Related: Attitude, Career, Doctor-Nurse Relationships, Doctors, Handmaidens, Male Nurse, Second Career Nursing, Stereotypes

From my observations, men below the age of 25 are reluctant to enter the field of nursing. The trend remains that more men between the ages 25 and 30, who have been working in other fields, are filling the ranks.

Unfortunately, male nurses entering the field have to deal with the press' portrayal of them - that all male nurses want is a "free show." But, [...]

Related: Attitude, Gossip, Mindset, Motivation, New Grad, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Nurse Relationships, Orientee, Preceptor, Professionalism, Respect

Contrary to nursing legend, preceptors aren’t villains. They want you to succeed, and, if given the chance, could be your best advocate. After all, most of them have volunteered for the job or have been identified by their manager as the type of person who would be able to help you best. When preceptor-new nurse relationships get to the point of intervention, it’s not always [...]

Related: Attitude, Caring, Feelings, Mindset

Nurse Appreciation Week--what exactly does that mean?

Do you feel more appreciated this week than all the others? Does your employer do something special that makes you feel like all the hard work is worth it? Do your patients bend over backwards to give you their thanks?

While it's nice to have a week that's all our own, if we're counting on others to make [...]

Related: Attitude, Caring, Compassion Fatigue, Patients

"What are they doing here?" asked Shannon. "They shouldn't be here. It's an emergency room, for goodness’ sake."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, can't they see we're too busy?" I added. At the time I had only been working in the emergency room for six months, and like all good junior staff, I was mimicking my seniors.

You see, the problem was that we were ridiculously busy, [...]

Related: Attitude, Gossip, Nurse Relationships, Professionalism, Respect

Schools are teaching it across the country: Character Counts. And traits like trustworthiness, caring, responsibility, and respect continue to count—and have far-reaching implications—when you become a professional.

Yet, we hear repeatedly from nurses on this site that nurses are bereft of respect.

Guess what? You need to stop pointing fingers. Creating a respectful working environment starts with you.

If I don’t act respectful towards other people, or if [...]

Related: Assertiveness, Attitude, Authority, Conflict, Expectations, Feelings, New Nurse, Preceptor

When I first started as a new nurse, I had 2-3 patients on my own for the first week. I was given 7 patients after the first week, and then the next day 8!

My preceptor told me to handle all the patients, and if I needed her, to come ask any questions. I handled it the best way I knew how.

But when I asked [...]

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: Attitude, Embarrassing Moment, Humor, Stress

If it feels like a cold front has hit your unit—cool looks and frosty comments are the norm—then be the one to bring some life into the unit.

Some of the best bad-mood breakers are embarrassing moments. And, boy, do nurses have a ton of crazy stories. It is freeing when you can laugh at those moments that make you want to crawl under the gurney. [...]

Related: Attitude, Caregivers, Caring, Patience, Patients, Time

I read a blog entry this week from a friend whose son is having a bone marrow transplant today. I could fill a book with all the things I've learned from this family, but I'll just share one thing with you today. This particular entry was about how you can't rush a 10-year-old who doesn't want to do something. Especially if he [...]

Related: Attitude, Caring, Doctors, Learning, Support

My friend's dad had a triple bypass after a heart attack over the weekend.

I saw through her eyes how overwhelming, traumatic and surreal a health crisis can be. I've also seen how said crisis can be transformed by a caring medical staff.

My friend's world revolves around taking care of her family, working on her degree, church and school involvement, and writing. Never [...]