Ho! Ho! Ho!

Nursing instructor Ilene Simon (aka: Santa Gauze) attempts to herd her unruly reindeer.  Our elfin sources confirm NO egg nog was present at the time of this photo.

The "reindeer": Jamie Sleeper, Ramanpal Punia, Daisy Salmeron, Eva Torres, Angela Ballesteros, Dominc Brignetti, Joey Cortes, Clarrisa Aguinaldo, Allison Fuller

Going to New York?

CSM Nursing Director Jane McAteer just got back from New York City to visit family and enjoy life in the Big Apple.  Of course, with all the hotels there was only one real choice - The Jane Hotel located on 113 Jane Street!  Built in 1907 it was once the hotel for survivors of the Titanic.  If you happen to stay there be sure to tell staff Jane referred you!

Paralyzed Dogs Walk Again - Human Trials Next?

Jasper the dachshund is walking again.

Scientists have reversed paralysis in dogs after injecting them with cells grown from the lining of their nose. 

The pets had all suffered spinal injuries which prevented them from using their back legs.

The Cambridge University team is cautiously optimistic the technique could eventually have a role in the treatment of human patients.

The study is the first to test the transplant in "real-life" injuries rather than laboratory animals... (more)

Technical article from Brain: A Journal of Neurology (link)

Smartphone Apps!

Got a smartphone?  Check out these free "must have" apps.   While there are tons of apps these days, here are some of more useful (free) ones. 

Medscape brings you news and clinical reference articles.  First time install requires about 15 minutes to download all the resources to your phone for offline review.  Some of the articles with images and videos, however, will require a connection.

Epocrates is an essential drug reference.  First time install take about 20-30 minutes to load the reference database.

Skyscape is great and loaded with free resources, but some phones have problems with it.

Need a medical calculator?  Check out QxMD.

Medpage Today helps filter the medical news for your specialty. 

Many professionals prefer Monthly Prescription Reference for its simple, precise prescription and OTC info.

OB Pregnancy Wheel is one of the apps that seems to have a fan base because of its simplicity.  It is ad-supported, but you can "hide" the ads in preferences.  If you like this app be sure to download the (free) OB Wheel Extra Data companion app.

Are you in eponym hell?  Get this app! Cleverly, it's called Eponyms.  Each reference also gives you a Google and Wikipedia link.

Learning gross anatomy can be challenging and Speed Anatomy can help.  While targeted to beginners with a quiz engine, you can also learn anatomy in Spanish, Italian, French and German. 

Have a patient who needs dietary counseling?  Here's Calorie Counter by FatSecret.  Simple and easy to use.

IV Infusion Calc works as advertised. 

Contraction Timer is simple and easy.  Press Start and Stop and track contractions in real time with average and frequency displayed. 

Time is money and your time is valuable.  DocTime is a simple app to help you track patient consult and Consultation/Coordination of Care (C/COC) time.  The ads at the bottom are a bit annoying but if you find this useful you can upgrade for $0.99.

Medical Dictionary isn't perfect, but it sure is easy to use.  For example, you get a clear definition of the Glasgow Coma Scale but no image or scale.  Best part is it works offline!

Medical Tools is a collection of medical calculators, tools and scoring systems.


All these apps are easily available through the Apple and Google app stores.  Many of these are also available for the iPad.

Got an app you really like?  Did you actually pay for an app and found it useful (or not)?  Let us know!

Communicating with Patients in Vegetative Comas

Here's a link to a BBC story about a Canadian man in a 12-year vegetative coma who, for the first time, is able to communicate via brain scan.  The implications for patient care are profound.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20268044

Evening students be careful!

Something strange is going on in the Skills Lab.  It's either Halloween or we have a problem.

Our best advice is for evening students to be very careful after sunset. 

Bjorn gets an upgrade!

Our premier SIM patient, Bjorn, gets an upgrade.  As you can see, he's a highly complex robot with lots of moving parts.  In this upgrade he gets a new right leg that includes an upgraded compressor and fluid pump system.

We also calibrated and tested his auscultation system and upgraded his wifi.  Bjorn weathered the surgery well and expected to have a full recovery.

Little do they know!

Click to enlarge.
More humor from Nurstoons!

NCLEX - Are you ready?

We will be adding lots of new resources to help you prepare for the NCLEX exam.  Stay tuned for more information. 

Welcome to our new blog!

Here's the first look at the new blog.  The blog will archive at the end of each month but will easily be available.  Over time we can delete the older archives.

Please feel free to comment (you must be a registered user with posting privileges).  

Also note we can write messages that will only post at a certain time.  For example, a link to an online test can be revealed on test day.