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Nurses Take a 'Time Out' for Patient Safety A nurse's primary concern and highest priority is patient safety. Among all health care professionals, nurses may be in the best position to look closely at the practice environment and identify ways to help better provide safe and effective care. Protecting patients by ensuring their safety is a top priority for all health care professionals, which is why The Joint Commission, the Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSPS) and the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) are raising awareness to help nurses provide better care. The fourth annual "National Time Out Day" was celebrated on June 18 to remind all health care professionals to "take time out" to ensure patient safety and provide optimal care. "This year's theme, 'Every Patient, Every Time, Take a Time Out for Patient Safety,' was important because it brought focus to putting patient safety first in every patient procedure," said AORN executive director and CEO Linda Groah, RN, MSN, CNOR, FAAN. "By taking time out, every member of the surgical team - including nurses, physicians and surgical technologists - is required to pause before all invasive procedures to communicate as a group and confirm critical information about the patient and the procedure." In addition to sponsoring National Time Out Day, the AORN sponsors a broader patient safety initiative known as The Patient Safety First program. The program identifies, collects and develops clinical and educational resources to improve patient safety through best practices. "Improving patient safety and preventing adverse events will take a concerted effort on behalf of the entire health care team, as well as active involvement from the patient," added Groah. For information on patient safety, visit www.patientsafetyfirst.org.

Nurses, Taking Care of Business When it comes to providing patients with quality care, nurses know best. Nurses interact and work proactively with patients in the health care setting, operating devices and advanced nursing technology that make the process of caregiving safe and more efficient. Who better to recognize a need for a new resource, tool, treatment or technology that could potentially improve health care delivery? Working directly in the health care setting or through research, nurses often observe and identify a need for new, innovative tools, processes or initiatives that could possibly make treatment more successful. In various ways, nurses are leveraging these observations and expanding their nursing careers by trying a hand in business, becoming nurse entrepreneurs. "Working several years as a nurse providing direct patient care in the emergency room, I noticed a need for a practical book on nursing," explained Patricia Ann Bemis, RN CEN and president of the National Nurses in Business Association. "I supported the formation of the National Nurses in Business Association (NNBA), because I found that, like me, many nurses with innovative ideas needed a support system. I wrote the "Emergency Nursing Bible" to help nurses learn how to manage their time, avoid legal problems, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes." Nurse entrepreneurship can take many forms. Nurses can translate their nursing education and experience into various business ventures in the health care industry. Whether authoring a book, launching a consulting service or home care agency, creating an association or Web site for nurse professionals, or developing medical devices and computerized systems for delivering health care, business-minded nurse entrepreneurs are utilizing their nursing knowledge and experience in revolutionary ways. To learn more about becoming an entrepreneur, visit www.nnba.net.

Donna Maheady, Ed.D., ARNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Care Consultant Founder and President, www.exceptionalnurse.com Q: Why did you decide to pursue nursing as a career? A: My earliest recollections include the desire to be a nurse. I think of it as a "calling." I volunteered as a candy striper and hung on every word the nurses said at the nurse's station. Q: How has nursing impacted your life? A: I think of nursing as a gift. It is more than a profession or a job. I was born to be a nurse. It is a privilege. Nursing has helped me to grow as a person, a professional and a parent. Q: What inspired you to create ExceptionalNurse.com? A: My advocacy work for my disabled daughter caused me to examine disability-related issues in the nursing profession. Through research, I identified a lack of support for nurses and nursing students with disabilities. Therefore, my doctoral dissertation addressed the experiences of nursing students with disabilities. In essence, my daughter led the way to my founding the nonprofit resource network, ExceptionalNurse.com. Q: Do you consider yourself a nurse entrepreneur? A: Being a nurse entrepreneur was not my intention originally. It evolved over time. I saw a need and tried to fill it. I took some risks and founded a venture that has sustained the test of time. My passion fueled this success. Q: What advice would you offer to nurses interested in expanding their nursing career? A: Education is key. Maintain your license and certifications and stay current with technology. Volunteer, network with other nurses, cast a wide net, keep your options open, take small steps and try new things. Most importantly, paint your paradise and do work that brings you joy.

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