As a parent I let my expectation be known to my child and they can work within those expectations when making decisions on her behavior (note: it does not always work with a four year old, but it’s never to soon to get her learning). As an ED nurse dealing with a large amount of psych and intoxicated patients, I let ...

Critical thinking skills are an important aspect of nursing. The concept can be a nightmare for some nursing students who struggle to understand. It’s a popular topic for many a nursing thesis or publication which many times only serves to further confuse the students. It’s not really that complex of a concept if one takes the time to break it down ...

Survival is in our nature. In fact, surviving is not an option, it's an expectation. The difference between surviving and drowning is how well you ride the ‘wave'. Only my fellow nurses will understand what I mean by the ‘wave'. You know – it's that feeling you got when you first decided to become a nurse. It was then that feeling ...

If you're a graduating or practicing nurse, there's good news: The U.S. nursing shortage means healthcare employers are offering nurses all sorts of interesting lures to work for them. For those fortunate enough to have more than one offer to consider, how do you pick the best one -- the job that will provide the compensation you're looking for, as well ...

In the health care setting, life-or-death situations can spell high-flying emotions — not just from patients, but from team members and your nurse manager. This guide to body language will help you “read” what a person may not necessarily be telling you. For example, want to know the secrets that your manager’s body language may be telling you? The nonverbal cues ...

For second-career nurses, the transition from nursing school to working with real patients can range from somewhat uncomfortable to highly shocking. These rookies often have given up secure, well-established careers, only to discover on-the-job demands never mentioned in the textbooks. The right attitude can help you weather your first few months on the nursing unit. For those who overcome the challenges ...

The first year on the job is often the toughest for new nursing graduates, especially those who work in hospitals. In fact, new nurse graduates account for more than half of the turnover rate in some hospitals, according to a study published in 2007 by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing researchers. “There really are multiple reasons for [the first-year exodus],” ...

Securing a new job is akin to a successful product launching! All the time spent running a well-organized marketing campaign and now the product is in the market. Well…you've landed your new job! As in the product launch, you want to continually work on product positioning and posturing for long term success, right? Likewise, you want to do so for your ...

It’s been a very long first week of summer. School started and we’ve been thrown head first into the ICU. It’s exciting, and horrifying all at the same time. The way my school’s program is set up, we have our first year dedicated to fundamentals and med-surg, and then we break out for the second year into OB, peds, and psych, ...

Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions. Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them ...

We've all been there: a new graduate nurse, trying to find her way now that she's no longer a student; or a nurse who has changed specialties with no experience in that area. Did we want advice? Did we solicit advice? Chances are, yes, we did want it, but soliciting it may have been a bit harder. Now, as a more ...

So I've still only been at my jobs a few days, but I am loving it. One thing I have definitely learned about, is what it's like to be on the “other side.” What does that mean? Well, I've gotten to see what it's like working with students on the floor, but from the perspective of an employee doing her job. ...

Providing excellent patient care is the most important aspect of nursing. Moreover, taking credit for the care given is also an important responsibility. Most nurses hate the paperwork more than any other aspect of their job, but it’s critical that it be done, and be done well. As with every aspect of quality patient care, charting should be exceptional; it should ...

[photo:174206] I got a request for a post about role confusion (that awful feeling that comes from being a new nurse), and it sounded like a good idea. The transition from student to preceptored nurse isn't as hard as you'd think; you still have to show up on time for various classes and lectures, you still have somebody following you around, ...

When you’ve worked so hard to get that first job after college, the last thing you want is to screw it up. Sadly, new grads do it all the time. The problem rarely stems from lack of knowledge or poor technical skills. It often goes back to something simpler: Your persona in the workplace, particularly during your first few weeks on ...

Are you a new nurse? Do you find yourself bewildered by doctor-speak? Don't panic! Auntie Jo has your translation guide right here. Physician: "This will feel like a pinch." Translation: "This will feel like I'm shooting you with a small-caliber handgun in slow motion." Physician: "The patient presents with an interesting medical history…" Translation: "Way too much to go into here; ...

As a nurse we have hundreds, if not thousands of things to do and remember each and every day. We have become masters of multitasking, or so we think. Is it any wonder that we make mistakes? The biggest part is trying to minimize the damage of those mistakes, take responsibility for our mistakes and learn from those mistakes so we ...

So I know when you read the title all you could think about was ‘what is it??!’ Anyone who is a nurse or on their way to being a nurse can use this piece of advice! We live in the world of life and death. I don’t think anyone will argue with me on that. We can have many levels of ...

The economy hasn’t been nice to the new graduate class of nurses out there lately. Budgets are being noosed, staffing numbers are more constricted, and most places have a hiring ‘freeze’. So when the time comes for you to get the ‘call’, you want to be prepared. The difference between landing a job and being another piece of paper filed away ...

Saving the life of a murderer? Caring for a gang member? A prisoner? Treating a pedophile? Check your personal feelings at the door? All of these scenarios are very real, and can happen to you being a nurse. In fact, for me, they’ve happened. We all are trained, educated, re-trained, and re-educated on the standard of care. It’s called discrimination and ...