Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
As opposed to synarthrotic suture joints of the skull and amphiarthrotic fibrocartilage unions like the pubic symphysis, the joints of concern in acute arthritis are the synovial or diarthrotic (moving) joints.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
The presence of an affective disorder, especially major depression, is also a strong independent risk factor for suicide. There are increased rates of suicide in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Malingering is the simulation of disease by the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives, such as avoidance of work or securing of better living conditions.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
The most common endocrinologic conditions associated with anxiety states are hypoparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, pheochromocytoma and hyperadrenocorticism.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
OCD is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions), such as fears of contamination, or compulsive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that a person feels compelled to perform, such as handwashing or counting.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
PTSD is caused by experiencing or witnessing a highly traumatic event. Those with PTSD manifest symptoms of re-experiencing the event, avoidance of triggers, changes in cognition and mood and changes in arousal and reactivity.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Generalized anxiety disorder is defined as excessive worry that occurs most days over a 6-month period involving several events or activities. The anxiety must cause significant distress or impairment in functioning.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
A panic attack is not a diagnosis but rather an indication of an underlying disorder. The presence of panic attacks often influences the treatment and outcome of the primary illness. An attack can be replicated by intentional hyperventilation.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
A panic attack is an abrupt fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and has associated physical and cognitive symptoms. It may occur with any anxiety disorder or as part of another mental or physical disorder.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
The atypical antipsychotic medicines including ziprasidone, risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine, cause fewer side effects (such as, acute dystonia) than conventional antipsychotic agents.

Metacognition & Learning | Nursing Hacks # 14

Metacognition is a concept that concentrates on thinking about your thinking. Seems confusing, I know, but it focuses on processes concerning monitoring, assesses, and evaluating your understanding and performance. Metacognition is a new trend in nursing school education, and I'm very excited to see it is finally being put to use. It goes beyond nursing concepts and focuses on the learner's actual ability to learn and comprehend content. As an individual either interested or currently in the nursing profession, I know that metacognition will improve your knowledge capabilities. Metacognition makes you aware of your strengths and weaknesses in a variety of topics. It provides the learner the ability to be proactive, and not solely reactive to the learning process. The fundamental component of metacognition is the recognition of one's limitations regarding knowledge and performance. Once the deficiencies are known, one can focus on filling those gaps and expanding knowledge and performance roots. You don't know what you don't know unless you explore your perspectives toward learning. As humans, we tend to be blissfully oblivious of our incompetence, and lack insight about our deficiencies. We are our perspective, and every encounter is viewed through our own lens. To allow true education to take place, we must asses our viewpoint towards educational fundamentals. In order to understand the disease process of COPD, you must first understand the concept of gas exchange. Knowing the symptoms is not learning, it is memorization and unhelpful. Hence nursing schools moving toward nursing concept learning models.

 What can we do about this?

# 1: Examine Current Thinking
- What are your current feelings or ideas about the topic?
- What experiences have influenced your opinion about the topic?
- What are you learning & why are you learning it?

# 2: Identifying Confusion
- What element is confusing to you?
- What are you having issues grasping?
- What foundations do you feel you are lacking?

... research the gaps found, educate & evolve your thinking ... 

# 3: Recognize Change
- How has your thinking changed?
- What concrete concepts remained?

# 4: Reflection
- Do you feel you have expanded your knowledge?
- What gaps remain? What other questions do you have?

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Patients presenting with mood disorder symptomology are frequently in crisis, often overwhelmed and frankly scared. The ED is a chaotic, stimulating environment that may cause or exacerbate the patients’ level of agitation.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Borderline personality disorder is characterized by unstable personal relationships, unstable self-image, and self-destructive behaviors. These patients typically live lives of crisis and constant conflict.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Adjustment disorders are behavioral or emotional disorders that occur in response to an identifiable stress or stressors, with marked distress that is out of proportion to the severity of the stressor.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Manic patients have decreased or no need for sleep and typically report being awake for days. They may be involved in a massive project and may completely disregard consequences of actions.