I’ve worked on both the floor and intensive care. In both units time management is absolutely essential. However, time management on the floor is very different from time management in critical care. I’m going to go through some tips to help you appropriately managing your time in a critical care setting. I know it […]
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.
Sitting Down for Your Patient
I went to NTI in Denver, Colorado this last week. For those of you that don’t know, it’s an annual national conference for critical care nurses. And it’s awesome. I went to a lot of sessions. Some on brain death, some on vasoactive drips, on sepsis, and hyponatremia.. but the ones that hit me the hardest […]
Heavy Scrub Pockets – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!
A question I am frequently asked is “what do you keep in your scrub pockets during your shift?” I used to keep them full just in case I needed something. I used to have any and everything in there. I have since figured out that my scrub pockets are prime real estate. Only the most […]
Nursing Time Management Scenarios
Something that is essential in your development as an efficient and safe care provider is appropriate time management. Below are some sticky situations and the safest and most efficient way to address them. Q: You’re assessing your new admission. She’s crying in pain. Her blood pressure is 162/38. She needs an IV. There are pended […]
Nursing Drip Basics
I’m going to do a few posts on various drips that are geared towards newer nurses. Here are my 11 points of enlightenment when working with drips! 1. When you get an order to start a drip, that becomes your priority. Yes, I know Mr. Roberson in bed 28 really wants his suppository but he will have […]
Guest Blog Post: A Wedding in Intensive Care
A few days ago, a Twitter bud of mine, @Terimedwards tweeted: Y’all. We had a wedding in the ICU so a man could see his grandson get married before he dies. #beautiful @NurseEyeRoll And this immediately made me emotional. And immediately made me want her to tell us the story! Teri was gracious enough to […]
Working With “Difficult” Patients
Have you ever had to deal with difficult patients? Examples would be non compliance or worse. How do you handle difficult patients?
Insider Info: What Your Nurse Wants You to Know
When you’re in the hospital, it’s easy to forget that the people who take care of you do care. Nurses and doctors have dedicated their lives to helping people like you during moments of crisis, so they can often be quite busy. But they also want to connect with you as a person. You’re human […]
Our Nursing Reality – Part II
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 […]
Central Line Basics for Bedside Nurses
A central line a catheter placed in a large vein in the neck, chest, or groin. Check out the Wikipedia definition for some good pics and different types of central lines. Typically, patients who need these are in a critical care environment, but when they get out to the floor, they still will have their […]
How to Stay Calm in the Midst of Chaos
Most of us have a lot going on in our lives all the time. Between work, children and school, most people are constantly running from one to another, spending more than we would like even when we know it will do no good. Life is stressful even if you’re one of those who can maintain […]
Nurses: Protect Your Back!
After you land your first nursey job, you’ll sit through a long orientation. You’ll have just come back from lunch in a food coma, and will barely be paying attention to what they’re saying. And that’s when they talk to you about how important ergonomics are. They don’t want you to hurt your back or […]
VTE Prophylaxis Basics Explained
Learn exactly what VTE Prophylaxis is and why it’s so important to your role as a nurse. VTE’s are venous thromboembolisms and preventable.
Medication Education: How To Teach Patients About Common Meds
This is how to improve your medication education for patients. Teach them about common/non-scary medications first.
When Patients Die – A Guide For Nurses
How do you react and heal when patients die? This is a sad and emotionally difficult experience for every nurse. And this guide will help you prepare for it or heal from it. When Patients Die – A Sad Reality for Nurses If this hasn’t happened in your young nursey career, it will at some […]
Comfort Care Conversations
It’s a tough world out there. We’ve all been dealing with the chaos from COVID-19. Wherever you live, you have to deal with overcrowding, poverty, pollution problems caused by people, and machines that weren’t made for living in a city environment. Life can be difficult, but it will always get better. Some pressures and responsibilities […]
Dealing With Difficult Families
You know it’s bad when the first thing the nurse says in report is that the patient is fine but the family…. Let’s talk about difficult families.
Nursing Blood Pressure Management in Stroke Patients
Did you notice I love talking about strokes? I wanted to expand a little more on my previous post about them. Blood Pressure Management in Stroke Patients: Tips for Nurses Stroke patients are not like every other patient. There is special consideration that must be given for various aspects of nursing care, specifically in terms […]
Nursing Priorities for Post-Op Patients
These nursing priorities for post-op patients will help you keep your head and give the best care to your patients. You are rocking through your shift, feeling awesome because you kind of know what you’re doing now, and your charge nurse comes up to you to say you are getting a patient from the PACU. […]
Tricks of the Trade for Nurses [from Twitter]
I asked the awesome Twitter nurses I interact with to tell me some of their tricks of the trade for nurses. Needless to say, I definitely learned a lot! Check it out, new and not-so-new nurses alike! Disclaimer: These tips are not to supersede your hospital’s policies/procedures or manufactuer recommendations regarding their products. Please click […]
