Even after the 2-4 years of intense studying that is required to become a registered nurse, it takes about a year working full-time to feel comfortable in the new leadership position. There is anywhere between 6-12 weeks of orientation with an experienced preceptor, as well as facility-required courses and classes. Nursing school teaches the diseaseContinue reading “Things nursing school does not teach you”
Category Archives: Nursing tips
How to choose a great facility
A variety of sources reveal that on average 1 in 5 nurses leave their first job within the first year of nursing. And some of these people leave nursing altogether. How do you know what facility is right for you? How do you know what facility is “good”? Below I reveal my top few greenContinue reading “How to choose a great facility”
Sample Patients in Medical-Surgical Nursing
**Identifying patient information has been altered to protect patient confidentiality Patient 1: 68 y/o male with spinal stenosis and resulting functional paraplegia presents to the ER with abdominal dissension, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Pt was found to have a small bowel obstruction. GI order NGT to low-intermittent wall suction (LIWS) for decompression. The patient alsoContinue reading “Sample Patients in Medical-Surgical Nursing”
Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine- A Personal Retreat (part 1)
Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all of the time. It means that on hard days, you know that there are better ones coming. Take every day to count your blessings. I have a healthy family, a paying job, a home, etc.. Social isolation began about 3 weeks after the Nashville tornadoes.Continue reading “Things I’ve Learned in Quarantine- A Personal Retreat (part 1)”
Nurse-physician communication
The first time I ever got yelled at by a physician was my first month off of nursing orientation. The patient’s chart was “r/o stroke”. One of the core measures for stroke patients was to provide a handbook and educate them on stroke diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Apparently, no one had told this patient thatContinue reading “Nurse-physician communication”
Please, do not wish to die
Our God is a way-maker, miracle-worker, promise-keeper, a light in the darkness. God will put you out of any situation no matter how wide, how deep, how high, or how low it may be. It breaks my heart to see hurting people believing that ending their life is the only solution. Suicide is the 2ndContinue reading “Please, do not wish to die”
You are a high fall risk: A struggle between safety and autonomy
Nursing care is evaluated and structured from several different agencies and protocols. Nurses are expected to timely document, take all recommended breaks, stay hydrated, care-round every hour, educate on all core measures, keep all family members involved/informed in the plan of care, provide recommendations to doctors, thoroughly assess all six patients, ambulate all six patientsContinue reading “You are a high fall risk: A struggle between safety and autonomy”
Why nursing?
On difficult days at the hospital, it is easy to question if nursing is the right career. Doubt creeps in as I start to remember all of the things I could have done, should have done, or should have known. There are days when nothing may seem to go right and the whole unit isContinue reading “Why nursing?”
A personal care plan: how to refuel after a shift
Nurses create care plans for patients to guide nursing interventions toward favorable outcomes. We also need to create our own care plans for ourselves in order to continue to care for others. I have created a list of healthy interventions to ensure that I am full, so that I can pour out to others. EXERCISEContinue reading “A personal care plan: how to refuel after a shift”
What makes a good day?
A good day in the hospital is not like a good day on a day off. It is not a lack of patients, more free time to browse social media, or even a full 30 minute, uninterrupted lunch break (although, that would be nice). A good day in the hospital is a day when eachContinue reading “What makes a good day?”
Patient Talk 