• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

FRESHRN

Growing New Nurses

Logins: Courses VIP
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • BIO & HEADSHOT
    • THE FRESHRN TEAM
    • AWARDS & MENTIONS
  • SUCCESS STORIES
  • VIP
  • COURSES
  • TOPICS
    • Cardiac Nursing
    • Nursing Student
    • Ortho Nursing
    • Neuro Nursing
    • Critical Care
    • New Nurse
      • First Nurse Job
      • New Grad Nurse
      • Nurse Humor
      • Patient Care
      • Time Management
    • Professional Development
    • Nurse Life
      • Mental Wellness and Self Care for Nurses
      • Nurse Products & Reviews
    • Nursing Jobs & Interviews
  • PODCAST
  • BOOKS
  • CONTACT

Nurse Life

Nursing is weird. This strange nurse life we lead includes situations the rest of the world never even considers. Learning to function in a busy hospital and manage your life around 12-hour shifts takes some time and perseverance. The good news is you don't have to do it the hard way. We've got you covered with lots of real-life examples of ways to live your best nurse life.

Nurse Product Review: Butter-Soft Scrubs from Uniform Advantage

April 18, 2016 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN 1 Comment

For my very first shift, post maternity leave, I wore Butter Soft Scrubs from Uniform Advantage. These soft scrubs will have you looking and feeling great.

Please note, this is a sponsored blog post.  All opinions are my own. This is a review blog post on the Butter-Soft Scrubs from Uniform Advantage. For my very first shift back on the job, post maternity leave, I wore Butter Soft-Scrubs from Uniform Advantage.  I tried out two different pants, two different tops, and […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Nurse Products & Reviews Tagged With: amz, nurse gear, product reviews, scrubs, sponsored

7 Financial Ideas for Nurses Planning for Graduate School

March 17, 2016 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Today we have a guest blog post from Nick Angelis, CRNA MSN, about a topic that is near and dear to my heart – financial planning.  I know it’s a weird thing to be passionate about, but I believe any and everyone should be able to get a higher education without going into financial ruin […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Nursing School and NCLEX®, Professional Development for Nurses Tagged With: amz, financial planning, for students, guest posts, helpful hints, nursing school, professional development

How Changing Demographics Affect Nursing Practice

February 15, 2016 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

I personally have noted that as a nurse you run into people from tons of different cultural and socioeconomincal background.  And as a nurse caring for an adult population, I’ve noted that taking care of a 42 year-old patient is quite different than taking care of an 85 year-old patient and it’s important to be aware […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Patient Care Tagged With: demographics, diversity, education, sponsored

Miss Colorado, Joy Behar, Michelle Collins, ABC’s The View – and a Nation of Nurses

September 16, 2015 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Updated to Sept. 26, 2015 A lot has happened in the nursing social media world and I wanted to bring everyone who was working a 12-hour shift yesterday up to speed and didn’t get a chance to see what occurred. Like many of you fellow nurses, I saw the beautiful monologue that Kelley Johnson, Miss […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life Tagged With: news, nurses in the news, nursing issues, The View

Meal Planning Tips and Tricks for Nurses, Part II

September 4, 2015 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Being a nurse, working shift work, it can be tough making sure you eat appropriately. A few years ago, my husband and I got into a pretty regular routine to offset the nutritional challenges that shift work presents. This is my second post regarding this topic. Please click here to read the first post explaining […]

Filed Under: Mental Wellness and Self Care for Nurses, Nurse Life Tagged With: healthy nurse, helpful hints, how-to, married to a nurse, meal planning, self care

Meal Planning Tips and Tricks for Nurses – Part I

August 24, 2015 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Learning how to get my meals together was a challenge when I was adjusting to working three 12-hour shifts per week. I always waited until I was hungry, never had the food in the house to make something yummy and quick, and then would either go to the grocery store last minute and spend way […]

Filed Under: Mental Wellness and Self Care for Nurses, Nurse Life Tagged With: healthy nurse, helpful hints, how-to, married to a nurse, meal planning, meal prep, self care

A Day in the Life of a Night Shift Nurse Spouse or Roommate

March 12, 2015 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN 3 Comments

This post contains an affiliate link Being married to or living with a nurse is a very specific experience. It’s not like your friends, who may work 9-5 and have a predictable schedule. So if your soon-to-be spouse or roommate is a night shift nurse, get ready! This post was compiled with the help of […]

Filed Under: Nurse Humor, Nurse Life Tagged With: married to a nurse, nurse humor, nurse support

Another Open Letter to Nurse Nina

March 1, 2015 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Today I read this article in the Dallas Morning News entitled Free of Ebola but not fear, Nurse Nina Pham to file lawsuit agains Presby paren, worries about continued health woes by Jennifer Emily (thank you Katie Duke, for sharing).  Nurses and nursing students, please read it.   Hey Nurse Nina, My name is Kati and […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life Tagged With: Encouragement, news, nurses in the news, nursing issues, nursing peer support

An Ode to My Steering Wheel

December 11, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN 1 Comment

Many things are synonymous with nursing… stethoscopes, nursing caps and pins, a solid pair of Danskos…but one of nursing’s unsung hero’s is our steering wheel. A day at work that has me on the verge of tears all day has me yearning for that moment when I can stumble to my car, close the door, […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life Tagged With: emotional support, Encouragement, patient stories, personal experience, stories

From One Nurse to Another: An Open Letter to Nurse Nina

October 15, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Hey Nurse Nina, My name is Kati and I’m a critical care nurse in Charlotte, NC. I hope you’re able to read this in your isolation room. I hope some thoughtful soul gave you a computer so that you can do something to pass the time. Let me know if you need some Netflix recommendations, […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Patient Care Tagged With: Ebola, Encouragement, news, nurses in the news, nursing issues, nursing peer support, public health

Tips for Switching From Night Shift to Day Shift – From a Nurse!

August 6, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN 1 Comment

Many nurses start out on night shift but then transition to day shift.  While the work is technically the same, the flow of the day is quite different.  Here are some tips/tricks for the nurse transitioning from night shift to day shift. #1 – Pay attention to meds with meals Insulin is the major medication […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Patient Care Tagged With: amz, day shift, helpful hints, how-to, Interdisciplinary Teamwork, night shift, night shift nurse, noc, procedures, time management

How to Deal With Gossipy Nurses

July 19, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

I recently got a job as a new grad in a peds hospital, I love my job but hate the people I work with, they all gossip and talk behind everyone’s back and I’m not sure how to deal with that. I don’t want to seem rude but don’t want to be part of that […]

Filed Under: Mental Wellness and Self Care for Nurses, Nurse Life Tagged With: bullying, difficult situations, Encouragement, helpful hints, nursing peer support, recommendations, self care, teamwork

Guide to Calling Doctors at Night

July 4, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

I decided to reblog this post about Guide to Calling Doctors at Night for all of you that just graduated nursing school, getting ready to start your first real nursing job (probably on nights) that have never had to call a physician in the middle of the night. The first time you do it, you’ll […]

Filed Under: New Grad Nurse, Nurse Life, Patient Care Tagged With: doctor, education, helpful hints, how-to, interdisciplinary team, Interdisciplinary Teamwork, nursing peer support, physicians

FIGS Scrubs Review From a Nurse

June 30, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN 16 Comments

Please note, this post was originally written in 2014 and updated in 2020 Finding scrubs that fit well has always been a challenge for me, which is why I like doing these scrub reviews. I am hoping to save you a little cash so you don’t waste money on something that doesn’t work.  I also […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Nurse Products & Reviews Tagged With: amz, product reviews, scrubs, sponsored

A Nurse’s Confession: Sometimes I Hate My Job

February 11, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

But not in the way you’d think.  It’s not the hours or the pay or the poops.  It’s how keenly and constantly aware I am of our precious and fragile lives. Today while I was driving, I came up behind a car with an “organ donors save lives” bumper sticker and I immediately thought, that […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life Tagged With: death and dying, difficult situations, emotional support, patient stories, personal experience, stories

Our Nursing Reality – Part II

January 18, 2014 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

Back in November, I posed a question to my nursey Twitter buds: If you were on a reality show.. what moment in your nursing career would you want the world to see? #nursingreality The response was jaw dropping.  Every single tweet I read moved me to tears… either from laughing so hard or being so […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life, Patient Care Tagged With: death and dying, difficult situations, emotional support, Encouragement, patient stories, personal experience, stories

When You Want to Quit

December 20, 2013 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

When you’re working on your pre-req’s and going through nursing school, in your first few years of nursing school, or just switched specialties, it gets really tough sometimes.  So much information is being thrown at you that you have no idea what’s important and what’s not, and you begin to wonder if you’re just totally […]

Filed Under: Mental Wellness and Self Care for Nurses, Nurse Life Tagged With: emotional support, Encouragement, nursing peer support, personal experience, self care

FreshRN Weighs in on MTV’s Scrubbing In

November 8, 2013 By Kati Kleber, MSN RN Leave a Comment

FreshRN Weighs in on MTV's Scrubbing In

After I saw all the buzz on Twitter about a new reality show, MTV’s Scrubbing In, I thought I should check it out. I didn’t have high expectations, given that it’s MTV. I guess I went wrong when I assumed it was a reality show about nursing when it’s actually a reality show about people […]

Filed Under: Nurse Life Tagged With: amz, news, nurses in the news, nursing issues

« Previous Page

Before Footer

Footer

Kati Kleber, MSN RN

The founder and educator behind FreshRN® is a nurse educator, author, national speaker, host of the FreshRN Podcast, and owner of FreshRN® – an online platform created to educate, encourage, and motivate newly licensed nurses in innovative ways. 

Read more about Kati's background and expertise on the FreshRN About page

  • DISCLAIMERS & DISCLOSURES
  • RESOURCES

Copyright © 2023 · FRESHRN