Related: Balance, Caregivers, Compassion Fatigue, Emotions, Energy, Feelings, Goals, Mindset, Spirituality

Tony Schwartz, founder and president of The Energy Project (theenergyproject.com), an organization currently launching a project to improve the nursing work environment, and co-author of The Power of Full Engagement, says that nurses are by nature better at caring about others than they are at caring for themselves.

Isn’t it time to start caring about your own health? In this exclusive RealityRN interview, Schwartz discusses how [...]

Related: Balance, Career, Confidence, New Grad, New Nurse, Second Career Nursing, Work-Life Balance

What would prompt a 45-year-old mother of teenagers to pursue a career in nursing?

Delusional thinking, some might say. At times I thought I was mad. How could I keep up with those tireless, technology-savvy twenty-somethings? Still I couldn’t ignore my inner rumbling. I wanted to do something significant with my life.

When I was younger, nursing was my dream. But I wasn’t the student I needed [...]

Related: Balance, Caregivers, Caring, Charting, Communication, Delegation, Expectations, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Patient Advocate, Patients, Prioritizing, Teamwork

Reports, charting, administering drugs, assessments, tidying up, more charting, and more reports—and no meaningful interaction with the patient.

Suzanna’s first year was a nightmare.

Suzanna, a new nurse on a pediatric ward, didn’t like having to live by the laundry list of to-dos. She was most fulfilled spending time with patients, making sure both their emotional and physical needs were met.

The bottom line: You can’t be a [...]

Related: Balance, Confidence, Conflict, Fear, Feelings, Healthy Living, Mindset, New Nurse, Nurse Resident Programs, Nursing Program, Quitting, Seasoned Nurses, Student Nurse, Success, Support, Truth

My first year of nursing, I considered becoming a forest ranger. Nursing was bleeding my emotions.

When I first got out of school, hospitals faced a big nursing shortage—not unlike today. The unit was understaffed, and the level of responsibility quickly overwhelmed me.

Worse, I became trapped in a destructive internal dialogue. I’d constantly tell myself: I’m not doing a good enough job. I stink at this. [...]

Related: Balance, Energy, Healthy Living, Night Shift

I’m not sure you can make nights fit with the rest of your life.

“I love the idea of working nights—the pace is great,” writes a recent grad. “But it’s wreaking havoc on my personal life. Working three 12-hour nights and then having four days off sounds great. In reality, I’m always exhausted. How do I make nights fit in with the rest of [...]

Related: Balance, Energy, Healthy Living, Night Shift

Nights: You either loathe them or love them. But as a new nurse you usually don’t get to choose your ideal shift. Nights are often all that’s available. And either you adjust, or you don’t.

Melissa Granger, an oncology nurse at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois, was “on the brink of depression” because she couldn’t handle nights when she first graduated.

But Christy James, a labor [...]

Related: Addiction, Anxiety, Balance, Caregivers, Compassion Fatigue, Drug Addiction, Energy, Healthy Living, Mindset, Prioritizing, Spirituality, Stress, Support

Extreme tiredness, negative feelings, weight gain, and marital problems.

One moment, Kayla thought she was depressed and that medication would help. Another moment, she thought her husband was the problem and that she should quit her marriage.

But Kayla wasn’t depressed. She suffered from something that affects many professional caregivers.

In recent years, Mary Jo Barrett, author and social worker from the Center for Contextual Change, in Elmhurst, [...]