Boy, take your first vacation in five years and you see some interesting signs along the way.
Sounding off on personal care alarms: Enough already
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 18, 2014
We all know how technology is supposed to help us. And for the most part, it does. But sometimes, too much of something isn’t a good thing. I’m talking about personal care alarms. While they...
Be present to listen
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 06, 2021
I think one of the greatest tools in our customer service toolbelt is just taking the time to be present and listen to our customers. Whether that customer is our coworker, our resident, patient, family...
I was a better nurse when …
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 06, 2014
It’s Nurses Day — a day we celebrate all it means to be a nurse. This day gets me into deep thinking. Particularly about the core of a nurse and how sometimes — even if we don’t want it...
Transitions of Care III — Scarier than a horror movie: Medication errors
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Aug 11, 2011
We’ve been talking for a while about transitioning of our residents to and from the facility and some of the problems associated with it. But let’s talk now about just one huge problem, that...
The schizophrenia of patient-centered care
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Nov 11, 2014
Is it me or sometimes do the wide interpretations within the State Operations Manual (the dreaded “RED book”) make you want to question your entire existence? I mean, we’ve been working...
What we have is a failure to communicate
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jun 25, 2019
Recently, I saw a group email pop-up on my computer that basically states that surveyors showed up in a particular building and they may need electronic medical record access, so please stand by.
It’s easier to stay warm
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 23, 2021
I was reminded of something this week that got me thinking: It’s easier to stay warm than get warm. As we just finished wi
Documentation nightmares: so noted
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 28, 2019
The bane of any nurse leader’s existence is reading some of her staff’s notes and just praying a surveyor or lawyer never finds them.
Should you treat LTC work like a sprint or marathon?
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jan 08, 2019
I am sure you have all heard the saying, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” But in our profession, I think we find that sometimes it’s both. So, what in the heck do I mean?