Topics About 'Helpful Tips'.

This goes to my good friend Jamie Lane who will be taking the Nursing Licensure Examinations on July 2-3, 2011. Good luck to you and to the rest of the 126, 826 future registered nurses. Exactly one year ago, I was one of those agitated nursing gradu...

In part one of this article, Keep What You Love, Return The Rest: Healing with EMDR, I described Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - a therapy being used to treat PTSD and other forms of trauma. In part 2, I will address some concerns sur...

Best Practices are procedures shown by research and experience to produce optimal results. These established standards are suitable for widespread adoption. Case management practices can vary from one specialty to the next. Some standards are always ...

Lately is seems like there are a lot of posts complaining about NP saturation, low NP wages, and NP regret, particularly among new NP grads or NP students (but there are lots of salty veterans too). I want to post some advice for anyone considering N...

This may seem long, but I wanted to share with my fellow nursing students the way I prepared for the HESI exit exam and how I passed with a score of 907 on my SECOND attempt. Like many other students, I searched dozens of articles on allnurses.com on...

Travel nursing is an amazing opportunity. You get to go on new adventures while exploring the country and see new healthcare organizations. You get exposed to so many types of medicine, nursing care, and clinical experiences which challenges you to b...

So your patient comes into the hospital, assisted living or long term care facility with a diagnosis of sleep apnea and one of those dreaded CPAP machines in tow. Congratulations! Your patient is more compliant than the average patient! From my (admi...

Most of us don't get much choice over whether or not we work nights, although we might get a choice about when. We also get a choice about how we handle our night rotations. There are pluses and minuses to working eight-hour shifts, to working twelve...

You walk on the unit and can cut the tension with a knife. Everyone looks stressed. You ask how the day was to be told of multiple admissions, an unexpected death, and bedside procedures that were added at the last minute. This created stress among t...

Nurse case managers produce results. They manage a caseload of patients with unique healthcare needs. The nurse case manager must be uniquely attuned to patient needs, even between visits. Most companies that employ nurse case managers create a metho...

What is a murmur?A murmur is a "whoosh" sound heard with a stethoscope. Normal hearts make the "lubb-dubb" sound (or Lubb-dupp) when the heart valves close. Murmurs make a "whoosh-whoosh" sound. What causes a murmur?Murmurs are not caused by a diseas...

"I did it! I finished! I passed my boards!" My friend, Kathy, shared her news in the hall at church and I hugged her back, grateful and proud. Having nursing as a second career, Kathy is older than most of her nursing school friends and especially th...

"Do you think I'm incompetent?" Many years ago, I worked with a physician who had a habit of blurting this out any time a nurse asked a question, or offered a suggestion. The uncertainty laced in his words made it apparent that he wasn't challenging ...

What's the most frustrating thing that occurs on almost every shift? Is it being told what to do by a fellow nurse? Is it hearing patients' suggestions that what they've read on the Internet might be better than the treatment you're providing? Or is ...

I will share some memory tricks and mnemonics to help you understand which alpha drugs do what and how to remember them! As an ICU nurse preceptor, I often have new nurses ask me how I remember all of the drugs we use. Knowing the drugs you are givin...

As I finish my ACNP program (in literally days) I'm reflecting back in my journey. I realized that although I got want I needed and much more from grad school, the process to obtaining this degree was not what I expected so I wanted to give a little ...

The most important thing is to maintain a positive outlook. One of the definitions of courage is being aware of personal weaknesses, fears, and uncertainty, yet forging ahead anyway. Believe in yourself.Every day upon arising, look at yourself in the...

It is not uncommon to read of nurses, either new or old, wanting to get out of the rat race of Nursing due to one reason or the other. And unless there is a pressing reason, BEFORE you make that leap, you need to be financially independent. To help p...

Before you begin, investigate the floor in which you will be having the clinical. It is our responsibility as nurse educators to facilitate our students' education. In other words, we partner together with our students for their learning. It is our r...

For moms who are breastfeeding, a good latch is supremely important. If not, nipple pain will soon ensue - even if the improper latch is held for just a few minutes, those few minutes can have a long-lasting effect. Additionally, if the baby's mouth ...

APA format, for one, was a whole new concept and I doubt I am alone when I say I practically clicked every toolbar option in Microsoft Word before I figured out how to properly insert headers and page numbers... Nursing students have to develop ways ...

One of the many misconceptions about nurses is that we are selfless, half-angelic creatures who live to meet the needs of others at our own expense. We can juggle twelve acute care patients, answer phones, monitor scary post-ops, give back rubs, hang...

First and most importantly you need to go into exercise planning with a positive, open mindset. I always tell nurses, what you put into exercising is what you will get out of it. Having a positive mindset is half the battle, especially if you are ste...

Dear Nurse Beth, I am RN-BSN for 12 years (Med/Surg), I am interested in starting a CNA program or Nurses Aide training school or program in my town ( Boston, MA ). What would you recommend or advise? Dear Wants to Start CNA Training Program, Congr...

My Dear Graduate Nurse,Congratulations on your achievement in graduating from nursing school. You earned it! Not long ago, many of us were in your exact position. We simply could not believe it! Nursing school and all that it entailed had simply come...