Nursing@Georgetown Blog

Did you know that Nurse-Midwives deliver one out of every 12 babies? Nursing@Georgetown looks at the expertise and positive outcomes associated with Nurse-Midwives.

For the 58 million Americans residing in underserved parts of the country, available clinicians are largely Family Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse-Midwives. These Advanced Practice Registered Nurses have a graduate or doctoral education and are licensed to diagnose and treat patients as well as prescribe medication.

Every day, clinicians teach patients about diagnoses, medications, and lifestyle changes. What strategies do they use to make those lessons stick?

As the use of e-cigarettes continues to grow, there is an urgency for scientists to unanimously identify the harm of e-cigarettes, despite possibly being less harmful than traditional cigarettes. “Nurses are on the front lines, educating and promoting smoking cessation efforts to the public, and they must be well-informed of the harms and benefits associated with any suggested alternative to traditional tobacco use,” said Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies professor Sally Huey.

The pitfalls of compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, moral distress, and burnout are widespread in the clinical world. “Day in and day out, [nurses] are faced with trying to establish a relationship with individuals who are facing some of the worst things that you can possibly imagine,” said Georgetown University faculty Meg Carman. “This is the worst day, at the worst point in their life, and nurses are the ones who need to be there and be strong.” With ongoing research and better-informed workplaces, nurses can continue to make these relationships safer — for themselves and their patients.

Almost 95 percent of Americans support organ donation, yet only half of adults in the U.S. are officially registered as donors. Why is that? Nurse Practitioners have the unique opportunity to address barriers through patient education and support.