Life is fleeting. We all know this. We only get one chance at it. I think it's safe to say that most individuals are very familiar with father time. As we get older, father time ‘visits' our life and all those around it quite often. No beating around the bush on this one – sooner or later we all die. Sorry ...

Death is such a taboo word in the world of health care. Heck, it’s a taboo word everywhere. Somewhere along the way we began viewing death as that ‘one thing’ we need to avoid at all costs. That ‘one thing’ we need to dodge and prolong its arrival as long as possible and at all costs. That ‘one thing’ that causes ...

According to evolutionary theory, we all evolved from more basic species. Animals grew limbs if they needed them and developed lungs to live on the ground. Some changed colors to blend into the fauna, while others developed serious defense mechanisms, like the quills on a porcupine. So, as evolution continues, perhaps the perfect nurse will evolve from the simple human she ...

I wrote this post a long time ago when I first started blogging. I’m recycling the post because this information bears repeating. I’ve been seeing some behavior lately that is inappropriate, and I’m telling you this stuff for your own good. Please, never roll your eyes at a nurse who is old enough to be your mother. She may be going ...

We've all heard stories about the nightmare of working for a toxic boss. Some of us have even had the unique displeasure of doing so ourselves. Red flags to such behavior often appear as early as the interview process. We've compiled 10 warning signs of a toxic boss. Watch for them in the interview and you might be able to avoid ...

How does "liking" my patients affect my nursing care? Well, frankly, it doesn't. I'll admit that in my new job, because I am working with such a different demographic of people, I have been struggling to "like" my patients. For some reason, liking my patients and feeling needed has provided a lot of job satisfaction for me. Because I am an ...

While working at a bank many years ago, I approved a $10,000 fraudulent transaction. When the FBI showed me pictures of the man who had pulled a fast one on me, I didn’t even recognize him. In fact, the whole situation was kind of a blur. At some point, they pulled the footage from the branch security cameras and, as I ...

How many night nurses have you met who swear they have, at one time or another, seen or heard something during their shifts that can’t quite be explained? According to a CBS News article in 2005, 22 percent of Americans believe they have seen or felt a ghost and 48 percent said they believe in ghosts. As healthcare professionals who deal ...

The CEO of Hewlett Packard, Mark Hurd, got fired last week following an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by a former contractor, Jodie Fisher. After the probe into the allegations, the company found Hurd had not violated HP’s sexual harassment policy but he did monkey around with $20,000 of company funds. Now Fisher, who was also a reality show contestant, ...

Nobody loves going to work all the time--but there's a difference between routine workplace hassles and a working environment that stresses you out to the point of illness, according to Linnda Durre, the author of "Surviving the Toxic Workplace." Durre suggests that hostile working environments typically have one or more types of dysfunction--how many symptoms does yours have? Unfairness [widget:a_day_in_the_life] You ...

There's a lot of talk about the pipeline — that magical conveyer belt that calls a select few up toward the top of organizations. The pipeline is critically important for women, who in most organizations are notably absent from it. This underrepresentation of eligible females is often cited as the excuse for everything from pay inequity and the shortage of women ...

As nurses, it's your job to take care of people, but who looks after you? When we were children, that was our parents. We always had our dads looking out for us, taking care of us, and protecting us. Whether you're still daddy's little girl, or the son that reminds him of himself, you know that a father's love runs deep. ...

For almost everyone, having a job means working on teams. But not all team leaders know how to create successful teams--by building consensus, setting agendas, meeting deadlines, encouraging good ideas, and so on. In fact, many team leaders are thrown into the role without training in any of these areas. If your leader seems to be less than fully competent, there ...

For a change of pace and with Halloween happening tomorrow, I thought I would write about one of my favorite nursing/ER stories from Halloween a few years ago. I was recently off orientation at a new Level I ER. It was Halloween night, AND the night of the Insane Clown Posse concert. Most of the crowd at these concerts is teenage ...

If you spend a lot of time at a desk, personalizing the space makes sense -- whether it's a private corner office or a shared cubicle. But just as your clothes and body language make an impression on others, your workspace gives coworkers and clients a distinct impression about you. Plants, books, artwork -- even your name plaque -- transmit clues ...

Hey NursingLink members! Wondering who might be able to help you with questions about our community? Need some one-the-job advice from a seasoned nurse? Well meet your new moderator HerbalNurse! We think Joyce's positive energy will be a great addition to our NursingLink community, and we asked her four questions to help you get to know her. So without further ado, ...

Memo to Americans: As a group, for every $1,000 we bring in after taxes, we are saving $7, according to the Commerce Department. Why bring this up? Because if you're anticipating an annual bonus this year, you should probably skip the cruise. Considering salary increases are barely keeping pace with inflation, no wonder white-collar workers are coveting those bonuses to help ...

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 ...

The job market is finally showing signs of life--and that means more workers will likely have the opportunity to change jobs in the coming months. It's clear that many will welcome this: A recent survey by the Corporate Executive Board, a research and advisory services company, found that 25 percent of workers whom employers had labeled as having high potential were ...

Since the recession began in December 2007, more than half of all American workers have become unemployed, taken a pay cut, suffered a reduction in hours, or had to take a temporary job because they couldn't find a full-time position, according to the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends Project. You probably don't need a study to tell you the ...