Literature Review

Best Nurse Practitioner (NP) career and salaries in 2025 AllNurses; by Erin Lee, BSN, RN; 2/7/25 ... Over the years, the scope of practice for NPs has significantly expanded, enabling them to specialize in various healthcare fields and cater to diverse patient populations. NPs now play a vital role in meeting primary care needs and delivering specialized care across a wide range of specialties. Regardless of the chosen specialty, all NPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who have obtained their master's degree or doctorate in nursing practice, passed a board certification exam, and obtained state licensure to practice. ... The level of autonomy and responsibility NPs have in their professional roles is influenced by state regulations on the scope of practice. Although some states allow NPs to work independently, others require them to be supervised by a healthcare provider or MD. To determine which NP job suits your career goals, it's imperative to understand your state's scope of practice regulations and the responsibilities of the NP specialty you plan to pursue. ..  [Click here for extensive data] from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report that shows NPs' annual salaries for 2025. 

How CNOs can manage change management Health Leaders; by G. Hatfield; 2/10/25 Crisp, clear communication is key for CNOs who are trying to handle their change management processes, says this CNO. ... According to Stefanie Beavers, chief nursing executive at OU Health, and HealthLeaders Exchange member, a key focus of the change management process is solidifying organizational identity.

What we talk about, or not, when talking about death Enumclaw Courier-Herald; by Wire Service; 2/9/25 Death is a guarantee for everyone, so why do people shy away from talking about it and using words like death and dying? ... As a death doula and grief coach, Kathleen Putnam hopes that providing care to those who are grieving can help change the language surrounding death. ... Putnam explains that in present society, people want to avoid grief and pain. With medical advancements and industries and marketing systems focusing on keeping people alive, the rhetoric surrounding dying has become negative. Putnam also pointed out that instead of using phrases like “they died” or “they’re dying,” other phrases like “pass away” and “they went to sleep” have become popular when talking about a loss.

Learning from death: New memoir If We Never Meet Again imparts lessons from working with hospice patientsThe MarCom Journal, Charleston, SC; by Globe Newswire; 2/6/25While the topic of death is generally considered taboo, English teacher turned hospice administrator Matthew Cornett believes there is much to be learned from death. After becoming an empty nester, Cornett left the classroom behind and began a second career in hospice care. And the more time he spent with people as they approached the end of their life, the more he realized that their deaths had meaning. And what emerged from those final moments was something profound. Hoping to make others feel more comfortable when it comes to preparing for and talking about death, he presents a memoir of his journey into the world of hospice care. In If We Never Meet Again, Cornett chronicles his experiences providing compassion and support to hospice patients while adjusting to his new role. Finding inspiration in his patient’s “death stories,” he found himself on an unexpected path of self-discovery. Cornett’s personal reflections on these intimate and emotional interactions encourage readers to reconsider how they view death and dying.

How can we cultivate happiness in medicine? The Hospitalist; by Nikhil Sood, MD and Marjorie Bessel, MD; 2/3/25 Burnout has led to early physician retirements and clinicians leaving the profession, resulting in an unprecedented physician shortage and access challenges. This jeopardizes our ability to meet the community’s needs and fulfill our mission of making healthcare more accessible to improve quality of life. The question is, how can we, as a healthcare system, tackle this issue head-on? ... The CHIM strategy is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach, driven by clinicians, that supports wellness from an individual and organizational perspective. ... The six dimensions of the strategy include the following:

High reliability in action — a closer look at Unit-Based Quality Rounds Mass General Brigham; 1/7/25 ... “We’re creating a new process and I’m so proud of all of you because what you have accomplished so far has been amazing,” Nursing Director Vivian Donahue, RN, said at the opening of the huddle with just over 20 physicians, nurses, advance practice providers (APPs), unit staff and hospital and system senior leaders in attendance, including Thor Sundt, MD, chief of Cardiac Surgery for Mass General Brigham. ... At the unit’s first huddle in October, a conversation about the availability of hospice care generated a new referral process that connects patients receiving end-of-life care and their families to hospice services and ongoing emotional support for those coping with the passing of a loved one. At the Dec. 11 huddle, Donahue reported that the unit had provided this welcome, deeply appreciated additional support to five patients and their families.

Maine communities struggle with nurse practitioner shortage NBC News Center Maine; by Brianna Bush; 1/29/25 According to U.S. News & World Report, nurse practitioner is the No.1 ranked job for 2025. The study says that's because of work-life balance, high pay, and job growth potential. Despite this, communities in Maine are lacking enough nurse practioners to support patients. ... According to the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association, there are more than 3,100 nurse practitioners in Maine. 

Thinking innovatively about your nursing career development Minority Nurse; by Keith Carlson, BSN, RN, NC-BC; 1/27/25 Your nursing career is yours to create, and with proper care, your path can be unique, innovative, and idiosyncratic. At the same time, your many obligations and responsibilities can steer you away from your uniqueness and leave you in a rut of choosing the path of least resistance. There are many strategies for choosing a career journey that fits your vision of who you want to be as a healthcare professional, and it’s worth exploring those strategies for the ones that can most readily move you forward. ... Thoughtful questions are a good place to begin your self-assessment. ... 

Kaiser Permanente physicians negotiate new labor agreement Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/27/25 Resident physicians at California-based Kaiser Permanente have recently negotiated a new agreement that includes compensation increases and expanded mental health and wellness employee benefits. The agreement came after months of negotiations and included salary increases over the next three years, along with more paid time off and enhanced financial support for resident physicians. It also included roughly $40,000 to fuel an annual patient-project fund.

Palliative care is essential for seriously ill patients—at any ageAMA (American Medical Association); by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/27/25 The AMA House of Delegates has adopted new policies outlining physicians’ ethical obligation to provide or seek optimal palliative care for patients with serious illnesses who can benefit from comprehensive management of pain and other distressing symptoms—not only those with terminal illnesses or on the precipice of death. “Physicians have clinical ethical responsibilities to address the pain and suffering occasioned by illness and injury and to respect their patients as whole persons,” says one of the new policies adopted at the latest AMA Interim Meeting, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “These duties require physicians to assure the provision of effective palliative care whenever a patient is experiencing serious, chronic, complex or critical illness, regardless of prognosis.” 

How it feels to be a hospice nurse Post Independent; by Oanh Hoang, Hospice of the Valley; 1/22/25 If someone had asked me this question seven years ago, when I was a new graduate nurse, I would have said it felt terrifying, depressing, frightening, and sad. However, my feelings have changed since I became a hospice nurse 4.5 years ago. ... If someone were to ask me how it feels to be a hospice nurse now, I would tell them to grab a soda, popcorn, and snacks, and get comfortable because I could talk for hours about what it’s like. My feelings start with gratitude. I am grateful to be a part of the final phase of my patients’ lives, walking alongside them and their families toward a peaceful end. For all my hospice patients, time is the most valuable thing they have. ... Along with all these rewarding feelings, I also feel sadness when my patients pass away. But this sadness is different from the sadness I felt seven years ago. 

DEA unveils long-overdue special registration for telemedicine in proposed ruleThe National Law Review; by Marika Miller, Nathan A. Beaver of Foley & Lardner LLP; 1/21/25 In the final days of the Biden administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a proposed rule that would allow practitioners with a Special Registration to prescribe Schedule III-V, and in limited circumstances Schedule II, controlled substances via telemedicine. Practitioners with a Special Registration would still need to obtain a DEA registration in each state where they prescribe or dispense controlled substances. However, the proposed rule establishes a limited, less expensive State Telemedicine Registration as an alternative to the traditional DEA registration. The proposed rule imposes several obligations on practitioners with Special Registrations when they prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine.  [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

2025 ushers new era in physician unions Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 1/17/25 While unionization among healthcare workers and professionals is a familiar phenomenon, resident physicians and fellows joining unions has only grown in recent years. Indeed, since the start of 2025 alone, at least five groups of resident physicians and fellows have opted to form unions at their health systems. "Physician unionization has massively increased since 2020, especially among interns and residents," Rebecca Givan, PhD, associate professor of labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers in New Brunswick, N.J., told Becker's. ... Dr. Givan pointed to an increasing number of staff physicians unionizing as well. In 1998, the American Medical Association estimated that between 14,000 and 20,000 physicians belonged to unions. That number grew to 46,689 in 2014, and reached 67,673 in 2019.