation is the act of turning your mind away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment. The practice can involve turning your attention to a single point of reference, focusing on the breath, bodily sensations, or a mantra. Despite being a rewarding career, nurses experience strain and a lot of stress at work. This is because healthcare institutions are different in size and nature, and nurses are confronted with different work tasks and working hours -nightshifts-, working conditions – understaffing and stress related situations – the suffering and death of patients.

Stress among Nurses

Nurses also tend to respond to patients’ physical and psychological status. And besides that, increased job demands, because of the use of sophisticated technologies, competition among hospitals, nursing shortage, work overload, and lack of task autonomy and feedback, as well as reduced advancement opportunities, appear to be major determinants of emotional exhaustion.

Therefore, meditation can help nurses handle day-to-day workplace stress in a safe and positive fashion, leading to improvements in physical and mental health. With benefits also related to insomnia, high blood pressure, and depression, this free and simple mind-body technique has much to offer. Below is a guide on how you can start your journey of meditation as a nurse.
 
How to Start Meditating
When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives: We lower our stress levels, we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we’re kinder to ourselves. Let us walk you through the basics in our new mindful guide on how to meditate.

One of the biggest barriers to meditation is that people don’t know where to begin. We break it down with these tips below.

Tips on How to Meditate

1. Don’t worry about the rules: There are many different types of meditation and although they may have rules or guidelines, the way you decide to practice is up to you. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

2. Start small: You may have visions of yourself sitting on a pillow chanting for 30 minutes but that’s not realistic at first. Set a modest goal, such as meditating for one minute every day for a week. Aim for two minutes the next week and continue to build upon your progress. 

3. Set a timer: The point of meditation is to either focus on a particular thought or mantra or focus on nothing at all and just “be.” That’s tough to do when you’re looking at the clock to see how long you’ve been meditating. Use the timer function on your smartphone so you can focus and keep your eyes closed. Be sure to set the alarm to a low sound that is not too jarring, like a soft gong or chime.

4. Go someplace quiet: It’s easier to feel calm and relaxed without the TV blaring in the background or overhearing coworkers’ conversations.

5. Get comfortable: You don’t have to buy a special meditation pillow or yoga mat to begin meditating. You can sit, lie down, or even stand. In fact, some types of meditation involve movement, like walking. Do whatever feels best for you and feel free to experiment.

6. Find your focus: You can choose to focus on anything, but common focal points are breath, mantras, or the body.

  1. Breath: Registered nurse suggests the 4:7:8 technique for beginners. Slowly inhale for four counts, hold the breath for a count of seven, then exhale for a count of eight. Repeat the process a minimum of four times and then repeat it as many times as you’d like.
  2. Mantras: Pick a word or phrase and repeat it in your mind continuously. Try these mantra idea to get started.
  3. Body: Center your attention on a particular area of your body, such as the belly, neck, or feet.

7. Notice your thoughts: A popular misconception about meditation is that the goal is to have a blank mind. This is unrealistic. Thoughts will be popping into your head constantly. Acknowledge them and let them go. The goal of meditation is to keep your focus on one thing only. So, when other thoughts creep in, just keep bringing your awareness back to your focal point.

8. Falling asleep is okay: If you get so comfortable and relaxed that you fall asleep, accept it. Fighting the urge to doze off while meditating just creates more stress. If you notice that you consistently fall asleep every time you attempt to meditate, it may mean you need more shut-eye in general. If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, read our tips on how to fall asleep faster.

9. Take a moment: After the chime or gong sounds on your phone, take a second to gather your thoughts and regroup before you power forward with the rest of your day. Over time, you’ll begin to notice that the effects of daily meditation will help you bring more mindfulness to all aspects of your life.

Meditation is a way to train the mind. Most of the time, our minds are wandering — we’re thinking about the future, dwelling on the past, worrying, fantasizing, fretting or daydreaming. Meditation brings us back to the present moment, and gives us the tools we need to be less stressed, calmer and kinder to ourselves and others.

Meditation is a training of our attention. It allows us to step out of distracted thought, and helps us arrive in the present moment in a balanced and clear way.

Mindfulness

There are lots of different types of meditation. Most religions have contemplative traditions, and there are plenty of secular ways to meditate, too. But in recent years, mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular.

Basic mindfulness meditation is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with an accepting, nonjudgmental disposition. The goal isn’t to stop thinking, or to empty the mind. Rather, the point is to pay close attention to your physical sensations, thoughts and emotions in order to see them more clearly, without making so many assumptions, or making up stories.

It’s a deceptively simple exercise — just be right here, right now, without daydreaming. But with practice it can yield profound results, giving us greater control of our actions, and making room for more kindness and equanimity, even in difficult situations. With time, mindfulness meditation can even help us better understand what causes us stress, and what we can do to relieve it.

There’s a large and growing body of research identifying the measurable effects of mindfulness on the body and brain, and it is catching on in professional settings including education, sports, business and even the military.

Mindfulness vs. Meditation

Though the words are sometimes used interchangeably, it’s useful to draw a distinction between mindfulness and meditation.

Mindfulness is a quality of being — the experience of being open and aware in the present moment, without reflexive judgment, automatic criticism or mind wandering.

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of actually being present in the moment, which in turn trains us to become more mindful throughout the day, particularly during difficult situations.

Why Should you Meditate?

While meditation isn’t a cure-all, it can certainly provide some much-needed space in your life. Sometimes, that’s all we need to make better choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And the most important tools you can bring with you to your meditation practice are a little patience, some kindness for yourself, and a comfortable place to sit. When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives. Below are reasons as to why nurses should meditate:

  • It helps in understanding their pain
  • Lowers stress level
  • Helps nurses connect better
  • Improves focus
  • Reduces brain chatter

How Long Should a Nurse Take to Meditate?

Meditation is no more complicated than what we’ve described above. It is that simple … and that challenging. It’s also powerful and worth it. The key is to commit to sit every day, even if it’s for five minutes. The most important moment in your meditation practice is the moment you sit down to do it. Because right then you’re saying to yourself that you believe in change, you believe in caring for yourself, and you’re making it real. You’re not just holding some value like mindfulness or compassion in the abstract, but really making it real.

Make a commitment to try meditation this week. Worried about any barriers preventing you from making it happen? Follow the above tips on how to get started.

Important Qualities of a Nurse Leader

All healthcare organizations require  nurse leaders to administer staff individuals. The resigning attendant accomplice addresses the greatest test for supplier associations who will encounter a huge convergence of unpracticed nursing ability that will in the end contain a large portion of the United States enlisted nursing pool. These conditions make the development of new attendant pioneers fundamentally significant. Thus, different nursing advocates have shaped unions to grow new pioneers.

Effective nursing leadership is essential to optimizing the delivery of healthcare services in medical institutions of all sizes.

The world needs nurse leadership now more than ever before. Consider the current talent gap in health care. Today’s nursing shortage is only projected to grow as the baby boomer generation ages. There is an increasing demand for care while also a significant number of knowledgeable and experienced nurses transitioning into retirement.

Relatively new nurses will soon represent nearly half the population of practicing RNs, which makes nurse training and management, clinical standard leadership, and the professional development of new nurse leadership all the more important.

Combine these demographics with the current value-based trend in which reimbursement is tied to outcomes, and you get a set of needs that equal huge career opportunities for nurse leaders.

Nurse leaders can study interdisciplinary leadership techniques and use them in practice to ensure that their teams are motivated to provide the highest quality of care for their patients.

Before you begin developing nurse leadership skills, you must learn the skills, traits, and competencies that lead to effective nurse leadership. That’s not always easy to do when you’re working a full-time job.

In light of this, the accompanying nine characteristics help nursing chiefs in gathering the goal of encouraging new authority ability.

Characteristics of a Nurse Leader

1. Passionate Intelligence

In clinical settings, nurture pioneers work intimately with students to assist them with creating passionate knowledge. Such help encourages companions to adapt to the stressors that present during routine difficulties. Attendant pioneers help learners in dealing with those difficulties and other counterproductive impacts that can bring about enthusiastic fatigue and helpless group joint effort.

2. Uprightness

Respectability for one’s self and among charges is an essential target for nurture pioneers. Individual uprightness helps nurture professionals in settling on the correct decisions during basic crossroads in patients’ treatment plans. Furthermore, viable pioneers adjust to utilize, and instruct, morally feasible practices that empower youngster nurture pioneers to settle on protected and viable consideration choices naturally.

3. Basic Thinking

Medical caretaker pioneers manage unpolished professionals in the utilization of basic speculation to build up their capacity to settle on choices dependent on an unpredictable exhibit of elements. This ability is indispensable in a medical services climate with expanding occurrences of multidisciplinary coordinated effort. The developing pattern of self-rule for medical caretakers additionally makes basic reasoning an important expert ability for professionals.

4. Commitment to Excellence

Medical caretaker pioneers are focused on their energy and reason and represent this through their constancy in the providing care setting. To cultivate this quality among new medical attendants, pioneers may evaluate exhibitions quarterly. Notwithstanding the method used to improve nurture execution, all medical caretaker pioneers show their charges commitment to greatness by conveying first class administration so students can gain from their models.

5. Good communication skills

The current multidisciplinary treatment climate incredibly builds the significance of coordinated effort in the consideration supplier setting. To encourage cooperation, nurture pioneers orchestrate learners to go to adjusts while drawing in with different clinical experts, for example, uphold staff, essential consideration suppliers, and senior chiefs. Some medical services associations likewise build up enlistment maintenance groups, who may participate in these rounds with learners.

6. Socializing professionally

During preparing, nurture pioneers acquire an extreme comprehension of patient-nurture elements. Medical caretaker pioneers center around growing how students draw in with patients after the emergency cycle. Viable medical caretaker pioneers distinguish freedoms to grow new hierarchical pioneers during this learning cycle.

7. Respectful

Attendant pioneers are enthusiastic, powerful influencers who move change in others and, simultaneously, win the regard and trust of their charges. To achieve this, pioneers show correspondence strategies, for example, two-way correspondence and rewording to advance a work environment climate where partners connect each other in a beneficial, positive way. By seeing each other’s conditions, students acquire regard for their companions and medical attendant pioneers.

8. Mentorship

Medical caretaker pioneers convey inspirational systems that take into account the individual characters of their students. By enabling students and directing them toward understanding their jobs as care suppliers, nurture pioneers develop a climate of ceaseless learning. While compelling medical attendant pioneers bend over backward to recognize learning openings, they give students enough self-rule so they don’t feel micromanaged.

9. Polished skill

Nursing is a unique calling that requires capable, sure administration. As authoritative pioneers, these experts address the nursing field at essentially every expert purpose of contact inside the association. This will increment in importance as medical attendant pioneers wind up addressing the field in the meeting room all the more as often as possible as time pushes ahead.

10. Professionalism

Nursing is a dynamic profession that requires competent, confident leadership. As organizational leaders, these professionals represent the nursing field at nearly every professional point of contact within the organization. This will increase in significance as nurse leaders find themselves representing the field in the boardroom more frequently as time moves forward.

Nursing leadership will change hands to a new generation of nursing talent over the next decade. These professionals will play a vital role in liaising between nurses and executive leaders in the evolving health care environment. Therefore, it is critical that nurse leaders start cultivating their replacements now and that the new generation of nurses pursue advanced training, such as Doctor of Nursing Practice accreditation, that will allow them to practice to the full extent of their capabilities.

11. Sense of Humor

To derive satisfaction from such a mentally and physically exhausting career, nurses that can find time for a laugh are typically more successful in their roles. Because nurses encounter varying degrees of high-stress situations, taking the opportunity to enjoy the downtime and incorporate a lighthearted attitude can provide a sense of stress relief beyond measure.

Having a good sense of humor also helps spread positivity to other nurses, patients, and their families. A good sense of humor is not only a characteristic of a nurse leader, but reminds patients and their families that “nurses are people, too” and ultimately increases their trust and openness with sharing feedback and concerns. In especially stressful times, patients and their family members are appreciative of any efforts (no matter how small) to help bring a bit of cheer.

12. Delegation

As a leader, you’ll need to know your team members in and out—and be able to trust them, because you can’t realistically expect to do everything on your own. Each person has strengths, weaknesses, and specialties. By delegating tasks based on your knowledge of these individuals, you can help others to be more efficient. Making wise choices as you delegate can improve the overall quality of care that patients receive and keep your team happy by encourage them to utilize their strongest skills.

13. Conflict resolution
In every organization, including the health care sector, conflict is unavoidable. Conflict resolution, a crucial nursing leadership skill, gives nurse leaders the capacity to resolve issues and improve teamwork, productivity, and patient satisfaction. Conflict resolution is also important in developing care plans and diagnoses for patients when members of the health care team may have differing opinions.

14. Effective communication
A nurse leader must be equipped with top-notch communication skills to maximize success across the board. Effective communication can encourage collaboration among members of all levels and positions in the health care sector. Great communication is effective, precise, and involves active listening and feedback—especially when dealing with nurses in training.

15. Change management or adaptability
A critical leadership skill in nursing is the ability to evolve and adapt to the constant changes in the health care industry. Nurse leaders must face the uncertainty of both their day-to-day and the rapidly changing landscape of medicine. Plus, leaders must effectively communicate these changes to their subordinates.

Nursing authority will change hands to another age of nursing ability throughout the following decade. These experts will assume an indispensable part in liaising among medical attendants and chief pioneers in the developing medical care climate. Accordingly, it is important that nurse leaders begin developing their substitutions now and that the new age of medical practitioners seek after cutting edge preparing, for example, Doctor of Nursing Practice accreditation, that will permit them to practice to the full degree of their capacities.