What are the qualities of a good nurse? You need to be empathetic, hard-working, and so much more. Read the complete list.
professional development
How Do I Become a Nurse?
How do I become a nurse? Do you want to become a nurse? This is everything you need to know about school and the job – from an experienced nurse who’s been there.
Why Become A Nurse? A Nurse’s Personal Story Unveiled
Are trying to decide whether to go to nursing school? If you’ve ever wondered “why become a nurse” then read on – I share my entire story!
Master of Science in Nursing: Trying Out FlexPath Online Learning
This post on the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) FlexPath program is sponsored by and crafted with Capella University; however, all opinions are my own. At the beginning of last year Capella University launched a new learning format for their RN-to-BSN program they describe as self-paced called FlexPath. Being a self-starter that style of […]
Nurses on Boards: Why Nurses Must Have a Seat at the Table in the Boardroom
This post is sponsored by Capella University. Please see my disclaimer page for more information on our partnership. When I was getting into the field of nursing, I pictured the entire profession at the bedside. To me, all nursing looked like was nurses providing direct patient care 24 hours/day. I did not realize that not […]
What Do You Think of When You Hear the Word “Nurse”?
This post is sponsored by Capella University. Please see my disclaimer page for more information on our partnership. When you hear the word “nurse” .. what do you think? What do you see? More importantly, what do you feel? I see a person, standing there in the middle of chaos – with a subtle grin. […]
A Nurse Practitioner’s Medical Mission to Africa
This week I am featuring an interview with my sister in-law, Elizabeth Fields. She recently went to Bora, Ethiopia with the medical mission group Health Gives Hope. Last week, I interviewed their founders, one of whom is actually a Nurse Practitioner! Click here to check out the previous post. To give you a little background about […]
Health Gives Hope: An Interview with a Nurse Practitioner Who Co-Founded a Medical Mission Organization
Last month, my nurse practitioner sister in-law went on a medical mission to Ethiopia with her husband. She had an unbelievable time! I have been asked about medical missions before so I thought I would do an interview with the founders of the organization and my sister in-law. This post is my interview with the […]
Professional Nursing Organizations: Why Every Nurse Should Be a Member
Please note that this post is sponsored by Capella University. All opinions are my own. Please check out this video about my 2016 partnerships and why I’ve decided to work with these amazing organizations. When I graduated from nursing school I was given a packet of information about the various professional nursing organizations. I was […]
How to Deal with Verbally Abusive Patients
We’ve been there. The patient is incredibly rude, demeaning, or even saying sexually explicit things to you. Patient satisfaction has been preached to you constantly.. but what do you do when the patient crosses the line? I’ve had quite a few experiences of all of the above. I felt helpless until I figured out the […]
7 Financial Ideas for Nurses Planning for Graduate School
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 […]
A Look Behind Bars: An Introduction to Correctional Nursing
Something I’ve always been interested in is correctional nursing and am really pumped to for this post. I’ve known a few nurses that work in corrections and they have all had positive things to say about their work environment. If you want to see correctional nursing in action, check out the American Nurse Project movie. […]
Navigate Your First Nursing Conference Like a Pro
In my mere 5 years as a nurse, I’ve been to 6 national nursing conferences (NTI, Magnet, AONE, and the National Nursing Symposium). And I love them. You get to learn about what some of the most successful people across the country are doing in their units, you get invigorated and inspired, and you begin to understand […]
The Nurse’s Famous Last Words: “But the Doctor Said it Was Okay..”
One of my BFFs is a rapid response nurse (I know, coolest job ever). Whenever a patient is going downhill or looks not-so-hot, she gets a call. Many times, the call could and should have occurred hours before. However, what she is told most frequently is “but the doctor said it was okay”. Notify MD, […]
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 […]
Being at the Top of Your Nurse Game
One of the things that I love about being someone’s nurse is that I’m in charge. I’m calling the shots (ha!) and other than the 10 minutes that the doctor is at the bedside, I’m the boss. Nurses have so much autonomy now. When your critical thinking skills are on point, you know all your resources, […]