Before we put this year to bed, let’s look at some of the stories that stirred up the most attention. Below are the articles and interviews that sparked interested in our 2023 readers – stories on travel nursing finances, Native American sobriety, nuclear testing, and beyond.
#1. Highly popular was our interview with Lee Yaiva, CEO of Scottsdale Recovery Center, on sobriety and recovery for Native Americans. His advice for both patients and providers was profoundly insightful.
#2. Another important conversation: a look at how healthcare can improve diversity among the clinical workforce.
#3. Joy Martin, APRN, offered her guidance in setting up SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Exam) programs in Tribal nations. A trailblazer in creating SANE programs, Joy explained why there’s a shortage of these services on Indigenous lands and how providers can build their own program.
#4. We interviewed Brandy Pinkerton, RN, owner of Travel Nurse 101, on common nursing struggles – from managing finances to protecting mental health. We loved her practical, insightful advice.
#5. Cierra George, a young Navajo writer who works for Tribal Health as a recruiter, wrote a moving account of receiving healthcare as an Indigenous patient. It’s a perspective we rarely hear – and a valuable one.
#6. For Women’s History Month, we looked at the history of the female physician – from the first persecuted doctors of ancient Greece to women who treated Bubonic Plague victims to the courageous women who fought to be accepted to Harvard Medical School and brought medical care to communities of color in the 18th and 19th centuries.
#7. Our President Whittney LaCroix published an article in American Nurse Journal on providing care to Native American elders. Native seniors bring special considerations to clinical practice, but physicians and nurses are rarely educated in those needs. Whittney’s in-depth article broke new ground.
#8. Compassion fatigue can hit anyone involved in patient care. We looked at the (not always obvious) signs and offered 7 practices for recovery and prevention.
#9. In years to come, 2023 will be remembered as the year AI went mainstream – reaching into our homes, our workplaces, and our hospitals. We looked at what it means for healthcare when AI can pass med school exams. (Update to come in January!)
#10. Our biggest story that kicked off 2023: the impact of nuclear testing on Native American communities and the documentary “Downwind” that explains the ramifications in chilling detail.
Happy reading if you missed any of these – and let us know the issues you’d like to see explored in 2024.
