Did you know that bullying affects at least half of the American workforce? According to a study published in 2010, back in 2007, 35% of workers in the U.S. reported having been bullied, while another 15% witnessed workplace bullying. That’s half the American workforce who admitted to experiencing or witnessing bullying behaviors. Bullying goes beyond the playground; it's more than just ...

All workplaces have people that you might not get along with. Hospitals and care centers are no different. The only difference is the stress levels can be even higher because you're dealing with actual life and death situations. For nurses who already have their hands full with multiple patients, long shifts, and the inevitable unexpected situations, the last thing they ...

The doctor/nurse working relationship has its ups and downs. When the two work well together, the most difficult of patient cases seems like a breeze. But if there is any contention, if one rubs the other the wrong way, tackling even the simplest problem is like climbing Mount Everest in the off season – a nightmare. We know what doctors ...

Your day is already full juggling budget cuts, staffing demands, regulatory requirements and reimbursement issues. Your patients are older and sicker than ever before and their procedures are more complex. The staff needs an in-service on a new piece of equipment that the surgeon wants to use tomorrow. Who has time to plan a career? Is there a trend or event ...

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 ...

Are you one of the 6 million Americans that work on the night shift? I am! My usual routine is EVERY Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from 6:45 PM to 7:15 AM. Recently, I added a contract nursing job on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night from 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM. The contract nursing job is only temporary, and believe it ...

When it comes to your career, do you lie to yourself? The answer is most likely ‘yes.’ In an article I read by Sam Sommers, a professor of psychology at Tufts University, he explains how and why we like to kid ourselves. He explains: “People do this all the time. We bend the facts to fit our self-image, perpetuating a ...

More thoughts on orientation because, as I’ve stated before, I am about to be an orientee again, and am trying to psyche myself up so I can survive! I walked away from my last stint as an orientee with this thought: there is not a formula for the perfect preceptor—perfect preceptors do NOT exist! Through experience I adopted a healthy ...

True to the claims of the old TV show "Kids Say the Darndest Things," surround yourself by children each and every workday and that statement becomes not only true but very endearing. It would be an unusual occurrence for me to end my workday without a funny/cute/smile-provoking story about one of my patients, whether it be something they said or did ...

Intensive Care nursing with dystonia is not for the faint of heart, but it's really doable. Okay, so how did a wannabe artist/photographer end up working nights surrounded by medical equipment and really sick people? I blame it on my father. Of course, he's not here to defend himself anymore, but take my word for it, there was no way that ...

Patient teaching and patient education are big topics in nursing. Good preventative health education helps keep people from becoming patients and good patient education helps patients from getting worse or helps them manage their condition or illness. It used to be that nurses had time to sit down and discuss various issues with their patients, answering questions and generally providing support. ...

Most of our daily problems, including common annoyances such as arguments with coworkers, are dismissed as not life or death. However, when nurses and doctors are involved, it can be a matter of life or death. Egos need to be left outside the hospital by the professionals entrusted with the health and safety of the patients they care for, which sometimes ...

Nurses, you've seen it all. You’re on the frontline when it comes to patient care. From the most disgusting patient cases (mysterious bodily fluids and "code brown") to the most heartwarming (pediatric miracles!), what haven't you seen on your floor? Unlike doctors, you don't just deal with a patient's medical condition; you're often left to face the patient's family and ...

Have you ever wondered why certain patients act the way they do around nurses? Why some are pleasant and cooperative and some are disrespectful or difficult to engage? It is easy for a nurse to have expectations of patients because naturally we all want them to be kind, cooperative, and appreciative. But it is important for nurses to keep in mind ...

With the downturn in the US economy, workplaces are becoming more and more diverse age-wise. Older workers are working alongside younger workers as people at every stage in their nursing career are getting laid off. With this generational gap among health care workers widening, there’s a lot of potential for miscommunication or differing perspectives. Though many people will absolutely deny ...

Now that Spain has won and the World Cup is over, this is a good time to look at other aspects of South African life, such as what it's like to be a nurse in that country. From job satisfaction, working conditions, and a different medical system, nursing in South Africa is a whole other experience. Risk of Violence Violence occurs ...

[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, ...

It was 11:30 p.m. on a rainy Friday night. I had just given in to my scheduler’s pleas and agreed to cover a night shift in Pediatrics. The secretary looked up from her computer as I approached the nursing station. Then: “You’re late,” sneered the charge nurse. Before I could answer, she shoved a packet of papers in my face. My ...

As a nurse, do you find yourself getting asked to do pretty much everything? There's a reason for that, besides nurses generally having a ton of work to do (which they do): There's no other profession that asks its employees to wear more hats every workday. Why is this? What makes nursing such a multifaceted job, one that requires the people ...

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 ...