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 [...]

Related: Expectations, Failure, Goals, New Grad, New Nurse, Nurse Resident Programs, Organizational Skills, Orientee, Preceptor, Residency, Stress

I graduated in June, got married in July, moved in July and decided to wait a little while until finally starting a new job in Dec. I found a residency in an ER thats really close to my house, and I was really excited. However now that I've been there for 4 weeks, I'm feeling sooooo overwhelmed. The first week and a [...]

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: Attitude, Goals, Learning, Morale, Motivation, Prioritizing, Success

I had a birthday a few days ago. My children tell me I'm old. So does my drivers license.

They say that with age comes wisdom. I think they're right, but not because you naturally get smarter. You just have more opportunities to hang out with smart people.

I encountered one of those smart people at a conference 5 years ago. [...]

Related: Attitude, Compliments, Failure, Feedback, Feelings, Goals, Learning, Mindset, Motivation, New Nurse Tips, Nurse Relationships, Nurse Support, Stress, Success, Teamwork, Truth

Everyone has to work to stay positive. It’s human nature to focus on what went wrong. As a new nurse faced with situations that are terrifying and challenging, you have to work doubly hard at it.

All new nurses have been there: at a point of giving up because they’ve repeatedly told themselves they know nothing and will never get it all right. But you will. [...]

Related: Feedback, Goals, Learning, Mentor, New Grad, New Nurse, Nurse Support, Preceptor, Seasoned Nurses

You just finished your precepting experience. Overall, it was positive, but you still have a bazillion-and-one questions. While your preceptor said you could ask her anything, for some reason your personalities just didn’t click—you don’t feel comfortable continuing to ask for support.

Maybe it’s time you looked for a mentor, someone who shares similar goals and who will support you for the long haul of your [...]

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: Career, Education, Goals, Leadership, Learning, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism, Resume, Teamwork

The way you start your career as a new nurse is important—but often overlooked. With so much to learn, we tend to focus mostly on the job – we’re so worried that we’re going to hurt a patient. It takes a while before we discover that we’re never going to know everything. So as you start your new job, think about launching your career. Here’s [...]