The AJN Podcast

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing . On this month’s cover is an anatomical drawing of the head and neck—the region that’s the focus of a CE article on oropharyngeal cancer in this issue. Our first CE, “Original Research: The Lived Experience of Social Media by Young Adult Burn Survivors,” explo...

The overall incidence of head and neck cancer has declined in the United States over the past 30 years due to reduction in tobacco use. Over that same period, however, the worldwide incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has escalated significantly—an epidemic rise that is largely attributed to certain genotypes of the human papillomavirus (HPV). AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with lead aut...

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is Moonrise Over the Sandias (2015) by Charles Kaiman, a painter and a psychiatric nurse at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Albuquerque. Our first CE, “Appropriate Use of Opioids in Managing Chronic Pain,” discusses cu...

Moral distress is a pervasive problem in the nursing profession. An inability to act in alignment with one’s moral values is detrimental not only to the nurse’s well-being but also to patient care and clinical practice as a whole. AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Cynda Hylton Rushton, who wrote about the concept and prevalence of moral distress in nursing, and how it can lead to moral...

Over the past two decades, the use of opioids to manage chronic pain has increased substantially. Within this same period, unintentional death related to prescription opioids has been identified as a public health crisis, owing in part to such factors as insufficient professional training and medication overprescription, misuse, and diversion. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Risa D...

In the rural setting, women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) face unique challenges. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy with Karen Roush about a study she conducted to analyze the perceptions of rural health care providers regarding IPV prevalence, how comfortable they feel asking about emotional and physical abuse, and whether they feel able to help those women who disclose it.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to author Amanda Anderson about the initial installment of her new column for recent graduates, “Transition to Practice,” in which she shares preparation tips for the first day on the job.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to Marianne Matzo, author of “Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Palliative Chemotherapy,” and Sally Welsh, CEO of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, about the use of chemotherapy in patients with end-stage cancer.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover photo evokes the isolation faced by victims of intimate partner violence. Our first CE, “Original Research: Intimate Partner Violence: The Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors of Rural Health Care Providers,” analyzes the perceptions o...

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses Theresa Brown’s latest What I’m Reading column as well as her book, “The Shift.”

Although napping is used to reduce sleepiness and fatigue in other safety-sensitive industries, it has not had widespread acceptance in nursing. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to lead author Jeanne Geiger-Brown about the results of a project conducted to assess the barriers to successful implementation of night-shift naps and to describe the nap experiences of night-shift nurses.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the May issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is A Maid Asleep (1656–57) by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. Our first CE, “Original Research: Napping on the Night Shift: A Two-Hospital Implementation Project,” describes the results of a project conducted to assess the barriers to suc...

Research has shown that nurses who participate in shared decision making (SDM) have more control over their practice and greater job satisfaction, and hospitals that have instituted SDM have lower rates of nurse turnover and better patient outcomes. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Karen Murray, who wrote about the successful implementation of a shared decision-making structure at a...

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks co-author Deborah Greenwald about a study of nurses’ self-reported health-promoting behaviors, which revealed that many nurses may not practice adequate self-care, and underscored the importance of prioritizing nurses’ health at both the individual and institutional levels.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the April issue of the American Journal of Nursing . On this month’s cover is a 1924 portrait of the Grace Hospital School of Nursing basketball team. Our first CE, “Original Research: An Investigation into the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Practices of RNs,” discusses a study that gathered baseline data on the sel...

Child sexual abuse is a global issue that all nurses must be aware of and knowledgeable about as they care for children in various settings. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Donna Sabella, who wrote about the prevalence, potential risk factors, and possible signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, as well as long-term issues faced by survivors.

From 1995 to 2010, U.S. prisons saw a 282% rise in the number of older inmates (ages 55 and older), and between 2001 and 2007, nearly 8,500 prisoners ages 55 and older died while incarcerated. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with one of the authors about their review of the literature, in which they reveal the challenges of providing end-of-life care to prisoners and suggest steps nurse...

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover, an elderly prisoner is handcuffed before being transported to a local hospital. In our first CE, “End-of-Life Care Behind Bars: A Systematic Review,” the authors review the literature and reveal the challenges of providing end-of-lif...

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the February issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover, nurse Sarah Carruth comforts a young patient at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. The first article, “Latino Nurses in the United States: An Overview of Three Decades (1980–2010),” shares original research that...

Nurse-to-nurse bullying is unfortunately common in health care settings—studies reveal it ranges from 31% to 57%. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Ronald Keller, who wrote about an initiative put in place in his acute care setting to address the problem.

Studies have shown that a diverse health care workforce is key to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care. But while the U.S. Latino population has tripled, the Latino RN workforce has not kept pace. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the author about the issues spurring this research and what can be done to increase the number of Latino nurses.