As nurses, we are constantly striving to be helpful, positive and encouraging to our patients and co-workers. Fastaff Travel Nursing is offering a contest to all nurses who have a story to tell. They want to hear inspiring stories of how patients and peers have touched you.

Beginning October 9th, 2015 through November 6, 2015, you can click and enter your story.

Nursing is a profession with a [...]

Related: holistic nurse practitioner programs, holistic nursing, holistic nursing programs

A Holistic Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse (RN) with specialized training. Those thinking of going into the field must first obtain a Registered Nurse license. This means you will need to apply and be accepted into one of the many nursing schools in the country and pass the state nursing boards. Once you obtain your RN license, you will then need to apply to [...]

Related: cross country travel nursing, international travel nursing, lpn travel jobs, nursing shortage statistics

What To Expect As An International Travel Nurse
International travel nursing can be a great opportunity to experience life in another country. Many of these opportunities also provide the experience of giving service to those less fortunate. Plus, international travel nursing can offer high pay rates.

Many countries today have shortages of nurses. Nursing shortage statistics are quite interesting. Nurses form the largest skill block in the [...]

Related: Attitude, Career, Expectations, Nursing Jobs

I've done a lot of talking over the past couple of years about finding the job that's right for you.  In the nursing profession, there are so many types of jobs in a variety of places, that you don't have to settle for a work environment that you don't love.  Until now.

I confess: I've kind of done a 180 in the area of job satisfaction, [...]

Related: Bureaucracy, Patient Advocate, Professionalism

Love the current proposal or hate it, it's hard to deny that this country needs health care reform.  And as a nurse married to a small business owner, I am certainly interested--and invested--in the topic.

As health care professionals, we have a first row seat to the drama as it unfolds.  We know the stories of patients who have insufficient or no coverage.  Who have not [...]

Related: Attitude, Boundaries, Caregivers, Caring, Charting, Expectations, Patient Advocate, Patients

Rooming patients, giving injections, charting, answering the phone, taking messages.  These are all listed in my job description with a whole list of other normal office nursing kinds of things. 

Not listed, but also expected: picking up paperclips from the floor, trying to keep my piles neat, and telling someone when the Kleenex are running low.  And really, truth be told, I probably spend as [...]

Related: Caregiving, Compassion, Confidence, Emotions, Failure, Fear, Feelings, Patient Advocate, Problem Solving

I spent last week as a camp nurse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  For the most part, I spent my days giving kids their meds, removing splinters, putting band-aids on scrapes, and generally being a mom.  It didn't take as much skill as a ready smile and encouraging word.

Then Wednesday night hit.  It was the beginning of a 24-hour period that had my adrenaline [...]

Related: Communication, Conflict, Doctor-Nurse Relationships, Fear, Feelings, Truth

I hate conflict!  Doesn't matter who it's with or what the reason is, I just hate it.  It makes me uncomfortable and leaves me feeling agitated.  I tend to be more of a "flight" than "fight" kind of gal.

The thing is, conflict is a part of life. So we all have to learn how to deal with it.  It happens at home, at work, even [...]

Related: Attitude, Caregivers, Doctor-Nurse Relationships, Perfect Nurse, Respect, Stereotypes

Nurse Jackie.

Love her or hate her, she certainly has generated some strong comments from our readers.  The general consensus was that the TV show, which depicts the life of a nurse, is unrealistic.  Some find it offensive, some find it funny.

We could argue the rights and wrongs of this particular show for days, but here's what I would like to know.  How would a good [...]

Related: Charting, Goals, Motivation, New Nurse Tips, Organizational Skills, Prioritizing, Time

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

Like you're trying to move forward with something but you're walking through deep, thick mud.  You have some task in front of you (like writing a blog post) and you just can't seem to get it done.

I'm just coming out of a period of time where my whole life felt that way.  I couldn't seem to keep my house clean, couldn't [...]