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Thanks nurses, these are great! I love the IS one RNperdiem :-) Have guys you got any for tough topics like end of life, hospice, continuing other options after ineffective treatments, or helping build trust when patients hear about other facilities' mistakes in the news?

I've been thinking of ways to help explain different topics and rationales to patients. I like to use metaphors or analogies to help create a picture for my patient. For example, when teaching about how hypertension can lead to renal failure, I might say, "Think of the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys as the delicate strands of silk in a beautiful scarf. If you washed that scarf gently under a low-pressure faucet, it would last a long time. This is like the gentle movement of blood with a healthy blood pressure. But if you washed that delicate scarf with a fire hose, the tiny threads would be damaged over time and the scarf would be ruined. This is like the forceful movement of blood through the vessels in someone with high blood pressure. Your kidneys have a lot of tiny, delicate vessels and if they get damaged, the kidney will no longer work properly". I would love to read some of the metaphors that you all use in patient teaching. I'm especially interested in analogies of metaphors for difficult topics. Thank you for anything you share! :-)

The hospital jobs are extremely difficult to get and there are very few available for new nurses. Home care agencies and dialysis clinics are willing to train new nurses and they're offering excellent positions right now. I'm a new grad, I've been working in a hospital as a CNA and they have no jobs available for even internal applicants, but I've had walk-in interviews and offers from both home care and dialysis clinics. I just took a dialysis offer that looks great and I'm really exited to start. What worked for me was to apply online and then walk in to every place with a resume and ask for the clinical manager. When you get blessed with good timing, the manager might interview you on the spot. Good luck and welcome to Beautiful Rhode Island! :-)

Wen I was a teenager I was sexually assaulted by someone I thought was a close friend. I went to the walk-in clinic to get emergency contraception. When I told the nurse (not sure of her title, but to teenage me she was "a nurse") what happened and got all the medical details taken care of, she hugged me and gave me her home phone number. She said I could call her for anything; if I needed to just talk, or help pressing charges, or any information about STI testing or counseling, or even if I needed a ride to get help for my situation. I didn't keep her number. I don't remember her name or even what she looks like. But her kindness is the only thing I remember clearly about that night. I knew since that night that I would become a nurse. I have to be the person that she was for me, to someone else. Currently I am a nursing student and hope to work in ER or Women's Corrections.