Joan Spitrey

Joan Spitrey has been a registered nurse for more than 16 years, specializing in critical care and acute care services. She currently is a clinical nursing instructor, sharing her passion with the next generation of nurses. She can be found blogging at TheNurseTeacher.com.

Articles by Joan Spitrey

• Federal policy challenges continue with opioid epidemic

  On Aug. 16, a mass overdose taxed the EMS services of New Haven, Connecticut. Within 24 hours, 70 people…

  Friday, August 24, 2018

• Do gender disparities in healthcare now include surviving a heart attack?

  The conversation of gender disparities is not a new one in healthcare. Since Dr. Bernadine Healy talked…

  Friday, August 10, 2018

• Tech titans stake claims in healthcare arena

  When names like Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft exert their forces, entire industries are changed…

  Thursday, July 26, 2018

• Controversial hospital policy targets opioid-addicted patients

  As the opioid crisis continues to hold the nation captive, some new, innovative approaches are being…

  Friday, July 13, 2018

• WHO lists ‘gaming disorder’ as mental health condition

  In response to international pressure, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now listed "gaming disorder"…

  Friday, June 29, 2018

• Parts of Obamacare deemed unconstitutional by DOJ

  Ever since the 2010 Affordable Care Act went into effect, it has been entrenched in court battles. One…

  Thursday, June 14, 2018

• Nursing faces a huge expertise gap in coming years

  There is little debate that healthcare is facing a potentially unprecedented nursing shortage. According…

  Tuesday, June 05, 2018

• New Ebola outbreak spreads to large urban area in DRC

  On May 8, the Ministry of Health and Population of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced a…

  Thursday, May 17, 2018

• Fentanyl deaths rise as narcotics shortage continues

  As healthcare facilities continue to experience shortages with injectable narcotics, researchers report…

  Thursday, May 03, 2018

• Barbara Bush’s comfort care choice spurs crucial conversations

  Barbara Bush, beloved former first lady, died April 17 in her Houston home at the age of 92. She was…

  Friday, April 20, 2018

• Tapping into community resources to save lives

  ​During any emergency, time is everything. Whether it be a sudden cardiac arrest, mass casualty incident…

  Friday, April 06, 2018

• Nurses continue to push for safe staffing in DC

  ​For the third straight year, nurses are planning to meet on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington,…

  Friday, March 23, 2018

• Nursing in the global spotlight

  On Feb. 27, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, along with nurses and other healthcare leaders…

  Friday, March 09, 2018

• EntrepreNURSE panel aiming to break barriers

  When most think of innovation in healthcare, they tend to think of physicians or biomedical professionals…

  Friday, February 23, 2018

• Nurses shedding light on ugly side of the flu

  The 2017-2018 flu season is breaking all records. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…

  Friday, February 09, 2018

• The race for a universal flu vaccine

  As this flu season speeds to a crescendo with widespread infections and deaths related to the influenza…

  Friday, January 26, 2018

• Viral video sheds light on complex issues in healthcare

  On a cold night in Baltimore, a woman who appeared to be wearing just a hospital gown and socks was being…

  Friday, January 12, 2018

• Making sense of the CHIP controversy

  On Dec. 11, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel used his show to offer commentary on the reauthorization of…

  Friday, December 15, 2017

• DNR tattoo sparks much-needed conversation

  A recent correspondence to the New England Journal of Medicine has sparked some much-needed discussion…

  Monday, December 04, 2017

• Are holidays just regular shifts for nurses?

  Families gathered around bounties of lovingly prepared food. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles…

  Monday, November 27, 2017

• Will Narcan’s availability at Walgreens help the opioid crisis?

  There is little dispute that America is facing a crisis of epic proportions as it relates to deaths from…

  Friday, November 03, 2017

• Madagascar plague outbreak catches health officials off guard

  When most people hear "the plague," they immediately think of the "Black Death" that killed more than…

  Friday, October 20, 2017

• Nurses play an important role in caring for heart failure patients

  With 5.7 million Americans suffering from heart failure, the likelihood of a nurse caring for a patient…

  Friday, September 22, 2017

• Nurses rise against arrest of Alex Wubbels

  As many in the healthcare world, I was shocked with the unlawful arrest of nurse Alex Wubbels. In healthcare,…

  Friday, September 08, 2017

• Are nurses getting the respect they deserve?

  ​Respect in healthcare is an ongoing conversation and struggle. Members of the healthcare team often…

  Friday, August 25, 2017

• Nuclear exposure preparedness for healthcare workers

  First, this is not an article aimed at scaremongering or sensationalizing headlines to evoke fear. Although…

  Friday, August 11, 2017

• Nurses must step up as leaders in healthcare debate

  In hospitals and long-term care centers, community centers and homes, nurses continue to be the front-line…

  Friday, July 28, 2017

• Change may not be easy in healthcare, but it is possible

  ​Healthcare is one of the most dynamic industries. Not only are new discoveries, modalities, equipment…

  Friday, July 14, 2017

• Early lessons from California right‑to‑die law

  Just over a year after California enacted the End of Life Option Act, preliminary reports released by…

  Friday, June 30, 2017

• More faculty needed to ease the nursing shortage

  The United States has endured multiple periods of nursing shortages. However, experts predict the impending…

  Thursday, June 15, 2017

• Nursing beyond the hospital

  When most think of nurses, they imagine the trained professional caring for them in a time of need in…

  Thursday, June 01, 2017

• Violence against nurses caps off National Nurses Week

  National Nurses Week is a time of fun, festivities, celebrations and socialization. However, this past…

  Friday, May 19, 2017

• NIH funding in the spotlight of budget talks

  As long-term federal budget talks continue, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found itself…

  Friday, May 05, 2017

• Patient advocacy — simply complicated

  For 15 straight years, the American public has rated nurses highest in regards to honesty and ethical…

  Friday, April 21, 2017

• Nurses to rally in DC again to promote safe staffing

  On May 12, 2016, on an overcast cool morning, a grassroots movement took a stand on the lawn of the U.S.…

  Friday, April 07, 2017

• Could vitamin C be the simple solution for sepsis?

  Just as the new international Surviving Sepsis guidelines come to publication this month, a Virginia…

  Monday, March 27, 2017

• New healthcare legislation moves fast in Congress

  As the Trump presidency continues to move through its first 100 days, another campaign promise is beginning…

  Thursday, March 09, 2017

• US still lagging in future life expectancy

  Despite incredible medical advancements, increased health knowledge and a higher mean income, the United…

  Friday, February 24, 2017

• Science needs to lead, not fear

  As the United States settles into a new era of policymaking under a new presidential administration,…

  Friday, February 10, 2017

• Flu cases rising at alarming rates

  ​As 2017 has gotten underway and much of the country has their attention turned to the new presidency,…

  Friday, January 27, 2017

• In the face of change, nurses must remain trusted strangers

  As 2017 gets underway, not only is a new year in front of us, but soon we will see the changing of the…

  Friday, January 13, 2017

• No rest for the weary nurses

  ​With the busy holiday season is upon us, many will be enjoying time off from work so they can visit…

  Friday, December 09, 2016

• Trump presidency likely to bring major changes to healthcare

  Now that the 2016 election season has come to a close, there really is only one thing most are agreeing…

  Thursday, November 10, 2016

• California sets the bar for violence against healthcare workers

  When most healthcare workers head into their jobs, the threat of violence is usually not a major concern.…

  Monday, October 31, 2016

• In our high-tech age, the doctor still knows best

  Like many industries, healthcare has been impacted by technology in ways that were previously unimaginable.…

  Friday, October 14, 2016

• Nanoengineered proteins may be the key to fighting superbugs

  As many in healthcare are well aware, the rise of drug-resistant organisms is becoming a growing public…

  Thursday, September 29, 2016

• ITT Tech hangs nursing students out to dry

  ​On Sep. 6, ITT Technical Institute announced to its students that it would discontinue operations…

  Monday, September 19, 2016

• Always prepared and always trained

  ​Everyone who works in a hospital has endured the on-board training to insure they can safely work…

  Thursday, September 01, 2016

• Big Pharma’s greed exposed again with rise in EpiPen costs

  As the school year begins, parents across the nation are being confronted with the outrageous price increase…

  Monday, August 22, 2016

• Growing concerns for labor standards in nursing

  Labor issues among nurses are not a new topic. Considering there is little legislative oversight surrounding…

  Friday, August 05, 2016

• CMS proposes removal of pain management questions for funding

  In a response to pressure from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed…

  Monday, July 11, 2016

• Physicians still battling NPs over turf with no solutions in sight

  In the wake of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposal to allow full practice authority for…

  Thursday, June 23, 2016

• APRNs gaining respect, but resistance still remains

  ​In an effort to increase veterans' access to healthcare, the Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing…

  Friday, June 10, 2016

• Nurses honor guards pay tribute to those who serve

  Each Memorial Day, time is taken to remember those who have given their lives for our country. Services…

  Thursday, May 26, 2016

• Nurses rally in DC to address staffing issues with Congress

  Hundreds of nurses from around the county gathered on May 12 at the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness of…

  Monday, May 16, 2016

• Why is customer service so difficult in the hospital?

  On April 20, popular consumer reporter John Stossel wrote an opinion piece on the lack of customer service…

  Friday, April 29, 2016

• How did we get here? The complex history of the opioid addiction problem

  ​In an effort to bring attention to the undertreatment of pain in America, Dr. James Campbell, president…

  Friday, April 15, 2016

• How can nurses help slow opioid abuse?

  Most nurses today would quickly agree there is an epidemic of overuse and abuse of prescription pain…

  Friday, April 01, 2016

• First nurse hackathon provides opportunity for innovation

  Nursing is a hands-on profession. Highly trained and educated, nurses are the true caregivers to patients…

  Friday, March 18, 2016

• Nurses plan DC rally to promote proper staffing

  If you get a group of nurses together, there is one topic they are all likely to agree on instantly —…

  Friday, March 04, 2016

• Leap into leadership with nurses on boards

  In late 2014, 19 nursing organizations were convened in a collaborative effort with The Robert Wood Johnson…

  Friday, February 19, 2016

• The steady rise of nurse practitioners in primary care

  ​Jan. 31 was the last day for uninsured Americans to sign up for healthcare insurance under the Affordable…

  Friday, February 05, 2016

• Concerns over Zika virus growing rapidly

  Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued additional travel warnings for pregnant…

  Friday, January 22, 2016

• What can the US learn from the success of Mexico’s sugar tax?

  In 2013, the Mexican government voted to implement an excise tax on sugar-sweetened drinks and on several…

  Monday, January 11, 2016

• Nurses spread Christmas joy with Show Me Your Stethoscope

  Earlier this year, the nursing world was rocked after some negative comments were made by the women on…

  Thursday, December 10, 2015

• Could uterus transplant be the next fertility treatment?

  Transplant medicine has come a long way — from the first attempts of wartime field surgeons attempting…

  Friday, November 13, 2015

• Medical-Surgical Nurses Week: Saving lives, supporting families

  ​If you have encountered a nurse in your life, you have likely have already met a medical-surgical…

  Friday, October 30, 2015

• Nursing job outlook: The perfect storm brewing

  One question that continues to haunt the nursing profession is, "Will there be another big nursing shortage?"…

  Friday, October 16, 2015

• Meet the passionate founder of Show Me Your Stethoscope

  Every once in a while, a person is in the right place at the right time. Some say the moons were in alignment.…

  Thursday, October 01, 2015

• Nursing is my talent

  During the talent portion of last weekend's Miss America pageant, Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson, gave…

  Friday, September 18, 2015

• Clinical nurse specialists meeting complex needs with higher education

  The United States healthcare system is complicated and is becoming overtaxed. With the passing of the…

  Thursday, September 03, 2015

• Beware of resilient, mutated ‘super lice’ — yes, they’re real

  Back-to-school season is a time for next chapters, seeing old friends, making new friends — and, of…

  Tuesday, August 25, 2015

• Now Yelp can help patients pick a hospital or doctor

  When people consider the online review service Yelp, most think about local businesses like restaurants,…

  Thursday, August 13, 2015

• For better infection control, providers must look in the mirror

  During their education, healthcare providers are taught about disease transmission and infection control.…

  Wednesday, July 29, 2015

• Could nap rooms help hospital shift workers?

  Imagine you have been up all night, caring for a newborn. You are sleepy, yet need to remain alert. At…

  Wednesday, July 15, 2015

• Anesthesiologist found guilty after verbally abusing patient

  Most healthcare providers show patients a high level of respect, regardless of whether a patient is under…

  Friday, June 26, 2015

• Keeping a watchful eye on South Korea’s deadly MERS outbreak

  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), South Korea reported its first confirmed…

  Friday, June 12, 2015

• Robotic anesthesia pushes surgery into a new era

  A new automated anesthesia delivery machine is challenging the way we look at anesthesia delivery. The…

  Monday, June 01, 2015

• Is nursing really for everyone?

  Last week, nursing student Jennifer Burbella filed a lawsuit against Misericordia University after failing…

  Monday, May 18, 2015

• What is the origin of Nurses Week?

  Each year, Nurses Week begins on May 6 and runs through May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. This…

  Friday, May 01, 2015

• How to talk to patients about advanced directives

  April 16 has been designated as National Healthcare Decision Day. This movement came out of the passion…

  Friday, April 17, 2015

• Health concerns about electronic cigarettes are mounting

  On March 23, the California Public Health Department launched a series of ads as part of an effort to…

  Friday, April 03, 2015

• EMR systems generating a new set of problems for nurses

  One of the biggest proposed purposes and benefits of the electronic medical record (EMR) was improved…

  Friday, March 20, 2015

• What does the future hold for Nina Pham?

  On March 2, nurse Nina Pham filed a lawsuit against her employer, Texas Health Resources, for negligent…

  Friday, March 06, 2015

• ‘Superbug’ surfaces at UCLA — What you need to know

  According to reports this week, UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles has potentially infected…

  Friday, February 20, 2015

• What healthcare providers need to know about measles

  Many who work in healthcare today are too young to remember the measles epidemics of years past. Therefore,…

  Friday, February 06, 2015

• The medical world is changing — How can we keep up?

  Healthcare is a dynamic industry. It is constantly changing as new modalities, treatments and technologies…

  Friday, January 23, 2015

• Why we need more nurses on hospital boards

  At the end of 2014, the Nurses on Boards Coalition was formed to promote the increase of nurses on corporate…

  Friday, January 09, 2015

• Ebola and the year of horrors and heroes

  This week, Time magazine announced its Person of the Year: the Ebola fighters. The runners-up included…

  Friday, December 12, 2014

• Preventing nurse fatigue to keep our patients safe

  ​With the holiday season upon us, it is not unusual to feel the stress of this busy time of year. Our…

  Monday, December 01, 2014

• The role of simulation in the reduction of medical errors

  If you have taken a CPR class in the last few decades, you are familiar with Resusci Anne, the manikin…

  Tuesday, November 18, 2014

• To quarantine or not? A question of trust

  As the debate rages on regarding quarantines ordered by state governors, Kaci Hickox, the nurse who was…

  Friday, October 31, 2014

• Why are healthcare workers getting infected with Ebola? We were not prepared

  ​Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States, died Oct. 8. Shortly after,…

  Friday, October 17, 2014

• Lessons healthcare workers can learn from Ebola crisis in Dallas

  As many are aware, the first travel-associated case of Ebola in the United States was confirmed on Sept.…

  Friday, October 03, 2014

• With the emergence of telemedicine, where do nurses fit in?

  So much has changed in the healthcare world with the advent of technology and the evolution of telemedicine.…

  Friday, September 19, 2014

• Is there room for scribes in nursing?

  Recently on Twitter, I came across an interesting conversation regarding the usefulness of scribes by…

  Friday, September 05, 2014

• When good intentions go wrong in nursing

  Each day, every minute, nurses make countless decisions. Rigorous training, education and experience…

  Friday, August 22, 2014

• Ebola: The current state of the outbreak

  On July 11, I shared an article about the Ebola outbreak that was reaching historic levels. At that point…

  Friday, August 08, 2014

• World Hepatitis Day: Learn more about this deadly disease

  ​The World Hepatitis Alliance in coordination with the World Health Organization recognizes today,…

  Monday, July 28, 2014

• Deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa reaches historic levels

  As of July 8, there have been 888 confirmed cases of Ebola with 539 deaths in West Africa, according…

  Friday, July 11, 2014

• Who will make your health decisions when you are unable?

  On Father's Day, we said goodbye to the father of the long-distance dedication, Casey Kasem. He was an…

  Friday, June 27, 2014

• Does social media have a place in healthcare?

  Just like many of you, I have been on the Facebook bandwagon for quite some time. I have really enjoyed…

  Friday, June 13, 2014

• The 4 basics of medical malpractice

  One of every healthcare provider's biggest fears is being named in a lawsuit. Although most did not go…

  Friday, May 30, 2014