LPN to RN Blog

It is a short transition from becoming a paramedic to becoming an RN, although many people will dispute this statement.  Paramedics are trained to work in specific fields that are much different than RNs, but this still gives you a taste of what the health care industry is like, and how quickly you must think on your feet.  Paramedics are usually the first on the scene for many emergencies and therefore must be accustomed to scenes of gore, while RNs are typically involved more with patient care after the fact.

Becoming a paramedic involves passing your EMT exams and training yourself to become used to uncomfortable scenes.  This amount of training goes a long way in preparing you for a lifelong career in the health industry, whether you want to become a nurse or a doctor.  This type of training is vastly instrumental in securing your taste for the medical field.  After a few years of paramedic work, many workers typically are more interested in exploring different medical alternatives, which is why there are now so many paramedic to RN bridge programs that help close the gap in knowledge between the two programs.

Paramedic to RN bridge programs help students transition to becoming an RN without involving years of study, years that many of us do not have.  These programs allow students to take the knowledge they have learned in the paramedic field, and apply this to classes toward becoming an RN.  As a paramedic, you typically do not have as much time as traditional nursing students may have, which is why many of the paramedic to RN bridge programs cater to your schedule and are beginning to be offered online.  These programs save years of time in the schooling process and can expedite the transition to becoming an RN.

The biggest thing to consider when enrolling in these programs is the amount of knowledge you have gained since becoming a paramedic.  If  you do not feel secure in your own field, then you should consider enrolling in strictly nursing school, bypassing the paramedic to RN bridge program.  However, if you have a strong background, this program is very beneficial toward expediting the process.  While the two fields are related, it is important to keep in mind that they involve many different procedures and many different types of situations.  Paramedics do not have to worry about catering to the same patient more than thirty minutes after an incident; nurses, on the other hand, are required to check on their patients round the clock (depending on the type of nurse of course).  This transition may be difficult for some students, but taking the proper classes and training yourself for this work will make the transition much smoother.
 

With the advent of online education has come new programs that ease the process of many degree programs, cutting down years of class time and compressing them into one or two years to earn a degree.  Nursing degrees are no different, as bridge programs are now in effect that ease the transition from LPN, EMT, or paramedic towards earning your registration.  Earning a registered nursing degree can take up to six years for part-time students, but bridge programs have lessened the amount of time that you have to devote toward getting this degree.  These programs allow you to put credit from your LPN degree toward your future RN degree, thereby shortening the program length. 

For years, RNs have been forced to take the same routine classes and devote the same amount of time to nursing school.  However, online education has brought a new change to every type of degree program, allowing nursing students to take nursing classes from home up to their field work requirements.  This is no different for online LPN to RN programs, which cuts down the time by half that students would otherwise be required to take upon receiving their nursing degree.  The modern era has brought many different types of nurses to the health industry, and LPNs are one type that allows you as a student to get your foot into the water.  While you will not have as many responsibilities as a registered nurse and will not get paid as high a salary, you will be able to experience firsthand what the medical field is about.  As a result, this is becoming a more popular choice for students who are unsure of a future in nursing.

The days of Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton are over, as nurses must be knowledgeable on the most up-to-date technology, vaccines, and medical advances.  While patient care remains a high priority, technological advances are an important part of the education process.  Therefore, becoming an LPN before becoming an RN allows you as a student to understand the intricacies of modern medicine and patient care without taking on the responsibility from the onset.  Additionally, some online schools let you dismiss the fieldwork requirement after working as an LPN for several years.  The field work experience is an important part of the nursing degree, but LPNs are able to witness firsthand what being a nurse is all about.  While online LPN to RN degree programs are not the best match for every student, they have been able to increase the number of RNs in our health system, a statistic which will only help increase the competence of the medical industry. 

Male nurses may be in a minority field, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t resources and portals of communication available for them to share information, rant about work and connect over their own specific experiences. Check out our list of 50 of the best blogs for males nurses to learn about new specialties, nursing school, and the stories experienced by other nurses like them.

Male Nurses

These blogs are written by male nurses and will help you feel like you’re part of the club, even if you’re in the minority in your department.

1. St. Vincent’s Hospital Darlinghurst – Male Nurses: Peter McCartney blogs about male nursing and life in Australia.
2. The Angry Nurse: Angry Nurse discusses "the things that one should not [talk about] in polite company."
3. New Life Changes: Medic Matthew talks about working with nurses, doctors and other people who don’t give him enough credit.
4. Licensed to Ill: This former "angry male nurse" analyzes shocking medical stories and more.
5. Male Nurse Jibber Jabber: Listen to the rants and ramblings of this male nurse for funny, realistic depictions of the field.
6. The Intensive Art: Nurse Sean is an ICU nurse who shares Twitter updates and blog posts.
7. Disappearing John RN: Disappearing John used to weigh 500 pounds. Now, he’s a full-time RN who’s lost 200 pounds.
8. Weird Nursing Tales: "Tex" has been an RN for 17 years and now works in North Carolina.
9. Impacted Nurse: Ian has major sex appeal and minimal dance ability, not to mention 23 years of experience working in the ER.
10. Nursing Around: This nurse was once the first male nurse in the local gynecological ward.
11. Macho Nurse: The Macho Nurse writes lengthy posts each month describing his work in the medical field.
12. Nurse William: Nurse William is a "conservative alpha-male" who blogs about nursing and medicine from the Pacific Northwest.
13. Grumpy RN: Grumpy RN has worked for the NHS "for over a quarter of a century."

Student Nursing and New Nurses

Student nurses and nurses just starting out can commiserate on these blogs.

14. Call Bells Make Me Nervous: This "shiny new nurse" blogs about medical education and more.
15. New Nurse Insanity: This very young nurse shares chilling stories from working at the local ED.
16. Hope2BRN: This blog comes from a married mother of two, but her posts about nursing school are relevant to any student.
17. EDNurseasauras: This blog is written by "the world’s oldest diploma nurse and BSN undergraduate."
18. Wounded Healer: Wounded Healer is written by a "retired web geek" who’s gone back to school to become a nurse.
19. WardBunny’s Coffee Break: Read this blog from a twenty-something student nurse for rants and funny stories about the field.
20. The Angry Medic: Read this humorous blog for stories about going to school at Cambridge to become a medic.

Medical News

Check these blogs for medical news, research findings and other articles that will give you an edge at work.

21. WSJ Health Blog: Get the latest on medical news and research from the WSJ Health Blog.
22. Women’s Health News: Here you can read stories about women’s health research, women’s health in media and pop culture, and more.
23. The Health Care Blog: Read The Health Care Blog to get the truthful answers to all the tricky questions you were too afraid to ask.
24. Medlogs.com: This site operates as a news aggregator for all the medical news stories of the day.
25. Weird Medical News: Check this blog before heading into work so that you have crazy medical stories to share with your co-workers.
26. A Better Life: A Better Life is USA Today’s medical news blog.
27. Schwitzer health news blog: Gary Schwitzer of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication blogs about the business of health care and how it is portrayed in the media.
28. White Coat Notes: Boston doctors and nurses share news from the field through this Boston.com blog.
29. Paging Dr. Gupta: CNN’s Dr. Gupta breaks down the top medical news stories and makes them accessible for everyone.
30. Well Blog: The New York Times’ health blog tackles everything about living a healthy life.

Nursing Resources

These nurse blogs are full of news, resources and support.

31. Codeblog – tales of a nurse: Read about all of the crazy, wonderful, exciting things that go on in hospitals and medical care facilities.
32. About a Nurse: Learn about new networks, teaching trends and more in nursing.
33. Head Nurse: This blog is full of mini tutorials and explanations of anatomy.
34. Receiving: Receiving is a blog, forum and educational resource for learning what it’s like to work in an emergency room.
35. Mental Nurse: This blog is written by a group of nurses who want to educate others about mental health nursing.
36. Nursing Ideas: The purpose of this blog is to facilitate the spread of information about nursing education and nursing research.
37. Not Nurse Ratched: This blog is named in response to the popular Nurse Ratched site, but it also has its own stock of resources and tips on nursing, productivity and more.
38. Diethack: Diethack is written by a med student who wants to share healthy living tips.
39. Clinical Cases and Images: In addition to blogging, this author has collected resources on pulmonology, neurology, cardiology and more.
40. Nursing Jobs Blog: This blog comments on the nursing industry and has information for job seekers.

Niche Nurses

Learn about specific nurse fields like travel nursing, ER nursing and oncology nursing when you read these blogs.

41. ER Nursey: Commiserate with this nurse if you work in the ER.
42. Livin’ Large: This former businesswoman went back to school and became a nurse in the OR.
43. The Nurse Practitioner’s Place: Nurse Practitioners can read this blog for professional news and more.
44. madness: tales of an emergency room nurse: This funny blogger shares what it’s like to work in the madness of an ER.
45. LPN with an M16: If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work as an army nurse, read this blog.
46. Rehab RN: Discover the culture of rehab nursing after you read this blog.
47. PixelRN: This blogger is a mom and RN who likes to comment on national health news issues and everyday nursing stories.
48. At Your Cervix: Find out what it’s like to work in the delivery unit of a hospital.
49. ONCRN: This blog is all about oncology nursing.
50. Travel Nursing Blogs: Explore the field of travel nursing when you visit this site.

Education is expensive, and the way things are heading, it is set to become even more pricey in the coming years.  As a result, many students are searching for alternate routes in order to save money in earning a degree.  Online education has managed to make this possible by allowing working students to take classes at their leisure and earn a degree in the same time or less that traditional college classes would require.  LPN to RN programs have joined in on the online education bandwagon and now offer classes to students as an alternative to enrolling in nursing school to become a registered nurse.  These programs have expanded throughout the nation, as more nurses have been able to earn their registration through online programs.

Alabama is no different from any other state and now offers many online programs to students of its public universities.  While many of the major state schools do not yet offer LPN to RN programs through distance learning classes, there are still many options to choose from, many of which save the student time and money.  LPNs already have a lot to deal with, between work and family in most cases, which is why online LPN to RN programs have become such a welcome relief to these students.  Besides saving students thousands of dollars, these programs allow students to earn their registration in half the time without the commute to school every day. 

The recession has indicated to many people the importance of earning an education, or furthering the one they currently hold.  Nursing degrees are no different in comparison to other educational endeavors, as there are many levels of nursing school.  Online programs in Alabama now offer students the opportunity to earn anywhere from an associates to doctoral degree in nursing, indicating a drastic shift in both pay and responsibility.  Online LPN to RN programs are only the beginning for many nursing students, as the opportunities are nearly endless for promotion within the health care industry.  The University of Alabama offers many continuing education programs in nursing, allowing students to pick and choose the program that is best suited for them.

The recession does not mean that students have to give up on their hopes and dreams, but instead has indicated that we all need to try a little harder to earn a quality education.  Online education has overcome many hurdles in the process and has allowed students around the nation to become highly education without the burden of expensive student loans or an inconvenient schedule.  Online LPN to RN programs are one step in the process of nursing degrees and have opened many doors to the possibilities of online nursing programs. 

These blogs will give pre-med students the upper hand on medical knowledge, current events and health care answers. Recognized as a vital learning tool for pre-med students and patients alike, medical blogs are a must-read for education and entertainment. Whether you are applying to medical school, already enrolled or just have an affinity for medicine, these blogs will further your interest, make you laugh often and maybe even prompt you to write a blog of your own!

Student Blogs

All pre-med students have been in your shoes. They had to take the MCAT, apply to medical schools and make the grades to graduate. Reading helpful tips, residency stories and the ups and downs of med school will give you a better understanding of what to expect during those grueling, yet rewarding years.

1. PreM.D.. This blog is student-run and filled with informative tips and intriguing articles that cover many medical topics.
2. Student Doctor Network. Students can share in their med school acceptances, give advice to others or discuss health-related news bits.
3. Pre Med Journey. A pre-med student, who goes by the alias Sam, designed this blog to share tips, reviews and stories of his own experiences working at an ER.
4. Vitum Medicinus. Follow this 24-year-old pre-med student in Canada, as he gives candid accounts of his school experiences and posts intriguing articles.
5. A(n)nals Of An Idle Mind. Get a taste of med school reality with this student’s blog about the most interesting medical books, funny school stories and her love for pediatrics.
6. Scrub Notes. This medical school graduate blogs about residency tips for pre-med students, as well as funny patient encounters.
7. Anatomy Notes. This med student blogs about all things anatomy, hence the title, and shares what he has learned in school thus far.
8. Ah Yes, Medical School.The Fake Doctor, a resident physician, blogs about everything from debunking medical myths to crazy patients.
9. Medical Students. Browse through numerous blogs that discuss student’s concerns: medical school finances, textbooks and MCAT scores.
10. The Long Road to Medical School. Read this self-proclaimed "Old MD Girl’s" blog that records her pre-med school experiences at 29 years old, and gives hope for late twenty-somethings to pursue medicine.
11. Med School Student. "Adventures in Medical School" is filled with intriguing accounts of hospital procedures, patient interactions and her own daily routines.
12. An American Medic in Britain. This American blogger shares his medical school experiences while in Britain.
13. Of Ditziness and Med School. This peppy student makes medical school sound, well, super fun! She uses hot pink text, lots of exclamation points and an enthusiastic tone in her blogs about her patients and hospital experiences.
14. Future Doc.This blogger aims to supply other pre-med students with important tools and advice for medical school.
15. ScienceRoll. Created by a tech savvy medical student, this blog features information about the first medical web 2.0 guide and how it will be integrated into medical school lessons.
16. Medical Educator. Test your knowledge with simulated medical exams and read entertaining blogs written by med students.
17. Med-Source. A one-stop blog that gives med students access to research sites and articles that will answer their questions and ease their worries.
18. Online Community for Medical Students. This is a community of medical student blogs with information on essay topics, research and medical technology.
19. The Rumors Were True. An American medical student in the Caribbean talks about med school rejections and the truths of studying medicine abroad.
20. PANDA BEAR, MD. Read through this med student’s pre-clinical years and residency experiences.
21. Med School Hell. Although this medical school graduate decided not to go forward with medicine, he does provide useful information to those in doubt and who are considering different career paths, as well as those who are happy in med school and just want to read what Hoover has to say.

Doctor Blogs

Doctors have taken blogging by the horns and made it much more than medical directories, but rather an opportunity to share patient stories, give advice and express their strongest opinions about anything and everything. While many like to remain anonymous or use pseudonyms, others are just as proud to be identified as themselves. It’s educational and intriguing all wrapped into one.

22. KevinMD.com. Voted the best medical blog in 2008, KevinMD.com provides insight on medical issues and informs readers about important, and often misunderstood, current medical information.
23. Anonymous Doc. This anonymous doc shares his true feelings about patient-doctor relationships and his not so glamorous hospital experiences.
24. Don’t Become a Doctor. This doctor’s blog has a satirical take on being a doctor with his brutally honest and not always well-received posts, such as "There is no cure," "Hate me" and "The doctor is OUT."
25. NHS Blog Doctor. Get the low-down on British medicine and politics from this family physician’s diary.
26. All Scrubbed Up. Read educational articles and clever posts by doctors on this South African blog.
27. DB’s Medical Rants. Dr. Robert Centor shares his medical opinions with newsy and interesting essays.
28. Notes from Dr. RW. This Arkansas doctor blogs about recent health issues and new medical findings.
29. GruntDoc. Read newsy, health-related articles and see what this ex-battalion surgeon from the Marines has to say.
30. Made a Difference. Christopher Coppola, a pediatric surgeon in Iraq, writes a captivating blog about his experiences in the military.
31. Scalpel or Sword?. This ER doctor posts intriguing stories from his work and sometimes asks what readers would do if they were in his shoes.
32. EM Physician. Bold and sometimes combined with graphic, medical pictures, this blog is a must-read for behind the scenes information.
33. Movin’ Meat: A Plea. This blog is another account of the excitement and frustrations of an ER doctor at work.
34. DocNotes. This blog covers health, technology and all things related to family medicine.
35. The Examining Room. This family physician writes about a wide range of health topics and experiences, including witnessing a seizure, how texting interrupts teenagers’ ability to talk to the doctor and exercising to lose weight.
36. Quackwatch. Doctors blog about medical misconceptions to help patients spot quackery and health fraud scams in order to educate themselves.
37. Aggravated DocSurg. This "Aggravated Surgeon" has a lot to say about surgery complications and problems with the healthcare industry.
38. The Doctor Blogger. Dr. Rima Bishara blogs about the daily routines and obstacles of a doctor.
39. Dr. Wes. Dr. Westby Fisher shares his views on medicine, health studies and his practice.
40. Retired Doc’s Thoughts. See what this retired doctor thinks about health care bills, clinical trials and everything in between.
41. White Coat’s Call Room. Follow the detailed accounts of this emergency physician’s malpractice trial.
42. M.D.O.D.. A few physicians blog about life in the ER and issues within the healthcare system.

Professor Blogs

Professors are at the forefront of medical research, technology and education. So, why not learn from them? Educators’ blogs often address issues like confidentiality, ethics and skepticism for their pre-med students, which many say is for their own good.

43. California Medicine Man. This assistant professor at UCLA School of Medicine blogs about medical issues and occasionally throws in his two cents about politics.
44. Sufficient Scruples. A graduate student going for his PhD started this blog about healthcare issues and ethics in medicine.
45. Global Bioethics Blog. This professor of bioethics blogs about strengthening bioethics and health research in African nations.
46. Women’s Bioethics Blog. Scholars and public policy experts analyze the bioethical issues facing women.
47. Lost in Translation. Read about early phase clinical trials and genetic studies from this bioethics professor.
48. Clinical Cases and Images. This blog is loaded with images and in-depth information on clinical cases to educate students and non-students alike.
49. Froedtert. This academic medical center physician shares medical stories and interesting patient encounters.
50. Dr. Geoff’s MedBlog. Dr. Geoff blogs about breaking medical news and all things health-related.
51. Super Dok. This family physician and professor talks medicine and motherhood in this super blog.
52. Dr. Thompson’s Blog. As a long-time practicing pediatrician and assistant clinical professor, Dr. Thompson gives readers information for "navigating today’s dysfunctional medical system" and focuses on child and family medical issues.
53. Renegade Neurologist. This blog centers on the relationship between neurological disorders and diet, while touching on general health topics too.
54. Revolution Health. This professor of clinical family and preventative medicine is also a men’s health expert who covers general and specific health topics for men.
55. Stress Management. This renowned professor of oncology has narrowed his focus to studying stress — what is does to your health and how to prevent it.
56. Terra Sigillata. This PhD researcher and educator aims to keep an open mind and a healthy dose of skepticism toward natural and conventional medicine, as seen in his articles.
57. Health Care Organizational Ethics. This clinical professor blogs about the importance of ethical organizations (i.e. HMOs, group practices and third parties) and ethical health care.
58. The Physician Executive. Learn about the business of medicine and its effect on overall health care.
59. Docinthemachine. Dr. Steven Palter, an Ob/Gyn, is focused on technology developments that will advance medicine, especially in surgical tools and procedures.
60. Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma. This blog touches on the pharmaceutical industry and its role in health care and ethics.
61. BrainBlog. This neuropsychologist and professor blogs about the brain and human behavior.
62. Mind Hacks. These brainy bloggers offer tricks to understanding what’s going on in your head and overall neurological health.

Hospital Blogs

Pre-med students will work at a hospital at one time or another and it’s best to be prepared for the expected and unexpected when that time comes. These blogs serve as educational tools and medical newsfeeds about the life of a hospitalist, patient and even CEO.

63. Wachter’s World. Robert Wachter blogs about hospitalists, hospital policies and patient care.
64. A Happy Hospitalist. This enthusiastic hospitalist blogs about his experiences at the hospital and other medical issues.
65. Internal Medicine Doctor. A hospitalist who writes about current events, patient etiquette and random medical stories.
66. The Hospitalist Refugee. Read about the ups and the downs of being a hospitalist.
67. Running a Hospital. This CEO of a Boston hospital blogs about medicine, health insurance and what’s going on in his workplace.
68. Hospital Impact. Dedicated to making hospitals run more efficiently, this blog covers hospital’s impact, leadership and medical news.
69. Nick Jacobs. In this successful blogger’s site, you’ll read Nick Jacob’s explanation of why hospitals are the way they are.
70. Society of Hospital Medicine. Get the latest news on hospital medicine and read about featured hospitalists.
71. HCPlive. Read articles about hospital medicine and the latest technology being used in hospitals today.
72. Today’s Hospitalist. Find up-to-date articles on hospital medicine and current medical events on this blog.
73. EMedConcepts. Learn about hospital based medical practices and hospital leadership on this emerging blog.
74. Craig Hospital Blog. Read inspirational stories of patients who were admitted to this Colorado hospital.
75. On the Wards. Search the list of best hospitals in America, read about hospital caretaking and an inhospitable hospital.
76. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Get information on this newsy blog that keeps up on the latest patient care, research and education.
77. UTMB Newsroom. Stay connected with The University of Texas Medical Branch’s blog that covers news, medical education and interviews with experts.
78. Riverside. Follow Riverside Health System’s breaking news updates, read a hospital executive’s position on the healthcare reform and check out their clinical trials.
79. Sutter Medical Center. Read about the trials and tribulations of building a new hospital during the economic recession.
80. Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Get news updates, read about hospital medicine and policies from this top ranked hospital according to U.S. News & World Report.

Health and Miscellaneous Blogs

Many blogs cover a wide range of topics, such as health care, medical news and health policies. These are useful tools for understanding the intricacies of the healthcare industry.

81. WSJ. The Wall Street Journal’s blogs cover a variety of news and investigations on health and business.
82. Effect Measure. This blog encourages public health discussions and disagreements, along with providing health education to its readers.
83. Medical Products Insight. Read this blogger’s articles on a variety of issues in the healthcare industry and politics role in medicine.
84. Respectful Insolence. This blog covers up-to-date news about the health industry with clever articles and YouTube videos as references.
85. Science-Based Medicine. View articles about the relationship between science and medicine and see what medical myths these bloggers are debunking.
86. White Coat Underground. Read about "absurd" medical claims, alternative medicine and American healthcare values on PalMD’s blog.
87. Denialism. Read these bloggers’ pieces on denial and how it affects public understanding of medicine.
88. Discover Magazine. Browse through hundreds of informative and well-researched articles about all things health related.
89. Health Policy and Communications. Information about the current debate on healthcare reform and breaking news updates can be found on this Health Policy and Communications blog.
90. General Health. This blog gives patients a chance to moan about their illnesses and health experts a chance to offer medical advice and information.
91. Dr. Weil. This doc shares his medical philosophies and writes about western and eastern medicine.
92. Code of Ethics. Founded on the healthcare code of ethics, this blog ensures reliable information from its bloggers who write about a wide variety of health topics.
93. Placebo Journal. An extension to its magazine, Placebo Journal, this blog covers health issues, medical controversies and current events.
94. InsureBlog. Inspired by government policies and current healthcare issues, this blog touches on insurance principles, problems and solutions.
95. Premed Blog. This blogs posts information on MCAT procedures, admission tips and keeps you up-to-date on medical school news.
96. Health Careers. Andrea Santiago, a medical recruiter, blogs about important issues, such as finding medical jobs, handling student loans and debt and current healthcare debates.
97. Sporula. This blogger explores the bizarre, yet intriguing mysteries of biology and medicine "one spore at a time."
98. Medical Futility. This law professor focuses on medical ineffectiveness by the means of legislative, judicial and political analysis.
99. HealthLawProf Blog. See how medicine and law coincide from pharmaceutical companies and doctors’ relationships to stem cell guidelines.

Within the field of nursing, there are countless opportunities for making a difference. From research to health advocacy programs to team leadership to administration and education partnerships, nurses will never stop developing the skills they need to manage effective, compassionate patient care systems. And with the assistance of these networks, nurses and nursing students will be able to find even more support for achieving their goals.

Professional Organizations

Join these professional organizations to learn about the latest in research, certification and more.

1. International Council of Nurses: This group is over 100 years old and unites nurses from all over the world.
2. American Academy of Nursing: This top nursing organization is all over social media, too, making them easy to follow.
3. American Nurses Association: Join this community for optimum networking potential, certification information, advocacy projects, and more.
4. Minority Nurse: Nurses of minority backgrounds can find scholarships, jobs, learning resources and other networking features here.
5. American Assembly for Men in Nursing: Male nurses can use this organization for find jobs, support and more.
6. National Association Directors of Nursing Administration/Long Term Care: The NADONALTC offers support and networking opportunities through conferences, forums, education and more.
7. Service Employees International Union: SEIU promotes accountability and progress for hospitals and patient care.
8. Western Institute of Nursing: Nurses who study and work in the American West can find out about research conferences and more.
9. National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing: Nurses with associate degrees can join this network for specific career counseling, certification information and professional support.
10. National Council of State Boards Nursing: This group is comprised of groups and boards devoted to upholding the quality and integrity of state nursing boards.
11. American Organization of Nurse Executives: Ambitious nurses have a chance to share their ideas for the future of nursing through this networking portal.
12. National Nurses in Business Association: Learn about legal nurse consulting, self-employment and emergency nursing here.
13. National Institute of Nursing Research: Get information on training, funding and national research studies through the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Social Media and Online Networking

Network online to learn about jobs, discover new specialties, make friends and get involved in ways you never thought you could.

14. Nurse Zone: This online network is a fantastic resource for nurses wanting to learn about education, advancing their careers, exploring new fields, medical news, the future of nursing, and beyond.
15. Medscape: Register on Medscape to get personalized access to the health information site that best suits your interests and specialty.
16. AllNurses: Here you’ll find blogs, medical news, job posts and plenty of online networking.
17. Nurses Reconnected: Find out what happened to your nursing buddies from the past through this network.
18. NurseCentral: NurseCentral is an Australian-based site for nurse networking and information sharing.
19. NurseLinkUp: This social networking site is just for nurses and offers opportunities for job information sharing, medical news, and a community.
20. SocialRN: SocialRN is a great networking site for nurses who want to create profiles, meet other nurses and catch up on nursing news, projects, conferences, and more.
21. Nurse Connect: Find a growing nursing community on this site, plus resources about travel nursing, finding a job, continuing education and more.
22. Nursing Times: In addition to the latest nursing and medical news, this site features community blogs, debates, forums and networking.
23. Nursing Express: This British and Australian site has information about training and education as well as nurse networking and community links.
24. Clinical Village: Medical professionals chat on the forums, share ideas, learn about research studies and build connections on this site.
25. Healtheva: Doctors and medical researchers join this site for networking, blogging and more.
26. Nurse.com: Nurse.com is a popular resource for getting news, learning about special events in nursing, and networking with other nurses.

Job Placement and Careers

Link up to these career networks for job tools and connections.

27. U.S. Nursing Network: This group finds jobs for travel nurses and more.
28. American Nurses Credentialing Center: This group is affiliated with the ANA and is the world’s largest nursing credentialing organization.
29. All Health Jobs: Look for nursing, medical administration and other health care jobs around the country.

Forums

Chat with other nurses to share your experiences and learn about new avenues for making a difference.

30. Nursing Voices: This "friendly forum" includes threads about nursing, school, medicine, and plenty more.
31. NurseTV: NurseTV’s chat and forum portal features threads about travel nursing, news and more.
32. Ultimate Nurse: You can find posts about jobs and nursing education on Ultimate Nurse.
33. NurseForums.com: NurseForums.com is a site for diabetes nurses, registered dietitians and diabetes educators.
34. The Student Nurse Forum: Here, student nurses can discover all there is to learn about nurse education, specialties, jobs and more.

Education

These networks are for nursing students and alumni with high expectations for success.

35. Sigma Theta Tau International: This honor society for nursing students offers support and resources to members long after they graduate.
36. American Association of Colleges of Nursing: Here you’ll find information about certification specialty fields job hunting and more.
37. Chi Eta Phi: This professional nursing group has over 81 graduate chapters and 38 undergraduate chapters in the U.S.
38. National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service, Inc.: NAPNES includes all kinds of education tools an resources on its website, and membership is open to nurses, students, retired professionals and agencies.
39. National League for Nursing: This group aims to promote excellence in nursing education so that students are well-prepared to enter the health care profession.
40. National Student Nurses Association: This group welcomes around 50,000 members who benefit from scholarship, career placement and general support resources.
41. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties: This group promotes quality education for nurse practitioners.
42. Alpha Tau Delta National Fraternity: Professional nurses and nursing students can join this network to learn about the field and make valuable career contacts.

Specialty Groups

Networking opportunities for pediatric nurses, cancer nurses and other niche specialties can be found in this list.

43. Nurses Christian Fellowship: Christian nurses and nursing students can turn to this network for a Christian perspective on their career choice.
44. Society of Pediatric Nurses: Nurses who work in pediatrics will find resources for scholarships, job placement, conventions, pursuing research, and more.
45. Nurses Organization Veterans Affairs: NOVA is a professional community for nurses who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
46. Emergency Nurses Association: ER nurses will find out about medical news, advocacy and outreach programs, special certification and education opportunities, career resources and more benefits from the ENA.
47. Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses: The AWHONN provides all kinds of resources for its members including journals and research studies, information on health policy, career help, continuing education opportunities, and beyond.
48. International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care: This unique network of nurses involved in cancer care offers members the chance to work on research projects, lead workshops, and more.
49. American Forensic Nurses: The AFN is a network for nurses who work in forensics, and membership can grant you access to continuing education opportunities and scholarships, certification and more.
50. Visiting Nurse Associations of America: The VNAA is a network for nurses who make home visits to patients. Their group features an advocacy and education center for continuing education and the opportunity to join causes close to the VNAA.

As a nurse taking various short term positions around the country, odds are you’ll be coming and going to lots of different places. You’re most likely to need tools that can help you stay on top of plans, keep in touch, maintain your fitness, and more. Here we’ll examine 100 iPhone apps that can help make your life easier.

Planning & Status

Use these apps to plan your travel, get updates, and more.

1. iPhone Travel: iPhone Travel will make it easy for you to find deals on air, hotels, and more.
2. Travelocity: Find hotels near you, check flight schedules, and view your Travelocity itinerary with this app.
3. roadtrippr: This app will help you find interesting places to visit that are off the beaten path.
4. Trips: Enter your itineraries and stay on top of changes, delays, and more.
5. Lonely Planet: Use Lonely Planet’s iPhone guides to learn about cities you may be traveling in.
6. TripChill: This mobile travel assistant will keep you, your friends, and colleagues on top of your travel status.
7. Dirt Cheap Vacation Finder: You can find vacation deals right on your iPhone using this app.
8. Frommer’s: See the latest information from Frommer’s, including maps, prices, and experiences.
9. Marriott Mobile: Search for rooms, access your account, and more with Marriott Mobile.

Medical

Use these apps for on the go medical reference.

10. Netter’s Anatomy: Get an atlas of the human body on your iPhone with the Netter’s Anatomy app.
11. iRx: Keep a reference from the FDA on your iPhone by using this app.
12. Eponyms: Eponyms will make it easier for you to understand medical terminology.
13. iPharmacy: iPharmacy will help you look into interactions, side effects, and more.

Connectivity & Communication

With these apps, you can stay in touch with the people that matter most.

14. OnTheRoad: Create a travel journal that you can update on the road with this useful app.
15. Insanely Simple Country Codes for International Calling: This app offers an easy way to find country codes.
16. Google Latitude: Google Latitude makes it easy for you to see where your friends are and help them find you.
17. Skype: Download Skype for the iPhone to get free or cheap calling anywhere in the world.
18. Wi-Fi Finder: Find Wi-Fi anywhere you are by using the Wi-Fi Finder app.
19. Facebook: Stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues through the social networking site and iPhone app Facebook.
20. Ultralingua: Ultralingua will provide you with instant translations between multiple languages.
21. Truphone: With the Truphone app, you can save money on phone calls by using your Internet connection.
22. Fuze: Use Fuze to connect with friends, colleagues, and more on instant messaging services including MSN, Google Talk, and AIM.
23. Twitter: Take your pick of your favorite Twitter app for the iPhone to stay in the loop with your Tweeple.
24. Babelingo: Babelingo makes it easier to communicate in foreign countries by translating what you want to say and displaying it on the screen.

Health & Fitness

While you’re helping others with their health, be sure not to neglect yours. These apps are great for helping you eat right, exercise, and stay well wherever you are.

25. SparkPeople: Sparkpeople helps you stay on top of what you’re eating and eat healthy at restaurants.
26. My Life Record: With My Life Record, you can keep your medical information handy on your iPhone.
27. iFitness: iFitness works as a personal trainer on your iPhone.
28. PaceCalc: Find out how fast you’re swimming, running, or biking by using PaceCalc.
29. WalkJogRun: Learn about exercise routs in over 200 countries by using WalkJogRun.
30. Diet: Using Diet, you can learn about the nutritional information for more than 7,000 products.
31. iPhodometer: iPhodometer will help you find out how many steps you’ve taken and the calories you’ve burned.
32. iStayFit: This app offers an easy solution to keeping tack of your workouts.
33. Heartbeat: Use Heartbeat to monitor your heart rate.
34. Pret-a-Yoga: This yoga app will show you yoga routines you can do anywhere.
35. Massage Me: Get a relaxing massage from your iPhone with Massage Me.
36. Daily Calorie Calculator: Discover how much you’re burning by using this app.
37. GymFu: Use these minigames to do pushups and more with your iPhone.
38. Binaural Beats: Binaural Beats provides users with beats to concentrate on for relaxed, focused, and stress-free states of mind.
39. Tai Chi Master: Tai Chi Master will help you learn the basics of Tai Chi.

Transportation & Navigation

Learn how to get around in a strange city by using these apps.

40. Emergency Car Care Guide: This app offers emergency car care tips for road warriors.
41. Gate Maps: Easily get around unfamiliar airports using Gate Maps.
42. Google Earth: Explore the world around you through Google Earth on the iPhone.
43. Mobile Map Me: With Mobile Map Me, you can create a map of your important places.
44. Yahoo! Maps: An alternative to the iPhone’s included Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps can help you get around town.
45. Cheap Gas!: Find out where the nearest, cheapest gas stations are by using this app.
46. NextFlight: Watch flights between two locations to find the next flight with this app.
47. iMetro: Find the best routes between subway stations in a variety of cities using iMetro.
48. InDoorMaps: Get guides to hospitals, malls, and more using InDoorMaps.
49. Flight Status: Flight Status provides you with the essential information for thousands of flights in the palm of your hand.
50. CityTransit: Get around New York City using your iPhone with the City Transit app.
51. Transitly: This application offers common timetables for mass transit quickly and easily.
52. My Gas Wars: Learn about the cheapest gas prices in a location with the help of user updates from My Gas Wars.
53. Trapster: Take advantage of Trapster to get alerted about speed traps near your position.
54. Metropoliphone: You’ll be able to find subway, bus, and train maps from worldwide cities using Metropoliphone.
55. Tube London City: Tube London City will help you find your way on the London Tube.
56. Airport Flight Delays: This app offers a list of current flight delays at airports across the US.
57. Taxi Magic: Forget hailing a cab — look up nearby taxi services with this app, and get someone to pick you up.
58. Yelp: Find reviews for just about anything by using the Yelp app.
59. Flight: Learn about the status of your flight quickly and easily with the help of this app.
60. Rocket Taxi: Rocket Taxi makes it easy for you to find local taxi services, and even estimate your fare.
61. Compass PointMeThere: This compass app allows you to store locations, so you can always find your way back to your hotel.
62. iBart: With the help of iBart, you’ll be able to navigate San Francisco’s Bart system.
63. Taxi!: Taxi! finds taxis based on your location, offering ratings, prescreened lists, and information about payment options.

Local Resources

These apps will help you find the best restaurants, shopping, and other resources in just about any location.

64. Urban Spoon: Urban Spoon offers an incredibly easy way to find a place to get a bite wherever you are.
65. WikiMe: WikiMe will find Wikipedia entries based on your GPS location.
66. Where: Learn about coffee shops, events, and more in any location using Where.
67. Local Eats: Find the top 100 restaurants in 50 American cities using the Local Eats app.
68. Around Me: Around Me will tell you about pharmacies, restaurants, and other resources in the area near where you are.
69. SitOrSquat: Find a clean, close bathroom all over the world using SitOrSquat.
70. Mobile by City Search: Mobile offers business information, reviews, maps, and lots more.
71. Movies: Learn about movie theaters near you and what’s on with Movies.
72. Zagat TO GO: Zagat TO GO Will inform you of the best restaurants, hotels, shopping, and more.
73. Local Picks: Trip Advisor’s app will help you find restaurants with high customer satisfaction.

Entertainment & Activities

These apps offer entertainment or ways to find things to do.

74. Stanza: This eReader app will provide you with hours of cheap, compact reading in digital form.
75. CityPass Mobile: Get tickets to big city attractions on your iPhone with CityPass Mobile.
76. The Hiking Insider: Learn about the latest hiking news and great spots using Hiking Insider.
77. Landscapedia Garden Tour Guide: Find out about botanical gardens, arboretums and more using this app.
78. Wikipanion: Find out about nearly anything, right from your iPhone with Wikipanion.

Organization & Productivity

Stay productive on the road by using these apps.

79. Google Calendar: With Google Calendar, you’ll be able to plan out all of your travel nursing activities wherever you are.
80. iZoho: iZoho makes it easy for you to stay on top of your mobile office.
81. Recorder: Record anything, anywhere with the Recorder app.
82. Discover: Keep files like PDFs and maps on your iPhone, no internet access required, with this app.
83. PDF Reader Pro: PDF Reader Pro makes it possible for you to upload PDF files to your iPhone.
84. MobileMe: MobileMe makes it easy to sync your mobile life with your computers anywhere.
85. OmniFocus: Using this tool, you’ll get reminders of all of the things you need to take care of.
86. Pocket Informant: This mobile calendar makes it easy for you to get things done.
87. Air Sharing: With Air Sharing, you can transfer files between your iPhone and any system.
88. Evernote: Evernote will make it easy for you to corral all of your important bits-photos, notes, to dos and more.
89. Checklist: Use this basic checklist app to stay on top of all the things you need to get done.
90. Bento: The Bento app will help you manage your to dos, projects, and more.

Finance

Make sure you’re on top of your finances by using these apps.

91. Spend: Stay on top of how much you’re spending using this simple app.
92. MOMPF Currency Converter: Check out currency conversions and store your favorites on MOMPF Currency.
93. Harvest Time & Expense Tracker: If you’re working on billable hours, this app is perfect for you.
94. Jetset Expenses: Use Jetset Expenses to automate the process of creating expense reports for your travel.
95. Currency: Currency will help you quickly find out the currency exchange rate for where you are and where you’re going.

Information & Utilities

These apps make work easier and keep you informed.

96. Your Rights: Keep your basic rights easily at hand by downloading the Your Rights app on your iPhone.
97. State Info: Use this app to get the lowdown on any state in the US.
98. The Weather Channel: Learn about weather wherever you are by using the Weather Channel iPhone app.
99. Night Stand: Get a free digital clock for your iPhone using Night Stand.
100. Flashlight: Download Flashlight to light up a dark bag, hallway, or hotel room with your iPhone.

Becoming an EMT is quite a commitment for anybody, especially students who want to make it into a lifelong career.  However, for many individuals, becoming an EMT is simply the first foray into the medical community, a glimpse of which allows many students the opportunity to understand the intricacies of the health field.  EMT work is not for everyone, which explains the high “burn out” rate which comes with the job: many EMTs grow tired of the endless “on the run” action and situations that may continue to haunt them for years.  While EMTs are trained to grow accustomed to the many gruesome scenes they may encounter, after a few years they can grow weary of this job and EMT bridge to RN programs are the perfect solution.

The stress and high intensity of EMTs contribute to the vast amount of students who wish to remain within the medical field but could do without the anxiety of paramedicine.  Many EMTs are already equipped with much of the knowledge they may need for RN programs which makes them excellent candidates for programs like this.  EMT bridge to RN programs allow students to continue with their education without enrolling in complete nursing programs that can be costly and time consuming.  Additionally, the schedule for an EMT is very erratic, making these bridge programs a highly viable option for students who would not be able to attend typical university classes. 

RNs on average can earn almost twice as much as EMTs, a number which can only grow with further education past the initial RN.  Earning an RN is only the first step in nursing school, one which can slowly expand to a Masters or Doctorate in nursing, as well as health management.  Continuing in the EMT profession does not offer as many opportunities as nursing may offer, as the peak in emergency care is the position of a paramedic, which does not offer as steady of an income as that of a registered nurse. 

There is now no excuse for EMTs and paramedics not to earn a further degree in the medical industry, as online education has opened up many different opportunities for students in their exact situation.  Online programs cater both to students’ schedules and income, presenting a new option for higher levels of education.  As more accredited schools begin to offer similar bridge programs, the amount of registered nurses is sure to increase, a welcome change within the health care industry. 

Nurses are an essential part of hospitals and can function as a communication lifeline to patients, doctors, and others in the facility. These days, there are lots of different tools you can use to communicate, but Twitter is an exciting one to consider, just because it holds so much potential. Read on, and you’ll learn about 101 different ways you can use Twitter in your hospital.

Marketing & Public Relations

Get the word out and promote your hospital with Twitter.

1. Monitor for problems: Find out what’s being said about your hospital, and respond to it on Twitter.
2. Get support for causes: Tweet about causes that are important to your hospital and patients.
3. Share news releases: Use your hospital’s official Twitter channel to let people know what’s happening.
4. Announce new locations: Let followers know when you’re opening up a new branch or department of the hospital.
5. Promote your brand: Use Twitter to protect your online reputation and build a consistent brand.
6. Share new services: Alert the community when you have new services to offer at your hospital.
7. Promote specials: Share health assessment specials and more to let people know about offerings available at the hospital.
8. Announce new physicians: Let followers know when you have a new physician join your team.
9. Share your hospital’s view: Let the public know your hospital’s stance and insights on health care reform.
10. Post events: Promote events happening at your hospital with the help of Twitter.

Patient Relations

You can use Twitter to better communicate and connect with your patients.

11. Get to know your patients: Learn about the people behind the procedure by following patients on Twitter.
12. Remind patients of pre-operative procedures: Send patients tweets to remind them to avoid food and other cautions before their surgery.
13. Send appointment reminders: Create pre-scheduled tweets to remind patients of appointments.
14. Alert patients to new information: Tweet patients when new information is available on your website.
15. Share surgical results: Easily update entire groups of friends and family members on procedure results using Twitter.
16. Prescription management: Offer reminders for prescriptions and refill reminders via Twitter.
17. Gain the trust of your patients: Connect with patients on Twitter so that they know hospital professionals personally and can trust them more.
18. Set appointments: Accept appointments, or alert patients when appointments open up via Twitter.
19. Tweet patients when the doctor is running late: Let patients know when the doctor is running behind schedule so they can plan accordingly.
20. Send follow up reminders: Share follow up information with patients after they’ve left the hospital.
21. Use Twitter for check ins: Get check ins from psychiatric patients using Twitter.
22. Tweet doctors when patients are running late: Allow doctors to better plan their time by alerting them when patients are going to be late.
23. Alert patients to reports: Tweet your patients when medical reports are available.
24. Connect with patient contacts: Share the names of florists and more by connecting with the loved ones of patients.
25. Satisfaction surveys: Get real-time satisfaction surveys with immediate follow up through Twitter.
26. Find out what patients want: Reach out to followers in your community and ask them about their ideal hospital experience.
27. Offer customer service: Use Twitter for internal facility customer service in your Hospital.
28. Remind patients to schedule appointments: Send reminders to patients when they need to schedule follow up appointments or treatment series.
29. Follow up with patients: Stay in touch with patients to see how they are doing after you’ve treated them.
30. Remind patients to test at home: Send reminders for patients to take blood sugar, blood pressure, and more.
31. Send patient questionnaires: Tweet patients a link to questionnaires to be filled out.
32. Coordinate transportation: Alert your patient’s driver when they are ready to be picked up.

Community

These are some of the ways you can use Twitter in your hospital’s community.

33. Share photos: Post photos of hospital events to show the community what they can be a part of.
34. Encourage patients to share their experiences: Help facilitate patient to patient communication by encouraging patients to Twitter about their hospital experience.
35. Promote awareness: Raise awareness about domestic violence, child abuse and more through Twitter.
36. Send Amber Alerts: Issue Amber Alerts to your staff and followers using Twitter.
37. Use Twitter for fund raising: Raise awareness and funds through Twitter.
38. Alert for missing patients: Send out alerts about missing patients and nursing home residents.
39. Discuss health care policy: Discuss health care policy with others in the community.

Hospital Needs

Use Twitter to help satisfy hospital needs.

40. Find study participants: Discuss your need for study participants to find volunteers on Twitter.
41. Get answers to questions: Build a community of doctors and other medical professionals around the world, and you can have access to more qualified knowledge at once than ever before.
42. Find donors: Share your need for organs and more to help save patient lives with information.
43. Follow health news: Follow Twitter accounts that offer up to date health news to stay in the loop.
44. Promote drives: If you’re in need of blood or bone marrow, let people know about drives to collect them.

Staff

These are some of the ways you can use Twitter to communicate with your staff.

45. Update staff: Twitter offers an easily updateable platform for offering information to your staff.
46. Send reminders about meetings: Tweet your staff to remind them about important meetings.
47. Report injuries: Share staff injuries through Twitter.
48. Offer weather reports: Alert staff of inclement weather so they can plan for extra time to get in.
49. Share articles of interest: Post peer to peer reviews of articles of interest.
50. Share job openings: Let staff and potential employees know about new openings in your hospital.
51. Share your culture: Show off your hospital’s culture to potential employees by using Twitter.
52. Arrange shifts: Offer shift bidding or other scheduling arrangements through Twitter.
53. Host and promote networking opportunities: Get your followers together to network and discuss the hospital.
54. Doctor assistance: Consult with other doctors through DM to discuss diagnosis and procedure.
55. Share policy and procedure updates: Through Twitter, you can update staff on changes to policies and procedures.
56. Share continuing education opportunities: Alert staff to events and opportunities that they can use for continuing medical education.

Location awareness: Use Twitter as a remote health monitoring system.

57. Recruit employees: Use Twitter to attract key talent to your hospital.
58. Share test preparation: Prepare staff for licensing tests using Twitter updates.
59. Staff communication: Use Twitter to discuss non-urgent matters with team members.
60. Get feedback: Share ideas and projects to get instant feedback from followers.

Support

Here you’ll learn how to use Twitter for support groups.

61. Make Twitter a support group: Offer supportive messages to those with diseases, or who are trying to quit smoking by building communities around a Twitter account.
62. Remind patients of support group meetings: Let patients know when support group meetings are available.

Knowledge

Use Twitter to gain and share knowledge for your hospital.

63. Share medical news updates: Alert your followers to important developments in medical news on Twitter.
64. Provide useful links: Link Twitter followers to resources on your hospital’s website and beyond.
65. Crowdsource resources: Get resources and knowledge from your Twitter community.
66. Share and exchange health tips: Offer tips and knowledge on Twitter, and find even more to share.
67. Share healthy living tips: Publish health tips on Twitter to help people and be seen as a beacon of information in your community.
68. Share hospital blog posts and news: Use Twitter as an RSS feed to keep followers updated on your newest posts and news releases.
69. Broadcast meetings: Offer live tweeting of important meetings and events that patients, experts, and the public may be interested in.
70. Become a part of the community: Join an active group of doctors, nurses, healthcare lawyers, and medical librarians on Twitter.
71. Share procedures: Live tweet surgical procedures to offer medical learning to anyone who is interested in it.
72. Follow conferences: Experience conferences without having to actually attend them by using Twitter.
73. Answer questions: When live-tweeting surgeries, open up the option to have a question and answer session during the procedure.
74. Share a link of the day: Reach your hospital’s audience with useful information by providing highlights like a link of the day.
75. Use Twitter for teaching: Offer questions and answers to medical students via Twitter.

Monitoring

These are some of the ways Twitter can be used for hospital monitoring.

76. Monitor pandemics: Set up alerts on Twitter to learn when viruses are becoming prevalent in your area.
77. Learn about developing pharmaceuticals: Stay on the front line of developing pharmaceuticals by following their progress on Twitter.
78. Set up silent codes: Send out silent alarms for psychiatric emergencies and security incidents.
79. Connect and track rare diseases: Connect patients with rare diseases with each other as well as useful resources.
80. Learn about news first: News often breaks first on Twitter, so you can find out about accidents that may be coming your way even earlier than before.
81. Track toxic diseases: Learn about the progress of toxic diseases through Twitter.

Public Health

Consider these Twitter public health functions.

82. Share public safety announcements: Communicate safety announcements through Twitter.
83. Offer health alerts: Alert followers of conditions that can trigger an asthma attack, emergency situations, and more.
84. Send drug safety alerts: Share drug safety alerts from the FDA through twitter.
85. Share the findings of a new study: Send tweets for medical breakthroughs and studies that are important to your patients.
86. Report malfunctions: Share medical device malfunction alerts through Twitter.
87. Share disaster alerts: Tweet when disaster strikes, and monitor Twitter to know when it’s coming.
88. Share drug recalls: Alert patients and followers to recalls of drugs you’ve prescribed.
89. Offer food safety alerts: Send out alerts about food recalls and safety to the community.
90. Offer flu shot alerts: Share with your Twitter followers when flu shots are available at your hospital.
91. Follow alerts from the CDC: Stay on top of the latest CDC health alerts on Twitter.

Medical Application

These are some the ways Twitter can be applied in the medical setting.

92. Offer communication to paralyzed patients: Allow paralyzed patients to send Tweets just by thinking of them.
93. Capture and report data: Use Twitter with biomedical devices to capture and report data.
94. Personal health diaries: Set patients up with a Twitter account to give them an easily updateable and shareable health diary.
95. Share lab information: Use Twitter to update nurses and physicians on laboratory values.
96. Post nursing assessments to electronic medical records: Hospitals can use Twitter to put nursing assessments on electronic medical records.
97. Track patient diets: Use Twitter to have patients track what they eat.
98. Track trends: Track trends among your patients through Twitter.
99. Track disease trends: Use Twitter to track trends on diseases.
100. Monitor fetal kicking: Hospitals can set up a device that sends a Twitter message to parents and/or doctors and nurses every time a baby kicks.
101. Track blood glucose: Use Twitter to have patients track their glucose readings.

Since the secular nursing profession was officially started in the 1850s, nurses around the world have worn all kinds of uniforms. Some decades were kind to nurses and allowed uniform fashions to progress by introducing short sleeves, shorter hemlines and lighter-weight dresses. Other eras, however, restrained nurses in heavy materials, frilly hats and impractical uniforms. If you think you have it bad in your scrubs, read on to learn about the top 10 most ridiculous uniforms in nursing history.

1. World War I Nurse’s Uniform: Nurses who served during World War I wore ankle-length white dresses with long sleeves and a dark blue, red-lined cape that fell to mid-thigh. This silhouette and layering technique was surely impractical for busy nurses in a field hospital, and hemlines were later shortened to make it easier for nurses to walk around.
2. Muffin caps: Slide four in this presentation shows muffin caps from 1899. These caps were designed to hold a nurse’s hair at the top of her head, and early versions covered the entire head. Later, muffin caps were smaller and were perched on the top of the head in the middle. Nurses who had to wear muffin caps reportedly disliked them greatly.
3. 1906 Nursing Uniform: In 1906, nurses wore frilly uniforms with puffed sleeved petticoats and aprons on top of their dresses. Hats sat on top of their heads and came to a point, almost like a cone-shape. Nurses at this time were gaining more respect for their chosen career path, but their uniforms are still impractical and heavy.
4. 1940s caps: By the 1940s, nurse caps had evolved and were designed in an elaborate, pointy fashion. Caps were worn further back on the head and stuck out several inches behind the nurses. Stripes on a cap denoted a nurse’s rank.
5. "Golden Age of Uniforms": During the 1950s, nurses experienced a "Golden Age of Uniforms" as uniforms were designed with short sleeves, and nurses no longer had to wear old-fashioned, heavy aprons on top of their uniform dresses. The overall silhouette of the nursing uniform mirrored the popular dress fashions of the day, including a nipped waist and A-line skirt.
6. Bib-front styles: Bib-front styles emerged in the 1940s, became popular in the 1950s and lasted well into the 1960s. Replacing aprons, bib-front uniforms were more practical and probably cooler for nurses, but the plain white front is still impractical and unhygienic for a nurse who is caring for lots of patients at once.
7. WWII Summer Suit: Nurses during World War II wore all sorts of uniforms depending on their location, specific field and the season. The general summer suit was made of a gray wool and rayon fabric with a military-inspired jacket and matching skirt. While the uniform was very professional and sharp looking, nurses must have been hot, stiff and uncomfortable as they tried to care for patients dressed in a skirt suit.
8. WWII Motor Corps Service: Nurses who worked in the motor corps wore very heavy duty coat dresses that resembled long military coats worn by men. The double breasted style was featured on coal gray uniforms and worn with a black tie and black belt, much like a male soldier would have worn.
9. 1980s Pleated Dresses: In the 1980s, nurses began to wear more comfortable dresses with short-sleeves, button-up collars and a looser silhouette. The pleated dress, however, fell to the knees and is a generally unflattering style that looks hopelessly outdated.
10. White cuffs: Over the years, many nursing uniforms — especially in the early days of nursing — featured long sleeves that had white cuffs. These cuffs were to be starched and buttoned, but they must have been impractical. Keeping cuffs buttoned at the wrist clean and white while taking care of patients all day must have been nearly impossible and exhausting.