There are huge perks that come along with working at a pediatric hospital. Every day that I step onto the floor I get the joy of knowing that I am working at a top-ranked pediatric facility with unbelievably strong and equally precious patients. Brightly colored walls, fun scrubs, an outstanding frozen yogurt machine…all perks. But something else that still excites me, ...

I recently viewed a terrific video interview on Nursing Ideas TV with Suzanne Gordon who has authored several terrific books for nurses such as Nursing Against the Odds: How Health Care Cost Cutting, Media Stereotypes, and Medical Hubris Undermine Nurses and Patient Care. Gordon was passionately discussing the subject of what nurses really do and how nurses tend to trivialize their ...

An update on our collective waistline: The Trust for America's Health has a new report out, with the blunt title "F as in Fat," and the news isn't good. The map above shows America's obesity rates state by state. They hover in the 25 to 30 percent range. To put that in perspective, in 1991, no state had an obesity ...

Remember the old-fashioned nursing uniforms of the past? Most likely, the closest you've ever gotten to seeing them is on TV or in the movies. The era of starched dresses, stockings, nursing shoes, and cap has long passed. The uniform-du-jour now are scrubs, even for many students. They can be colorful, prints, or muted colors, and nurses have taken to the ...

At the end of a hellish shift, it can be fun to go out and have a few drinks with your favorite nursing friends. But drinking with your colleagues isn’t like drinking with your friends on the weekend. The same rules just don’t apply. No matter how laid-back your hospital may be, your actions always reflect on your professional nursing persona. ...

Ever get a hunch about a patient's condition but can't put your finger on why you feel the way you do? Perhaps it's the way a fellow nurse reacts to your proposal, or a strange feeling that your supervisor isn't happy with your charting. Not everything can be worked out with a pro and con list. Much of working with people ...

I’ve never held much validity to the concept of seeking out potential dating prospects based on compatibility of zodiac sign or Chinese calendar symbol. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting those who fervently believe in these ideas, but I’ve always been more of the traditional dater, seeking out chemistry as opposed to matching based on the month of my birth. ...

A little-known clause of the new health care bill gives new mothers the right to pump breast milk at work. It's not something most of us think about until we actually have to do it. After all, who really wants to have to pump their breasts at work? It's bad enough having to share a bathroom with our co-workers, let alone ...

Let's face it ladies. The fight’s not fair in the hospital. We may be picking away at the salary gap but we still only earn 77 cents to every man’s dollar, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And despite filling more seats at nursing school, fewer than 3 percent of Fortune 1000 CEOs are women. So how does bias run rampant ...

Spring is that wonderful time of year when nature affords us new opportunities to bring peace and balance into our hectic day-to-day lives. It’s a time to appreciate the beauty and bounty of life. We asked nurses how they reconnect with nature to restore and replenish the spirit when the weather warms up. Here are their answers. 1. Nurturing beauty You ...

‘As seen on TV’ does not apply to the real world of medicine, nursing and health care in general. I for one fell victim to this urban legend until I entered the world of nursing and became entrenched in the ‘real’ world of health care. We’ve all seen the TV shows. Everything from the ground breaking ER, Third Watch, House, Grey’s ...

Trying to wade through all the techy talk about smartphone apps for nurses? Here’s a quick review of an indispensable application called “Eponyms” by Andrew Yee, MD, that is a must-download for every nurse. What it is “Eponyms” is a very comprehensive database of, well, eponyms. Eponyms are names given to disease processes, anatomical structures, clinical findings, etc., that are named ...

Your worst days and weakest moments are what determine success or failure in the battle against the bulge and your efforts to have a healthier you. Say what? We all have them. Good days (or great days) and those horrible moments of weakness and lack of motivation. The good days are easy. You’re feeling healthy. You have all the energy you ...

Heading to work day in and day out can oftentimes lead to a rollercoaster in the morale department. Although I love my job, the night before a shift just the thought of having to get up and spend 13 hours of the next day cooped up in a hospital sounds less than appealing. I think nurses can easily get lost in ...

Hospital romances are hardly uncommon. Nurses dating doctors, doctors dating interns ... hello Grey's Anatomy! After all, you're definitely clocking in more hours at the hospital than at home. It's easy to develop close on-the-job relationships that can take a romantic turn. But what often starts as a titillating romp in the medical supply room can quickly turn into a ...

When I started the nursing program I had a lot of expectations. I expected to be immersed in the nursing world (did that!). I expected to be studying all the time (yup, I do that too!). I expected it to be a challenge, but knew that it would be worth it (yes again – I love it!). What I did not ...

There are millions of blogs out there — how do you find ones worth your time? Sure, the number of Twitter followers is a good gauge of popularity, but there are plenty of exceptional reads flying under the radar. Whether writing about career advice, female empowerment or daily drama, here’s a list of 10 women-run blogs we love. 1) Penelope Trunk’s ...

Nurses are busy enough taking care of patients, calming families, and keeping doctors updated on cases. Don't let a silly email mistake ruin your shift! In this age of BlackBerry-toting professionals connected by email around globe, it’s crucial to abide by the written (and unwritten) rules of email communication. You don’t want to embarrass yourself, do you? Don’t send another message ...

You’ve got only one back, and as a nurse, you must protect it. To safeguard that precious asset, I’ve designed a three-step program to help you avoid back injury. Follow these steps and you’ll have a significantly easier time protecting your back throughout your nursing career. Step 1? Stretch. Step 2? Strengthen. Step 3? Stand Tall. There’s nothing fancy here. No ...

The average commute time for workers in the U.S. is 24.4 minutes each way, but for many of us the journeys to and from work are really much longer — or at least they seem that way. But at the same time there’s relief. While most people haven't noticed their commutes getting noticeably shorter, the recession and resulting high unemployment rates ...