What's that mean?
I think adding a glossary for abbreviated terms at the end of the more technical articles would be of great help. I find it hard to remember each and every abbreviation and acronym without searching through the article again. For example, the article "Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Follow the Guidelines" (May 2013)* was great, but would have been even better with a glossary of terms.
Hit the floor running
As I see it, there's a problem with nursing education today if so many new grads need a 1-year internship before they can function on a medical-surgical unit! I attended a hospital-based diploma nursing program at a large teaching hospital in New York City in the early 1970s. As soon as the class graduated, we started work in a hospital unit. The only orientation we required was to learn the hospital's policies and procedures.
In the diploma program, we had a 2-year-long integrated science course that focused on each body system and included each of the different fields of science as it pertained to the human body. I had a thorough understanding of the workings of the human body by the time we were done. We had the best of both worlds: clinical experience combined with theory.
I think nursing educators need to incorporate much more clinical time into nursing programs so new grads are ready to "hit the floors running."
The autism spectrum
As an RN and a mother of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I was disappointed that your recent article didn't mention that Asperger syndrome isn't usually diagnosed until a child is around 5 years old ("On Alert for Autism Spectrum Disorders," April 2013).1* In some states, children older than age 6 aren't guaranteed healthcare coverage for much-needed therapies, and schools are painfully unaware of the various psychiatric codiagnoses that children on the spectrum may have.2 It's disappointing that no one seems to be addressing the effects ASD can have on families. As nurses we need to continue to think of the total picture and not just the diagnosis, because it takes a family and then some to raise a child on the spectrum.
* Individual subscribers can access articles free online at http://www.nursing2013.com. [Context Link]
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