This is a guest blog post written by fellow nurse, Nick Angelis, CRNA, MSN. History In the 1950’s, promising research showed that alcohol addiction could be treated with the psychedelic LSD. (I planned to define every term I use in this article, but I started boring myself, so instead I’ll answer questions in the comments.) […]
Patient Care
Patient care is complex and requires many skills including critical thinking, clinical judgment, technical nurse, emotional intelligence, and so much more. These articles focus on strategies to be effective as a bedside nurse working in direct patient care.
What Is Holistic Nursing Care?
The recent demand for healthcare services have lead to the adoption of holistic health care programs. But what is holistic nursing care?
Becoming An Awesome Nursing Preceptor
Nursing preceptors are a vital component of the nursing education process. Preceptors play a role for nursing students and new graduate nurses as they orient to the floor and get acclimated to the hospital. A nursing preceptor may be involved with a preceptor for a day or several weeks. The preceptor role can vary slightly, […]
What To Do When Your Patient Codes
Stay calm and remember these tips when your patient codes. This will help you respond quickly and correctly every time.
35+ Nurse Hacks That Will Save Your Sanity
You’ve heard of Life Hacks? Well, here are 35+ clever nurse hacks that will save your sanity on those really long shifts. Nurse Hacks That Will Save Your Sanity I have some life-changing nurse hacks that you’ll definitely use. You might not use all of them, but I bet you’ll find at least one or […]
Tips for Loved Ones of Healthcare Providers on the Front-lines During COVID-19
Being the spouse of a healthcare worker can be tough. They have odd schedules, are often exposed to secondary trauma at work, and when things like the COVID-19 pandemic occur – they are going straight to the front lines to take care of those patients. Not only is there the general fear from the public […]
Med-Surg Nursing: Top Tips for New Grads
You made it through nursing school and landed your first job in med-surg nursing. Now what? It’s about to get real! Don’t worry, this guide will help you out. I’m here to share all the most important tips to prepare you for your life on the hospital floor. Med-Surg Nursing: Top Tips For New Grads […]
Why Proper N95 Removal is Crucial in Preventing Self-Inoculation
The current recommendation in personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line health care providers (nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and so forth) is to wear the following for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients: Gowns Gloves Eye protection Surgical masks – except for aerosol-generating procedures N95 or better – for aerosol-generating procedures (CDC source, OSHA source, WHO […]
Nurses and the Coronavirus: Current PPE Recommendations Dissected
About the FreshRN® Podcast Kati Kleber, MSN RN is an experienced cardiac med-surg, stepdown, and neurocritical care nurse, American Nurses Association published author, speaker, and nurse educator. The goal of the FreshRN® Podcast is to support newly licensed nurses during the beginning of their career so they not only understand their value, and learn […]
Nurses, PPE, and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Confused about isolation precautions and PPE needed to safely care for coronavirus patients? In this post, Kati Kleber, MSN RN CCRN-K outlines the latest CDC and WHO recommendations as of March 19, 2020.
Thoughts for Nurses on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
With everything that’s been evolving rapidly around the world, I wanted to reach out specifically to offer my support and thoughts for nurses on coronavirus. Taking care of patients is already a pretty heavy burden, but then when you add on a pandemic, a workforce of people who are on the front lines, who also […]
Communication Tips for Nurses – How to Kindly Exit Conversations
Something that I was not prepared for as a nurse was how many people would want my attention at every second of the day. Patients, families, physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, housekeeping, receptionists, pharmacists… literally everyone. Combine that with a constantly evolving task-list, dynamic patient conditions, and soon every single second counts. But you don’t want to seem rude and just walk away or ignore them. Here are some realistic communication tips for nurses on how to graciously bring a conversation to a close so you can get back to business!
Why We Freeze When a Patient Codes
I’ve heard so many people mention how they just freeze when a patient codes. Many look back with shame or embarrassment that they didn’t know what to do in an emergency… especially since they’re the nurse and should know what to do. I get it. I did that the first few times and was really […]
Monitoring Patients after Ketamine
Do you know what’s really sexy right now in anesthesia? Opioid-free anesthesia. Let’s talk about monitoring patients after ketamine.
Top Tips for New Nurses Working With Ventilators – From a CRNA!
Periwinkle is a lovely color. A soft, subtle blue, it looks best as Helen Hunt’s eyeshadow in 1995 or on an Easter egg. It looks worst on your patient’s skin. While waiting for the respiratory therapist to come bail you out, understanding some common sense and troubleshooting will keep your patient pink, or in my case, healthy brown instead of sickly green
Inpatient to Outpatient: Transitioning from the ICU to Primary Care
I am currently two semesters away from graduating with my masters as a family nurse practitioner. I plan to work in family practice in an office setting. It’s a start contrast and it’s reasonable to ask why I made such a big move from ICU to Primary Care.
The Unexpected Patient: Tips for Nurses Caring for the Seriously Ill from the Family Perspective
Tips for Nurses Caring for the Seriously Ill from the Family Perspective I’ve written many posts about how to provide care to patients in various scenarios. However, I have yet to provide any information from a very vital perspective; that of the patient and family. A long-time personal friend had a very lengthy experience deep […]
When My Alcoholic Uncle Died: And How It Impacted Me as a Nurse
When My Alcoholic Uncle Died As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Tumblr. I follow many nurses, physicians, EMT’s, nursing students, and other healthcare professionals. I am a fan of the short posts with great images and rarely sit down and read long posts. However, when I started reading this nurse’s […]
What Patient Advocacy Really Looks Like
This post has been sponsored by Campbellsville University Online. Please note: as many of you know, there was recently a rather controversial blog post about patient advocacy, written by a surgeon, which has since been deleted. Ironically enough, this sponsored post was written and scheduled before the post, response, and removal occurred. If nursing […]
Empathizing Through Someone’s Nightmare: A Nurse’s Story
As you’re getting bedside report in your busy intensive care unit, your stomach starts to drop. “54 year old female… full code… no allergies… here for septic shock from pneumonia… unresponsive… “ Your eyes fixate on the intubated patient, and you start to realize she looks like your mom. Your mom who is 700 miles […]
