Can You Return to Nursing After a Hiatus?

How do you break back in to nursing after being gone so long? It’s possible, and there’s a lot to do to get there.

from Nurse Keith’s Digital Doorway

Many nurses come to me for advice and career coaching when they’re ready to return to the nursing workforce after a hiatus. For some, it’s just been a year or two, and for others, it might have been 15 years of staying home to do the noble work of raising children. The question is, how do you break back in to nursing after being gone so long? It’s possible, and there’s a lot to do to get there.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

NPs Get Stressed, Too! How They Can Manage It.

Being a Nurse Practitioner can be physically taxing and emotionally arduous. Here are 11 self-focused strategies to reduce that stress.

from Contemporary Clinic

In recent years, nursing and advanced practice nursing have made great strides in the public’s awareness of their profession. Nurse practitioners are appearing more often in the media, greater numbers of college students are choosing nursing as a career, and more patients have an NP as their health care provider. A career in nursing also has become well known for its job security, opportunities for growth, and competitive wages. In addition to these excellent job attributes, the public often views nursing in a favorable light, as evidenced by a consistent number-one ranking in the Gallup poll for most trusted profession and some positives stereotypes, such as the nurse angel or hero. But at what cost?

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Role of the Front Office in Patient Retention

Front-office employees play a vital role when it comes to turning new patients into return patients.

from WebPT

In the words of the great William Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage; and all the men and women merely players.” Whether we’re talking about the world’s stage or an actual stage, the success of every great performance hinges on each actor’s ability to fully embrace his or her role. In the case of a rehab therapy ensemble, each role is instrumental to ensuring the success of the entire practice. And when it comes to measuring that success, patient retention can tell you a lot about the efficacy of your services as well as all-around patient satisfaction. But high-quality care isn’t the only driver of patient retention, and your providers aren’t the only ones who play a part in creating loyal clients. Front-office employees also play a vital role when it comes to turning new patients into return patients. And when you and your staff understand that role, you can breathe new life into your patient retention strategy.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

9 Self Care Tips for the Time-Crunched Therapist

Strategies helpful to prevent feeling overwhelmed and burned out for SLPs and other therapy professionals.

from ASHA Leader

Therapy professions attract driven people who are passionate about helping others, and this combination of traits can sometimes lead to feeling overwhelmed and burned out. Many therapy professionals have struggled with work/life balance at times, and a little self care can go a long way to combat that. Read on to discover tips for self care for SLPs and other therapy professionals from a fellow therapist who has endured this same struggle.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Clinical Nurse Leader Role

Learn about the relatively new role of Clinical Nurse Leader from a passionate and seasoned CNL.

by Kathy Oliphant, MSN, RN, CNL, NEA-BC

The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is a relatively new nursing role, having been developed in 2004 by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in response to the Institute of Medicine’s quality and safety reports. A Master’s level CNL program was developed to prepare nurses with the skills needed to successfully lead in the current healthcare environment while ensuring safe care is provided using evidence-based best practices for optimal quality outcomes. In addition to graduation from an accredited CNL program, there is a national certification exam that graduates must pass to use the title of Clinical Nurse Leader.

The overall goal of the CNL role is to improve patient outcomes. This is attained by constantly evaluating strategies to improve the triple aim of achieving better quality outcomes, providing an enhanced patient experience, and examining ways to improve efficiencies associated with the cost of care. In this role, CNLs evaluate quality at the point of care and integrate evidence into practice while focusing on a specific cohort of patients with complex needs. They monitor data to analyze trends and develop action plans to improve patient outcomes. CNLs facilitate communication with interdisciplinary teams and collaborate to implement and sustain practice changes.

In our current healthcare environment, we are challenged to provide continuity of care amid increasing complexity and pressure for improved safety and quality. The CNL assists with transitioning patients through a seamless system where caregivers feel responsible for patients throughout the entire care continuum, which includes decreasing potential gaps in care between physician office appointments, emergency department visits, hospital stays, home care visits, and other skilled care environments such as rehabilitation and long term care facilities.

Clinical Nurse Leader accomplishments at many organizations include improving quality measures, decreasing the average hospital length of stay, improving patient education, decreasing readmission rates, and increasing patient satisfaction scores. It takes all healthcare disciplines working together to achieve these wonderful results.

Observing CNL colleagues embrace this innovative nursing role, I am reminded of a favorite quote from Mother Teresa: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” It is inspirational to work with dedicated nurses and witness their deep commitment to providing the best patient care.


For the past five years, Kathy Oliphant worked at TriHealth in Cincinnati, Ohio, and most recently was the Director of Inpatient Care Coordination. She was responsible for the implementation of the Clinical Nurse Leader program on 19 nursing units at two system hospitals. Kathy is a seasoned nursing executive with a track record of significant achievement in both acute care hospital and integrated delivery settings. Kathy’s career at Cleveland Clinic spanned 25 years with a clinical focus in nephrology nursing, including dialysis and kidney transplant populations, and leadership roles in a variety of settings. Her expertise includes creating a positive practice environment with an emphasis on high quality care and patient safety, as evidenced by successful Magnet hospital designation, staff recruitment and retention, and improved patient experience. She is extremely passionate about the role of the CNL with improving patient outcomes.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

5 Helpful Tips For Dealing With Difficult Patients

Every nurse encounters a number of patients who are difficult to work with; here are five tips on how to deal with them.

from Scrubs

Nursing is a profession of caring and dedication. Most nurses are devoted to their patients. Communication is everything when it comes to establishing a comforting and healthy nurse–patient relationship. Taking care of patients and changing their lives for the better can leave a special mark on the life of a nurse. However, every nurse encounters a number of patients who are difficult to work with. These patients are likely afraid and need the best care there is to offer, despite these difficulties. We have provided five helpful tips to make dealing with difficult patients as easy as possible.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Physicians: Stop Complaining and Start Leading

This Physician Executive admits physicians are unhappy, but wants to know what they’re going to do about it.

from The Vital Physician Executive

I’m intrigued by the number of bloggers writing about the frustrations of medical practice. It makes for good reading, because it resonates with many physicians. From Meg Edison complaining about Maintenance of Certification on Rebel.MD, to Matthew Hahn lamenting that regulations are destroying medical practice, to Maiysha Clairborne writing about physician burnout on Kevin MD, physicians are not shy about complaining. But maybe it’s time to stop complaining and start leading.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Feds Announce Largest-Ever Crackdown on Opioid-Related Health Care Fraud

The crackdown on opioid-related cases was reported as part of the Justice Department’s annual announcement of health care fraud enforcement efforts.

from STAT

Federal law enforcement agencies announced today what they called “the largest opioid-related fraud takedown in history” with the arrest of 120 people across the country, including doctors allegedly running pill mills and the operators of fraudulent treatment centers.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Life as a Traveling PA

Curious about locum tenens work as a PA? Here’s a handy list of things you might want to know.

from All Things Physician Assistant

Danielle Kepics, the PA-C at the helm of All Thing Physician Assistant, has received a multitude of questions about being a traveling or “locums” PA. As a result, she has compiled an extensive FAQ to address these questions and share her experiences with others who are curious about or interested in becoming a traveling PA. Are you interested in locums PA roles?

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.