The AJN Podcast

Although Denmark and the United States have very different health care systems, the nursing issues are remarkably similar. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy spoke with Grete Christensen about what the health and nursing issues are.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Masitsela Mhlanga, former president of the Swaziland Nurses Association and the nurse credited with initiating the Swaziland Wellness Center for Health Care Workers. The center (which has now been replicated in other African countries) is credited for stemming the migration of nurses from Swaziland, which, with a prevalence of 26% of the adult population, has the highest prevalence of HIV in the world.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews these flight nurses about their jobs, their career choices, and issues around providing care in a challenging environment.

Stephen Harvey is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. The poem is in homage to his mother, Betty Harvey, RN (pictured here with the author), who inspired and encouraged him on his journey through college and medical school. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior editor Sylvia Foley (who coordinates AJN’s Art of Nursing column) speak with Stephen about his career, his early memories of his mother, and his poetry.

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AJN’s Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the May issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which features two CE articles: one is original research, a survey of 388 non-ICU nurses in one medical center about their role and participation with medical emergency teams (also known as rapid response teams), and another on issues and practices around organ donation after circulatory death. Other articles include a QI report on one hospital’s implementation of standardized reporting and safety checklists, a feature article on early recognition and management of stroke, another installment from our very popular series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step; an AJN Report on politics as a career for nurses. And, for Nurses Week, we bring you a poem “Nurse’s Son”, and an AJN Classic – a 1987 editorial by former editor Mary Mallison, answering the question, “How Can You Bear to Be a Nurse?” Of course, there’s also News, Reflections, Drug Watch, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the April issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which features two CE articles: one is original research, examining data from the Nurses Health Study analyzing trends in remission or progression of urinary incontinence among black, white and Hispanic women, and another on evidence-based feeding strategies for people with dementia. Other articles include a feature describing an online tool to develop care plans for cancer survivors and another focusing on sexual concerns after breast cancer; an article explaining why and how to use social media sites; another article in our Letters from Afghanistan series; an interview with a nurse who helped her hospital “go green”. And there’s News, Drug Watch, and more.

Mary Townsend, ScD, author of the April original research, “Rates of Remission, Improvement, and Progression of Urinary Incontinence in Asian, Black, and White Women”, speaks with AJN’s editor in chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa about her research. Townsend is an instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Texas Nurse Whistleblowers, One Year Later – Part 2 The second in a two-part podcast (see part 1 for description).

Texas Nurse Whistleblowers, One Year Later – Part 1 In this first part of a two-part interview, AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy talks with Texas nurses Vickilyn Galle, Anne Mitchell and colleague Naomi Warren about their roles and experiences as whistleblowers, when they felt patients were receiving unsafe and inappropriate care by a physician. The case involves small-town politics and collusion that resulted in arrest and criminal charges, prosecution of Anne Mitchell, and finally acquittal in February 2010 on all charges.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which features two CE articles: one is original research, a qualitative study of attitudes on intimate touch in nursing care, and another on how to use algorithms in managing persistent pain in older adults. Other articles include a feature examining the growing controversy around routine contact precautions; a companion article from the AJN archives on isolation procedures; another installment from our very popular series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step; an AJN Report on reducing violent behavior in adolescents; a Cochrane Corner reviewing dietary interventions for rheumatoid arthritis, plus News, Drug Watch, and more.

AJN's editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy caught-up with Mary Stachowiak, president of the fledgling Clinical Nurse Leader Association (CNLA), in Miami on January 21 at the 2011 CNL Summit. They discussed the fairly new role of the CNL and how these "advanced generalists" work alongside clinical nurse specialists and nurse managers.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the February issue, which features two CE articles: one on recognizing and safely intervening in human trafficking and the other is original research on comparing the effectiveness of buffered lidocaine with bacteriostatic normal saline for local anesthesia prior to IV catheterization. Other articles include Managing Pediatric Asthma in the ED, Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, and another installment in our series of missives, Letters from Afghanistan and of course, News, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and Reflections. There’s also a podcast with Donna Sabella, author of Combating Human Trafficking.

Through her work in a mental health clinic and trafficked victims she saw there, Donna Sabella became aware that few health care providers recognized the signs that a patient seeking help was a victim of sex or labor trafficking, and if they did, few knew how to proceed in a manner that protected their patients and themselves. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, along with AJN’s Sylvia Foley, discuss the issues with author Sabella, including the growing problem in the United States, and how nurses can help.

Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which features two CE articles: one on occupational hazards for pregnant nurses and another on recognizing and managing acute alcohol withdrawal. Other articles include our Book of the Year awards; features on reducing inappropriate medications among the elderly; another installment from our very popular series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step ; our special “Year-in-Review” expanded news section; a Policy and Politics report on the status of the Affordable Care Act, plus Drug Watch, and more. There’s also a podcast with pregnant nurses and their managers, discussing what safeguards they practice in the perioperative setting.

Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with pregnant nurses and their managers to workplace concerns and accommodations around pregnancy. She talks with OR nurse Juliette Alexander and her manager, Jeannine Rivera, and also with Kerry Durante and her manager from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), Pat McCann. All work at New York University-Langone Medical Center in New York City. Ms. Alexander and Ms. Durante are the nurses in the photographs accompanying the January CE article, "Occupational Hazards for Pregnant Nurses."

Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews authors of the December 2010 CE feature article, Pain Assessment in People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities. The authors talk about how they came together to collaborate on this, and Baldridge’s work implementing a pain management program in a long term care facility.

Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews Marla Weston, CEO of the American Nurses Association, on the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The interview took place on October 5th, in Washington, DC at the National Press Club, immediately after the press briefing and the release of the report.

December 2010 – Episode 25 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the December issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month features a CE article on Assessing Pain in People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, a photo-essay on a collaborative practice birthing center in Massachusetts, an evidence-based article on managing motion sickness, and the second in our series, Letters from Afghanistan, a column written by an army nurse serving on the battlefront. There’s also a guest editorial by Susan Hassmiller of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and an AJN Reports, both on the Institute of Medicine report on the future of nursing. Link to the podcasts with ANA CEO Marla Weston and the authors of the CE feature.

Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, speaks with Kelly Vanfossen, wife of Christopher A. Vanfossen, an army nurse and author of our new column, Letters From Afghanistan, about how her husband’s deployment impacts her and their four young children.

November 2010 – Episode 24 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the November issue of the American Journal of Nursing, which has a special focus on military families in light of Veteran’s Day, featuring an article on assisting families with deployment stress and Letter from Afghanistan, a new column written by an army nurse serving on the battlefront. Other articles include the CE feature on dietary modifications for patients with dysphagia; another installment from our very popular series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step; debut of our new column on Web-based media, iNurse (this month focusing on RSS feeds); a report on hazards of handling chemotherapy drugs, plus news and more. There’s also a podcast with the spouse of a deployed soldier.

Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy interviews Eileen Thomas about her qualitative research exploring men’s awareness and knowledge about male breast cancer and implications for nursing practice. Her survey “provides a starting point for the development of evidence-based, gender-specific, health promotion and disease prevention interventions for men.”

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Patricia Grady, director of the National Institute of Nursing Research, as part of AJN’s coverage of the 25th anniversary of the NINR. Grady discusses with Kennedy the early roots, landmark research that moved the institute forward and drove policy, and current research and its relation to health care today. See Dr. Grady’s guest editorial and the timeline of the history of NINR.

October 2010 – Episode 23 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing, including the cover, guest editorial and historical timeline celebrating the 25th anniversary of the National Institute of Nursing Research; a CE feature on original research assessing men’s awareness of male breast cancer; an article on how dragon boat racing can benefit breast cancer survivors; reports on drug resistant TB, nurses caring for wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany; safe handling of hazardous drugs; an archival piece on nursing research from 1927, plus news and more. And there are two podcasts: one with NINR director Patricia Grady and one with Eileen Davis, author of the original research piece.

September 2010 - Episode 22Clinical editor Christine Moffa presents the lineup of the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Highlights include a CE feature on managing fecal incontinence; coverage of the possible health effects from the BP oil spill, and how recovery is progressing in the Gulf, five years post-Katrina; a report on nurse-managed health centers and their potential to provide access to care; another article in our very popular series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step ; the final installment in our Putting Patients First series by Planetree; and a report of a QI project on how one hospital implemented an evidence-based program to clarify the role and preparation of charge nurses.

In their work with patients with cystic fibrosis, Lomas and colleague Susan B. Fowler noticed that a few of their patients learned they had the disease only after their children were diagnosed. They decided to survey cystic fibrosis centers to learn more about the number of people with cystic fibrosis who are having children who also have the disease. Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy interviews Paula Lomas about her work, the findings of her survey and implications for nurses.

August 2010 – Episode 21 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing, including a CE feature on original research around parents and children who have cystic fibrosis, an article on the dangers discarded unused medications cause to the environment and what some nurses did in their communities to call attention to this; a report of a QI project on how a nurse-managed program reduced urinary catheter-associated infections; a piece on how to help new parents deal with changes in sexuality and two articles on nursing history: one about the little-known nurse who co-founded The Henry Street Settlement with Lillian Wald and a reprint of an article from AJN’s archives.

Interview with Sibyl Shalo, BSN, RN, author of June AJN Reports: The War on Tuberculosis, in which she discusses her “ride-along” with the Newark, New Jersey public health department to observe its program to assure adherence to drug therapy.

July 2010 – Episode 20 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing, including a CE feature on interventions to promote exercise in chronically ill adults, three articles focusing on managing diabetes, the final article in our series, Uniting States, Sharing Strategies, and another article in our series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step. There’s also five pages of News this month, and a special report (and a podcast) on a “directly observed therapy” program for managing TB in the community.

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews AACN incoming president Kristine Peterson, and outgoing president Beth Hammer at the 2010 NTI.

Rapid response teams have been incorporated into the Joint Commission’s national patient safety goals, despite inconclusive evidence about what they achieve. Yet some nurses say they won’t work in hospitals without these teams. Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy interviews Susan Shapiro about her article investigating how nurses who activate such teams feel about them and why it matters to their patients and hospitals.

The recruitment of foreign-educated nurses has greatly expanded in the last decade yet little is known about how the recruitment industry operates. In this interview, interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy talks with author Polly Pitman about her research and her conclusions that there is a need for accountability within the industry.

June 2010 – Episode 19 Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, clinical editor Christine Moffa and special guest Anne Woods, AJN’s publisher and the chief nurse of Lippincott Williams &Wilkins and Ovid Technologies present the highlights of the June issue of the American Journal of Nursing. There are two original research features: one, the CE feature, is a qualitative survey of nurses’ experiences with rapid response teams. The other research feature is an analysis of the foreign nurse recruitment industry which raises questions about the need for accountability in the industry. There are also articles on using the level of glycemic control to inform postop care; understanding IUDs, and an installment in our series on expanding nursing education capacity funded by the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) at AARP; plus news, Reflections, Drug Watch and more. There’s also two podcasts: one with Susan Shapiro, author of the article on rapid response teams and the other with Polly Pittman, author of the article on the recruitment industry.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the May issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

Shawn Kennedy interviews Eugenia Miller, a Florida trauma nurse who traveled to Haiti shortly after the January earthquake to assist in medical care. Miller describes her experience and how it was unlike anything she’s ever done.

Shawn Kennedy and Christine Moffa chat with Lee Ann Riesenberg, author of Nursing Handoffs about experiences with handoffs, the miscommunications that can occur and how handoffs are to patient safety.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the April issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of special note: the cover of a Canadian Red Cross nurse treating a Haitian child is part of a special photo essay of coverage of nurses participation in disaster relief following the earthquake in Haiti. There are two CE features including a systematic review on nursing handoffs and the effects of culture on pain, an installment in our series on expanding nursing education capacity funded by the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) at AARP; plus news, Reflections, Emergency and more. There’s also two podcasts: on with Lee Ann Riesenberg, author of the article on systematic handoffs and the other with Eugenia Miller, a nurse who volunteered in a disaster mission to Haiti.

HIV infection is still an epidemic in the United States but there is a sense of complacency that now surrounds it. Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy interviews Lyn Stevens, president, and Adele Webb, executive director and CEO of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, about their article, “Every Nurse is an HIV Nurse” in the March 2010 issue, and why the public – and nurses – cannot afford to be complacent about HIV infection.

Shawn Kennedy, AJN's editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, interviews Patricia Gerrity, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate dean for community programs and director of the Eleventh Street Family Health Services of Drexel University in Philadelphia about the work of the clinic in meeting the needs of the uninsured and underinsured.

Shawn Kennedy, editorial director and interim editor-in-chief and clinical editor Christine Moffa present highlights of the March 2010 issue of the American Journal of Nursing, including CE articles on the ongoing HIV epidemic and one on a relatively new phenomena: aging with HIV. Other articles include the third installment in our Evidence Based Practice series from Arizona State University College of Nursing, an article on Oregon's innovative nursing education model in our series from the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP, AJN Reports on the problems of accessing mental health care if uninsured, a piece on how a Florida community marshalled efforts to address infant mortality, expanded News section and resources for providing health information in Spanish. On AJNonline.com this month are podcasts with the authors of the HIV article and the director of Philadelphia's 11th Street Family Health Services Center on providing integrated, patient-centered care in a nurse-managed clinic.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the February issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of special note: the cover and guest editorial in honor of black history month; a CE feature article on managing hemorrhage from esophageal varices; a pictorial guide to peristomal skin conditions; an overview of medications used in treating type 2 diabetes; the second installment in our series on expanding nursing education capacity funded by the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) at AARP; plus news, Drug Watch, Journal Watch.

At a press conference held January 20 in Washington, DC, editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Susan Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, about the results of a Gallup poll commissioned by the Foundation, to find out what 1,500 opinion leaders think about nurses’ influence in health care decisions.

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Brenda Cleary, director of the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP, about its collaborative work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and government labor agencies in promoting strategies to increase education capacity of schools to prepare more nurses for the future. AJN will disseminate the work of this collaboration in a series of articles, “Uniting States, Sharing Strategies”, debuting in January 2010 and running through July.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa begin another year, presenting the highlights of the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of special note: a CE feature article on the unintended consequences of life support at the end of life; a point-counterpoint on mandatory flu vaccines with ethical analysis; debut of a series of articles on solutions to expanding nursing education capacity to meet workforce needs, funded by the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) at AARP; the third article in our step-by-step evidence-based practice series; plus news, Drug Watch, Journal Watch. There’s also a new Conversations podcast with Brenda Cleary, director of the CCNA about the workforce initiative.

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Carol Huston, immediate past-president of Sigma Theta Tau International at the association's 40th Biennial Convention in Indianapolis, October 31 to November 4.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the November issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of note: a special report on “Transforming Care at the Bedside,” detailing nurses’ work around the country; two CE articles; and two new series: “Evidence-Based Practice, Step-by-Step”, and the first of three articles from Children’s Hospital Boston in AJN’s new “Cultivating Quality” column.

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews authors Bernadette Melnyk, and Ellen Fineout-Overholt from ASU College of Nursing, about their new series, “Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step”, debuting in November. The year-long series will be a guide for organizations to follow along to implement evidence-based practice.

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of special note: "Drug Administration Through an Enteral Feeding Tube," by Joseph I. Boullata, and "Influenza Vaccination with a Live Attenuated Vaccine", by Michele Michael.

Stacy R. Nigliazzo reads her poem, “Purgatory.”

Editorial director and interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Of special note: Behind the Article podcasts featuring interviews with authors Judith K. Schwarz (“Stopping Eating and Drinking”) and Suzy Lockwood-Rayerman (Original Research: “Women’s Awareness of Ovarian Cancer Risks and Symptoms”).