When Pain Became a Vital Sign: How a Healthcare Slogan Helped Fuel an Opioid Crisis
Pain is real, but it wasn't always a vital sign. My latest blog post explores how a well-intentioned healthcare slogan helped turn pain into a metric, how that metric became entangled with opioid-industry influence, and why the future of pain care should focus less on making a number smaller and more on understanding the signal, reducing suffering safely, and helping people function better.
The Certification Myth: Why More Initials Don’t Automatically Mean Better Outcomes
Healthcare organizations love a clean metric, and nursing certification is one of the most celebrated. Certification has value, but it is not a shortcut to better patient outcomes. This post explores why certification rates may reflect professional commitment, but should not be mistaken for safe staffing, strong leadership, nurse retention, academic preparation, or a healthy practice environment.
A Monopoly on the Word Doctor
The title “doctor” did not begin in medicine. It began in scholarship, teaching, and earned expertise. This post explores how physicians came to dominate the public meaning of the word, why doctorally prepared nurses often feel pressured not to use a title they have rightfully earned, and why the future of healthcare language should be built on clarity, accuracy, and respect, not professional turf wars.
Why the ER Is Not First Come, First Served: How Triage Works
The emergency department isn’t first come, first served -it’s acuity (how emergent the illness is) based. This quick breakdown explains why patients are seen out of order and how the ER actually works behind the scenes.
Why Nurses Should Think About Movement Before Exercise
We’ve overcomplicated exercise. As a [present day] narrative, it’s a place. Attire. Social fodder. As a noun it’s workouts, programs, and schedules. And if any particular one of those elements doesn’t happen consistently, a person assumes they’re falling behind. Or labels themselves as “not an exerciser” or trains their brain on the idiom that “I’m not the exercise type”.
But here is the solution…
The Nursing Shortage May Actually Be a Nurse Retention Crisis
I spent some time at a conference recently where much of the conversation centered around two ideas: the nursing shortage, and how AI might help solve it. Both are interesting topics. Both are important. Though as I sat there, listening, I kept coming back to the same thought: I’m not sure we’re talking about the right problems.