Imagine finding yourself in an overwhelmingly stressful situation. Then imagine having no control over said situation. I have to keep this in mind each day that I venture to work and am faced with a difficult parent or family member. Working in a pediatric facility, I have the added challenge of not only caring for the ill child, but caring in ...

Every interview has a unique focus, but some questions are asked so often, it makes sense to do all you can to prepare for them. In order to be successful, you need a strategy -- not scripted answers. Your goal should be to emphasize the experiences in your background that best fit what each interviewer is looking for. In this series, ...

There are several factors which need to be considered in choosing the size of a needle to use for an injection or “shot”. They include such issues as: • the type and viscosity of the medication • the size and age of the patient • the mobility status of the patient • the desired absorption rate for the medication In general ...

Not all managers are like me. Some are mean, arrogant and don’t care about their staff. That is not me…..I am better than that. There will come a time, at least once, in your career where you will hit a wall when you are trying to deal with your manager. They don’t listen to what you have to say, they don’t ...

First things first: Treat the STD. With few exceptions, all teens in the United States can legally consent to confidential diagnosis and treatment of STDs. Be professional. No teen wants to hear a sermon, and lecturing about responsible sexual behavior rarely does any good, so keep your judgments to yourself. Your job is to provide accurate information, compassionate care and appropriate ...

It seems that your preceptee hasn’t quite mastered the art of time management and, well, efficiency. You have three patients assigned to you and it’s 10 a.m. and your preceptee has yet to even see the third. Come 6 p.m., there are two patients whose charts have been empty since 12 hours prior, and you have to wait around an hour ...

If you ask 10 people to describe pain, you will get 10 different responses. Pain is a very individual sensation and it is interpreted differently depending on so many variables. For nurses, this means that not only do we need to understand the mechanisms of pain, we need to understand how pain is interpreted by others. Stub Your Toe, Do You ...

Learn how to upload a profile picture, or "avatar", to your NursingLink profile, or change your existing picture. 1) One your profile page, click the "Edit" link that appears next to your profile picture 2) Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on the section labeled "Your Avatar." 3) Under this section, you should either see ...

1) Log into your account 2) Click on "My Profile" in the top right (next to your avatar) 3) Once you're on your profile page, click on "My Account" 4) Once you're in your account, click on "Cancel Membership": 5) Next, click on the Cancel Membership button. NursingLink will then warn you that this is a permanent action and ask ...

1) To add a NursingLink user as your friend, go to that user's profile page. You can find a user's profile page by searching for them in the search box using the "People" filter. 2) On the user's profile page, underneath their picture, click on the link that says "Add [username] as a Friend." 3) You will go to a page ...

Want to share a photo directly in a forum post with other nurses instead of posting a link? This tutorial will show you how to include photos in your post by using a feature in the toolbar. Step One: After clicking "Reply to This Topic" you'll be presented with a text box with a toolbar. Locate the landscape icon (mountain w/ ...

Writing a user a private message (PM) means the message will only be seen between you and the other member. This tutorial will show you how to write a PM, and the various places you can access a member's profile to write them a message. Step 1: Locate the person you want to write a private message to. You can locate ...

Few things are more frustrating than working with a charge nurse who just doesn’t get it. But before you blow up, take a deep breath. Then ask yourself: What exactly is the problem? Are you frustrated because your charge nurse asks you to do one thing, then complains because you haven’t done something else? Do they refuse to help out on ...

‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com. Dear J.T. & Dale: I was assaulted by a former neighbor. As a result, I suffered a stroke and have headaches that lead to seizures. I lost my job after suffering a seizure during a phone call. How do ...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is commonly associated with veterans and combat stress; but this anxiety disorder can strike anyone who has experienced a traumatic event. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 7% to 8% of Americans are expected to have PTSD at some point in their lives, and an estimated 5.2 million adults have PTSD in ...

Working as a nurse can be very taxing at times. You’ll have to deal with senior nurses, matrons, doctors and other medical staff, some of whom may outrank you. Sometimes, you may face unreasonable demands from your head nurse. Saying No to unreasonable demands on time and efforts is a tough job, given the criticality of a health care center environment. ...

Patients come in all shapes and flavors. Sometimes that flavor is ignorant. America is a layered, cosmopolitan country comprised of people of various faiths and ethnicities. Most Americans would agree this is a positive and enlightening thing, but there are a few bad apples out there. Sometimes a closed-minded or culturally illiterate patient is going to wind up in one of ...

As nurses, we have a duty to report all cases of suspected abuse. Your healthcare facility likely has a policy and procedure outlining the exact steps you should take. Consider this a refresher course, especially as sometimes these situations can catch us off guard and there may not be a more senior nurse or manual to consult. In general, you should: ...

Maybe it’s the whiny colleague who makes your 12-hour nursing shift seem twice as long or the turf war raging between the nurses, physicians and technicians in your department. Or maybe you’re just tired of feeling overworked and underappreciated. Whatever the scenario, you sense that changes are needed before you lose your sanity or start looking for another nursing job. Whether ...

So, you’ve been asked to be a preceptor. It’s a challenge you’ve been waiting for and now it’s time to do it. So, what does it take to be a good preceptor? Being a good preceptor isn’t easy; doing the job well is invaluable. Do you remember when you were a student? Do you remember how you felt learning new things ...