The idea of what makes a dream job changes over time, as does what a person looks for in their soul mate. In the past, one simply wanted steady work to provide food and shelter for his or her family. People also didn't live as long, and as a result didn't have the flexibility to date a wide variety of people ...

Everyday as a nurse is an opportunity to experience little victories. These are small moments when you accomplish a task, fix a problem, or even when you complete a standard intervention. There are a few things in nursing that fail to get your endorphins pumping and don't make you feel accomplished. And one of those little victories is a successful IV ...

Healthcare workers who volunteer for American Red Cross disaster-relief assignments say they're motivated by a desire to help people put their lives back together after a catastrophe. These 8,000 volunteers -- typically nurses, social workers, emergency medical technicians, counselors, physician assistants and therapists -- often leave home on short notice to aid victims of hurricanes, fires, floods and other disasters, wherever ...

We like to control our surroundings, whether it be at home or at work. We could argue that nurses can’t control their work environment because of the unknown patient or event that may lie right around the corner, but uncertainty and the unknown is nothing compared to a nurse working in a disaster zone. Disasters come in many forms, from those ...

As political candidates answer endless variations of the same questions in pursuit of elected office, we can't help but be reminded of our own often-torturous experiences on job interviews. If, like the candidates, we could review our performances on tape, what might we see? Watch and Listen to Yourself "Verbal fillers are the No. 1 problem," says Randy Bitting, cofounder of ...

I don’t care. Those aren’t the words you want to hear coming from the mouth of a nurse. Now true, nurses are human, and there are things that we don’t care about, but the phrase itself, while on the job, just sounds so… unprofessional. As nurses, we encounter so many challenges every day. Often times we have to wait on other ...

I’ve written about lateral violence (the act of nurses being bullies) frequently in the past. To be completely honest, I hate that this is something that I even know about, and especially felt the need to write about. Not because I don’t think the issue should be addressed, but its just completely absurd that it exists at all. The jokes and ...

Dining out is usually associated with pleasure and relaxation -- except when you're being interviewed for a job while you're eating. There are many reasons why an employer will choose to conduct an interview over lunch. "A hiring manager may not want office staff to know the company is hiring for a particular position," says career strategist and workplace consultant J.T. ...

Everyone wants to maximize productivity — no matter the setting — and hospitals are no different than offices, classrooms, warehouses, or anywhere else where work is done. For those looking for an answer on the surface, "working harder" is often the most popular remedy for productivity concerns. But what if that isn't possible? What if everyone is working as hard ...

You think garbage collectors have it hard when it comes to on-the-job smells? Well, they do, but at least in their case they're prepared and can even wear a mask. Plus, there's a lot of margin for error. They don't have to look at whatever's causing the offensive odor; they can just close their eyes and dump it into the ...

Teresa Brown, R.N. wrote an article, featured in The New York Times, recently called, Caring for the Chart of the Patient, in which she discusses the very real challenge we face as nurses to document our care. She speaks about the mandates, and standards that we are forced to document on in order to satisfy one agency, insurance company, regulation, or ...

I love 80% of the people with whom I work. Seriously. I think everyone tries to do a great job and everyone (myself included) has an off day where you just can’t get anything right. However, we all have the co-worker who drives us nuts for various reasons. Consider the following types: 1) The Spiritualist: This person is super nice. Super ...

Have the last few years been cruel or kind to you, professionally speaking? Even if your career didn't take a hit, the recent economic tumult may have you quaking in your boots over the future. "Your career is long," says career coach Deborah Brown-Volkman. "Some people work for 40, 50 or 60 years. Don't get stuck in the here and now ...

How does a man survive in a woman’s world? Here are some down-and-dirty survival tips that every ‘male nurse’ needs to know in order to survive in the wilderness of women. Learn the ways of the Venutians Men are truly from Mars, and yes Women are from Venus. We live on two different worlds, but we do occupy the same solar ...

Coinciding with the tightening job market is a gloomy statistic: Few American workers are saving for potential layoffs. According to an Adecco USA Workplace Insights survey, only one-quarter of workers claimed to be saving for unemployment, and 58 percent had no plans to put money aside for a job loss. You've probably heard that you should have at least six months ...

The nurses at Washington Hospital Center in northwest DC put their employer on notice and staged a walkout on March 4, 2011. National Nurses United, the union representing the hospital’s 1,650 registered nurses, said the one-day strike was a response to many key issues including patient safety issues, unsafe staffing conditions, and violations of federal labor laws resulting in the dismissal ...

If you've got a job, you probably want to hold on to it until you find another one, even if it's less than ideal. But remember, in most states, employment is at-will, meaning you can be fired for almost any reason (so long as it is not discriminatory) -- including looking for a new position. So how can a job seeker ...

Should nurses have the power to unionize? The question is almost as old as the labor movement itself. Some nurses consider unionization unprofessional; others consider unions an essential tool to help ensure safe practice environments. The question, though, may soon be moot. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker has proposed a Budget Repair Bill that will strip public employees – including nurses ...

The landscape for job seekers today is more treacherous than at any other time in recent memory. In other words, if you want a job today, the hard work starts when you prepare for the interview. That means not just nailing the questions you are asked, but actually asking the kinds of questions designed to make the interviewer sit up and ...

One of the worst things you can do when you start your new job is to make your supervisor look bad for hiring you. After all, your boss is key to your current on-the-job satisfaction and to your future success in the organization -- and perhaps even beyond. If there ever were a relationship for you to invest in, this is ...