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10 Best and Worst Valentine's Day Gifts for Nurses

10 Best (and worst!) Valentine’s Day Gifts for Nurses



Almost ten years ago now, my honey and I celebrated our first Valentine’s Day together. I, being the consummate romantic and girly girl, scoured the stores for the perfect gift. I settled on a nice shirt and a nice bottle of cologne. Excited for the gift giving, I wrapped the presents in heart themed wrapping paper and awaited the exchange. I learned a very important lesson that day; my honey is NOT a good Valentine’s Day gift giver. He gave me a heart balloon and a little ceramic nurse frog that was donning latex gloves.
Nowadays, we don’t do a big Valentine’s Day exchange, just a couple cards and something kitschy. His sister owns a flower shop, so I do usually get flowers and then I stump him with “Oh yea, well what does the card say?” He seems to get that right most of the time so maybe he really does fill out the card. So to give you all a heads up, let me tell you some of the worst and best Valentines Day presents.
Best
A Spa Gift Certificate, we love massages with no strings attached
A really great pair of shoes that you know we have been eyeing for awhile.
Flowers, we do enjoy these, just no baby’s breath.
A sweater from our favorite store with the gift receipt (Just in case)
Something sentimental, like a nice picture frame with a picture of the two of you from somewhere special
A weekend trip somewhere close but romantic
A “Fort Night”: Build a fort in the living room and watch a romantic movie with all the childhood favorite foods (sundaes, pizza, PB&J)
A nice dinner, we get to pick the place
A homemade coupon book with coupons for stuff we would appreciate (One Make Dinner AND Clean Up; One Foot Massage)
A trip to our favorite place: the bookstore, a coffee shop, a beach, anything that shows you are paying attention.
Worst
Anything Nurse themed; it takes a very rare person to get excited about a nurse ceramic frog. Let me know when you find them; I’d love to meet them.
Any kind of appliance. A vacuum cleaner does not spell R-O-M-A-N-C-E.
A gym membership. Enough said.
Anything you buy at the drug store (and we know what their stock looks like), i.e. a Valentine’s tiara, salt and pepper shakers, a huge stuffed gorilla, and/or vitamins.
Less than upscale lingerie. This should be a gal’s idea and if she hasn’t bought any yet, she probably doesn’t want to wear it.
Low end chocolates. If you are going to go the choco-route, please go Godiva.
Any kind of flower creation that has baby’s breath in it. Baby’s breath screams “old lady flowers” and its just really cheap filler. Get the green stuff instead.
A singing telegram…wait, this could go either way.
Any kind of self help book.
A mixed tape. No one should even own a tape player anymore.
These are my tips for you Valentine’s Day Gift Givers out there…I’m usually a pretty good gift giver so my advice shouldn’t lead you too astray. Just please, no nurse themed ceramic frogs, cats, monkeys, dogs…you get the picture. Happy Lover’s Day, everyone!!! ‘

HEALTH BENEFITS FROM KINDNESS

Health Benefits of Kindness from The Random Acts of Kindness Website
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental. Here are some key points:
Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical.
A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.
Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.
Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.
A decrease in both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain can occur.
The incidence of attitudes, such as chronic hostility, that negatively arouse and damage the body is reduced.
The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.
An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.
Once we establish an “affiliative connection” with someone – a relationship of friendship, love, or some sort of positive bonding – we feel emotions that can strengthen the immune system.
Adopting an altruistic lifestyle is a critical component of mental health.
The practice of caring for strangers translates to immense immune and healing benefits.
Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.

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BEST 3 MID MORNING SNACKS

Three Best Mid-Morning Snacks

*Grumble* *Grumble* *Grumble*
Yes, that’s your stomach talking to you – and anyone around you that can hear!
Your body is such a wonderfully amazing machine. Even for the ‘laymen’ it will let you know when it needs fuel. The problem is most of us either don’t have the time to re-fuel, or make poor choices on what to feed your grumbling belly.
There are a couple things that come into play when you’re looking for that mid-morning snack. First and foremost, I really hope you had a good breakfast. I know there are people out there that do not eat a breakfast??!! Breakfast is the meal that sets the stage for your whole day. Not eating breakfast is like not putting gas in your car – just doesn’t make sense! (But I digress)
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing your mid-morning snack:
Food likes and dislikes
Do you have time to sit and prepare something
Are you ‘on-the-run’ and need something ‘quick and easy’
So lets take them one at a time.
Food likes and dislikes
This is kind of a no-brainer. You want to have or find food you will eat on a consistent basis. The bottom line here is find, prepare, or bring something you know you’ll enjoy. For instance I LOVE anything that has apples or apple flavoring in it. I also like eating almonds and peanuts, but don’t put them ‘in’ a food product. Blegh.
Do you have time to sit and prepare something
Is there a microwave available? Do you need hot water, cold water? Will the food require you to ‘mix’. If so do you have a container to mix it? This becomes very important for most of us nurses. We usually have none of the above.
Are you ‘on-the-run’
Uhm- yeah. This also applies to just about every nurse out there. So you need something portable, something preferably non-perishable and non-crushable. I don’t know about you but some ’snacks’ get destroyed in my bag that I carry to work.
OK. Here is the ’skinny’ on mid-morning snacks. (Yep -chose that word on purpose) The snack should be something with a decent amount of staying power (carbohydrates) and something that will sustain and maintain some amount of energy for the next 2-5 hours (protein). I won’t go into the miniscule details about carbs vs. protein. I’m simply saying stay away from the simple sugars. All those immediate release sugary substances are only good for one thing – their sweet taste, nothing more.
Let’s keep it simple.
Fruit, fruit and fruit. Everything from sliced to whole pieces of fruit. My two favorites are bananas and apples. You can carry and store them anywhere and everywhere. The bad part is you have to have some clean hands to eat them, so be careful about eating these while working on your unit. You could open these two up and cut them up? Or you could prepare them prior to work by slicing up the apple?
Also in the fruit category, blueberries, strawberries, heck any type of berry. You’ll have to prepare them ahead of time of course, and you are at the mercy of the time of the year, whether or not they are in season. So be careful.
Along the same course are nuts. Almonds are a GREAT source of energy, keep in mind they are low in carbs and have some fat content. I prefer these as a hunger-pang killer. A handful of these go a long way.
Another great source is anything-oatmeal. Oatmeal by itself, as a snack bar, an oatmeal mix, etc. Oatmeal is great in fiber, as well as a good carb source. I myself have oatmeal not only for my breakfast, but I have a ‘oatmeal bar’ mid-morning.
The one thing I would caution you on would be all those ‘100 calorie’ snacks out there. They are great, don’t get me wrong, the problem is most will find out that the snack content for the 100 calories isn’t very good at satisfying your hunger, so you end up eating 2 or 3 of these snacks. Then there goes the 100 calories! Just be careful with this choice.
There is always the ’shake’ option. You can either make your own shake, or buy one. In each case be careful with your choice of ’shake’. Some shakes are high in simple sugars (fructose) and can be high in fat.
Last but not least be very, very, very leary of anything that advertises ‘low fat’ or ‘no fat’, most of the time they replace the lack of fat with sugar. Sugar is good if used properly by your body. If you consume an over abundance of sugar, meaning you have ‘left over’ sugar that your body doesn’t immediately need for fuel. Guess what happens to that sugar? It slowly gets converted into fat and fills up the fat stores in your body. Be careful. Many get ‘tricked’ into thinking that ‘low fat’ is there ticket to freedom, when in fact it does the opposite.
If anything, be sure to eat something! The last thing you should be doing is not eating. Not eating is simply not an option. Even if it’s a ‘bite’ of something, something is better than nothing.
So my three best mid-morning snacks:
Fruit (I guess you could claim this is more than one option)
Nuts
Oatmeal

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INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT OF THE DAY... "We may not be able to do any great thing, but if each of us will do something, however small it may be, a good deal will be accomplished."

A PLAN to Achieve Your Weight Loss Breakthrough

You’re ready to give your weight loss plan a good, hard, realistic look. You want to make this year the year you take the age-old resolution off your list for good. So how do you do it?
Vicki Piper, Employee Wellness Dietitian at Children’s Cancer Hospital at M. D. Anderson, has helped nurses shed weight…even those seemingly-impossible stubborn pounds. In this interview, she attests it’s not enough just to set goals to lose weight.
To see real results, you have to back up those goals with a strategic PLAN to stay ahead of your appetite. Once you’ve picked your workout regimen, follow Vicki’s smart nutrition strategy to fuel and replenish your body and get the most out of your weight loss efforts.
Scrubs: What are some real expectations that nurses should keep in mind to help them stay motivated?
Vicki: In these days of frequent meals out, bagels as big as Frisbees and pasta bowls so deep your fork gets lost, weight management is difficult—but it’s not impossible. PLAN, PLAN and PLAN some more. Prepare meals and snacks at home and bring them to work. If you need to lose weight, remember that 1 to 2 pounds lost per week is a great rate. If you fall off the wagon, don’t beat yourself up—just climb back into your wagon on the next meal.
Scrubs: Could you provide an example of a “small meal” that a nurse could have several times throughout the day? Is there an easy way to calculate what’s right for each individual?
Vicki: A few ideas for small meals would be a meat sandwich on whole-wheat bread with a piece of fruit, a baked chicken breast with ½ cup brown rice and carrot sticks, or a bowl of vegetable soup with half a sandwich. To calculate your individual needs, check out mypyramid.gov and sparkpeople.com.
Scrubs: What are some tips for optimal nutrition to help your body recover faster from a big workout?
Vicki: Three key elements come into play when replenishing the body post-workout: fluids, carbohydrates and protein. The best fluid is water, of course! Next, muscles need carbohydrates to replace the carbs that were stored as glycogen and used during exercise. Fruits, legumes (beans) and whole-grain bread products are complex carbohydrates that will replenish muscles; they’re also loaded with fiber and other nutrients.
Preliminary studies suggest that a protein-carb combination may enhance muscle recovery and muscle refueling after exercise more effectively than carbs alone. Protein-carbohydrate combinations like skim milk, low-fat and low-sugar yogurt, low-fat chocolate milk and legumes will aid in recovery. A little bit of protein after a workout may help keep you feeling full. Remember, a quick 30-minute walk does NOT usually require refueling. Darn! Keep those snacks after workouts small so those calories you burned while exercising can help you with weight maintenance.

A Nurse’s Favorite Sleep and Stress Relief Remedy

Taking a long, warm bath is an excellent way to relieve the stresses and strains of being on your feet all day.
Try a homemade lavender and marjoram bath oil mixture, which has the added bonus of moisturizing the skin while it gently soothes away all your worries.
The essential oils will be sure to induce a nice, deep sleep right when you need it.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons almond oil
7 drops lavender oil
3 drops marjoram oil
Follow these three simple steps to add the therapeutic mixture to your bath:
1. Measure the above ingredients into a small dish or bowl.2. Mix them together thoroughly, then pour the resulting mixture into your bath while the water is running.3. Relax and enjoy a long, soothing and refreshing soak.
If you would like to enhance the effect, consider adding a bath bag containing fresh lavender and marjoram to the water. Or hang the bath bag over the faucet as you run your bath, so that the water runs through the bag.
Aromatherapy and essential oil products can be picked up at your local health food store such as Whole Foods

SIX WAYS NURSES CAN HELP HAITI

Six Ways for Nurses to Help Haiti
Thank God for nurses. For although the world is mobilizing around Haiti to send aid and supplies, it's the nurses who can be the most valuable resource during a crisis like this.
Join your fellow Nurses, National Nurses United members, and the Registered Nurse Response Network on an emergency mission to help Haiti. Here are six ways to do so:
1. RNs volunteer here 2. Donate money to help send nurses 3. Download and post an informational flyer 4. Share the RNRN brochure (PDF) 5. Make in kind donations of supplies, etc. 6. Call the RNRN hotline: (800) 578-8225
Read our full article on what nurses are doing to help Haitians.

ABCMedicalandOxygen: PHYSICIAN CLAIMS & FEE SCHEDULE 2010 UPDATE

ABCMedicalandOxygen: PHYSICIAN CLAIMS & FEE SCHEDULE 2010 UPDATE

PHYSICIAN CLAIMS & FEE SCHEDULE 2010 UPDATE

Holding of claims for services paid under the 2010 Medicare physician fee schedule -- update
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with Congress, health care providers, and the beneficiary community to avoid disruption in the delivery of health care services and payment of claims for physicians, non-physician practitioners, and other providers of services paid under the Medicare physician fee schedule, beginning January 1, 2010. In this regard, CMS has instructed its contractors to hold claims for services paid under the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) for up to the first 10 business days of January (January 1 through January 15) for 2010 dates of service. This should have minimum impact on provider cash flow because, by law, clean electronic claims are not paid any sooner than 14 calendar days (29 days for paper claims) after the date of receipt. Meanwhile, all claims for services delivered on or before December 31, 2009, will be processed and paid under normal procedures.
The holding of claims allows Medicare contractors time to receive the new, updated payment files and perform necessary testing before paying claims at the new rates. CMS has instructed contractors to begin processing claims at the new rates no later than January 19, 2010. Please note that most contractors are closed on the January 18 Martin Luther King Day holiday. Therefore, even absent a new update, most claims likely would not have been paid any sooner than January 19, 2010, given the aforementioned statutory 14-day payment floor.
CMS has extended the 2010 annual participation enrollment program end date from January 31, 2010, to March 17, 2010; therefore, the enrollment period now runs from November 13, 2009, through March 17, 2010.
The effective date for any participation status change during the extension, however, remains January 1, 2010, and will be in force for the entire year.
Contractors will accept and process any participation elections or withdrawals, made during the extended enrollment period that are received or post-marked on or before March 17, 2010.
In addition, be on the alert for more information about other legislative provisions that may affect you.