Related: Anxiety, Confidence, Fear, Feelings, New Nurse

It's been 25 years and 1 week since my first day on my first job.

It was in a community hospital on an ortho unit that saw an equal amount of med/surg patients (cause let's face it, how many ortho patients can one small community hospital actually have). As I recall, we had 30 beds, each of which had traction bars and trapezes. The [...]

Related: Anxiety, Attitude, Confidence, Gossip, Learning, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Nurse Relationships, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism

Building rapport with co-workers is challenging at any age and any stage of your career. For new nurse grads it can be overwhelming. The first day is always the hardest. Your own anticipatory anxiety can make things worse than they are in reality.

One of the most important things to remember is that there will be at least one person who you will annoy no matter [...]

Related: Addiction, Anxiety, Drug Addiction, Embarrassing Moment, NCLEX, Stress

Google is a wonderful thing.

I had been having this weird gunk in my mouth for a few weeks and had no idea what it was. Nor did I want to mention it to anyone because it seemed so bizarre and embarrassing.

So I went to Google. I typed in "white stringy mucous in mouth." (Too much information, I know, but hang in there with [...]

Related: Anxiety, Attitude, Emotions, Expectations, Fear, Feelings, Mindset, New Grad, New Nurse, Seasoned Nurses, Stress, Student Nurse, Success

I do my best thinking in the shower. I should probably take more. Yesterday I was thinking about a friend who got married over the weekend and the new season of life she's entered. New nurse, new bride, new stress.

Here's the thing about seasons. They come and they go. That's important to remember. Especially the going part. Some [...]

Related: Anxiety, Confidence, Emotions, Expectations, Fear, Feelings, Learning, New Nurse, Stress, Student Nurse

I have a friend who's afraid to fly. It takes a Xanax and a glass of wine as soon as the drink cart starts moving to get her through a flight. She learned a long time ago that it was worth the anxiety to get to travel to warm, sandy places with her husband.

We all have things that freak us out a little. [...]

Related: Anxiety, Balance, Boundaries, Energy, Healthy Living, Morale, Stress

My husband got back a couple weeks ago from a 5-day fly fishing adventure in Montana. For him, this is as close to heaven as this earth offers. Standing in a cold mountain stream. Watching the snow falling. Catching Brook Trout (I have no idea what he actually catches, but that's the only fish name I could think of). Letting [...]

Related: Addiction, Anxiety, Balance, Caregivers, Caring, Compassion Fatigue, Energy, Healthy Living, Motivation, Nurse Support, Spirituality, Stress, Time

“Take care of yourself!” - Wouldn’t it be nice if your job description included this directive?

Unfortunately, nurses, who pour themselves into caring for others, are notorious for self-neglect. There’s no one around to make sure you make “you” a priority.

It’s a conundrum—you know you ought to take better care of yourself, but you don’t. Maybe you’re too tired to care. Maybe you don’t know [...]

Related: Anxiety, Confidence, Death, Emotions, Fear, Feelings, Mistake, New Grad, Quitting

My first nursing job was as a camp nurse the summer I graduated. It seemed like a great way to spend my last free summer while studying for boards. Lots of sun, water, and friends. A week or so after boards (the whole country took a two-day written test on the same days) was the first time I considered quitting nursing. [...]

Related: Anxiety, Authority, Mistake, Patients, Professionalism, Respect

Everyone wants to be treated with respect; nurses are no different. But we often exhibit behavior that undermines our professionalism. Over the years, I've developed a list of the 5 things that scream, "I am not a professional!"

1. Sharing too much of your own story. I've done this several times. Once when I was assisting my doc with a Pap smear, the patient mentioned [...]

Related: Anxiety, Embarrassing Moment, Humor, Patients, Travel Nursing

As a traveling nurse, I was sent to check a patient who was close to dying. The night prior to my arrival, he had gone to the ER to have a Foley inserted.

When I arrived at the patient's home, his wife greeted me with, "Oh, nurse, I am so glad you are here! My husband needs to move his bowels, and I cannot [...]