Related: Addiction, Confidence, Delegation, Drug Addiction, Failure, Fear, Goals, Mistake, NCLEX, Nurse Relationships, Orientee, Perfect Nurse, Stress

As we come to the end of 2008, I thought it would be good for us to do a little RealityRN review.  You know, think about the good, the bad, and the ugly of a year almost gone.

I spent some time reviewing what the "hot topics" have been.  We certainly have covered a lot of ground--that's for sure.  We've talked about drug addiction, the NCLEX [...]

Related: Anxiety, Confidence, Failure, Fear, Mistake, Morale, New Grad, Orientee, Second Career Nursing, Stress, Weaknesses

I am a second career nurse—53 years old and a new grad.

I landed a job at a teaching hospital because I love to learn and felt it would be a good place for me. But I feel like I have bitten off more than I can chew.

Every day I make at least one mistake. I’ve already made two medication errors which resulted in my having [...]

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: Attitude, Confidence, Fear, New Grad, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Orientation, Orientee, Preceptor

Kim Rapper, RN, BSN, has years of precepting experience; she understands that preceptors have fears, too. In this video, she shares common fears that every preceptor experiences--and strategies for matching preceptors with orientees.

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: Career, Confidence, Fear, Feelings, Job Search, Quitting, Seasoned Nurses, Stress

So I have a question for you. When is the right time to quit your job? When do you just take a deep breath and start the process of moving on?

I was never one of those people who kept one eye on the want ads. Maybe you're one of those who do. I've always been content with where I am; I'm not fond [...]

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, 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: Attitude, Doctor-Nurse Relationships, Fear, Learning, Teamwork

We’ve heard about them—and maybe even worked with them: the cranky, power-trippy docs. The ones who don’t want to associate with nurses at all, and see them as sub-par professionals.

I work in Labor and Delivery--we do a lot of waiting for people to deliver, and the tendency is for nurses and doctors to segregate in two different areas. This seems to promote the idea that [...]

Related: Abuse, Authority, Boundaries, Communication, Conflict, Fear, Feelings, Gossip, Hostility, Morale, New Nurse, Non-Verbal Language, Nurse Relationships, Power, Professionalism, Respect, Sabotage, Seasoned Nurses, Support, Teamwork, Violence

A man walked past a few kids with a bucket of sea crabs. One of the crabs was crawling to the top of the bucket, so the man told the boys to get a lid. “Mister, you don’t know anything about crabs,” the boys said. “As soon as that crab gets to the top, the others will pull him right back down. Never fails.”

The expression [...]