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: Anxiety, Career, Communication, Failure, Fear, Felony, Job Search, Mistake, New Nurse Tips, Nurse History, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Truth, Weaknesses

I understand those of you who are worried about losing your license after a conviction-and wondering about how to appeal the board of nursing. I know what it is like to worry for months and months, because there are no clear cut answers out there.

I am an RN who has been licensed since 1990. In 2008 I got arrested for petite theft, a Class 2 [...]

Related: Caring, Communication, Confidentiality, Problem Solving, Truth

I have a friend who told me a story the other day, and I wanted to share it with you.  It concerns confidentiality, but not in the way you might think.  You see, she was the one left out of the loop and it affected the way she cared for someone.  Let me know what you think.

She is a school nurse and meets weekly with [...]

Related: Authority, Management, Morale, New Grad, New Nurse, Nurse Relationships, Nurse Support, Power, Professionalism, Sabotage, Scapegoat, Stress, Truth

When I first graduated nursing school 25 years ago I started out on an adult Med/Surg unit. Because I worked as a nurse aide during school in the float pool, I knew many of the nurses on that floor to begin with. However, by the time I started there was a different nurse manager (back then "head nurse") and some newer faces.

The head nurse was [...]

Related: Abuse, Attitude, Career, Caring, Stress, Success, Teamwork, Truth

I'm a school nurse; I left the ER behind: the stress, the shift work, the adrenaline. Now I work in an exclusive private boarding school in the European Alps. Naturally, like most affluent kids, they don't know how lucky they are.

One of the students told me the other day she wants to be a nurse. I asked her why, and she said she thought I [...]

Related: Application, Career, Communication, Interview, Job Search, New Nurse Tips, Nurse Recruiter, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism, Resume, Success, Truth

Most new nurses spend countless hours gearing up for the interview. But really, the interview is just a fraction of the evaluation process. Before you even meet face-to-face with a potential employer, you must demonstrate through written communication— your application and resume—that you’re a competent professional.

Unfortunately, many new nurses skimp on this important phase of the job-acquisition process.

According to Carolyn Steffel, a nurse recruiter at [...]

Related: Boundaries, Confidentiality, Patients, Truth

It began with a simple hello and went down hill from there.

“Ah. Hi,” I stammered, as my mind frantically went into overdrive trying to figure out where I’d seen this pretty blond woman before. “Can I buy you a drink? It’s the least I can do,” she offered.

Something definitely was amiss because attractive young women didn’t generally offer to buy me drinks. I peered closer [...]

Related: Career, Interview, Job Search, New Grad, New Nurse, New Nurse Tips, Non-Verbal Language, Nurse Recruiter, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism, Recruiters, Resume, Truth

With the touted nursing shortage, you’d think you could bomb an interview and still land any job you want. Think again. Hospitals—especially, reputable ones—are selective. Recruiters use the interview to predict your performance and if you’ll be a good fit. Based on interviews, nurses are often rejected. That’s why Carolyn Steffel, a nurse recruiter at Edward Hospital, a magnet hospital in Naperville, IL, says to [...]

Related: Career, Expectations, Second Career Nursing, Truth

Why did you become a nurse? Why would you recommend the profession to someone else? Was the schooling harder than the actual job?

We've had lots of posts from people thinking about getting into the nursing profession, but uncertain about whether it's really for them or not. They wonder if they're too old. Or smart enough. Or have a strong [...]

Related: Abuse, Assertiveness, Communication, Compliments, Confidence, Conflict, Feelings, Gossip, Handmaidens, Hostility, Morale, New Nurse, Non-Verbal Language, Nurse Relationships, Nursing Shortage, Professionalism, Respect, Sabotage, Truth

What nurse hasn’t heard the phrase “Nurses eat their own.”? You’ve probably witnessed it at some point in your career. Or maybe you’ve personally experienced the burn of cattiness, gossip, condemning verbal attacks, or bullying.

Plain old meanness seems to pervade nursing, and you wonder, Is there anything I can really do about it?

Letting this behavior go on will progressively change nursing for the worse. We’re [...]