In 2019, the Nurse Leader Blog brought you the excitement of the year’s events, inspiring stories, leadership advice, tips for culture change, and much more. Revisit the most popular posts on the Nurse Leader Blog from 2019 below.

For staff, the holidays can be a busy time full of family gatherings and holiday celebrations, but for our residents, the holidays can be an especially lonely time. Our residents must adjust to so many different circumstances as they age -- issues such as physical disability, loss of independence, social isolation, and learning to living in a communal setting. These items alone can be enough to trigger depression but couple this with loss during the holidays and it can be overwhelming.

Imagine if you were unable to participate in your own holiday traditions because you were chronically ill and needed assistance. That is exactly what Mrs. Brown experienced while spending the holidays in the skilled nursing facility. Mrs. Brown had a fall just after Thanksgiving. Her goal was to return home long before Christmas, but she suffered a right hip fracture that required surgical repair and therapy wasn’t progressing as she had hoped.

In this blog, AAPACN Vice President of Curriculum Development, Amy Stewart, discusses her final tip for new directors of nursing - building an effective team. 

Dealing with adverse employees can be a challenging task, but it's something the DNS has to do. Read this blog for some tips from Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, about how to handle these difficult situations and what to do to investigate when you suspect one of your employees might be uncompassionate or abusive. 

Amy Stewart, Vice President of Curriculum Development for AAPACN, provides three tools for new Directors of Nursing to add to their toolbox. In Part 1, you'll find out how to set boundaries and establish expectations for communication with your team. 

In this blog, AADNS member Cody Campbell talks about four key areas for nurse leaders to consider when developing their workplace culture. 

AADNS member, Cody Campbell, LNFA, provides insight into his take on inspirational leadership as the key to being a successful nurse leader and how directors of nursing can inspire and lead their teams.

Amy Stewart, Vice President of Curriculum Development for AAPACN, tells the story of the long-term care moment that changed her life, the gifts she received from a true moment of care as a director of nursing, and the revelation that was the reason she decided to stay in the field.