To develop effective action plans, you must have clear career goals. Specific, measurable goals provide the path to improving your career. The way toward goals is not always easy, but having goals is how we improve ourselves and our careers. Goals give us meaning and purpose and point us in the direction we wish to…
The demands of nursing place a considerable strain upon nurses, often resulting in burnout. Nurses must multitask and communicate with patients, coworkers, and other healthcare professionals. It is easy for a nurse to be frustrated and bogged down with pressure. Contributing factors include: Understaffing Lack of cooperation Miscommunication Incompetent management No breaks or downtime Work-life…
Nursing school has an insane amount of testing. When I used to describe my tests to non-nursing friends, I would have to explain that the questions weren’t simply multiple choice with one right answer: the questions were made up of four right answers with only one best answer. In theory, all four options might make…
I was recently accepted into a master’s program. I’ve been weighing the possibility for some time, and everything seemed to come together for the fall application deadline. I took one class over the summer as a non-degree student, and when I decided to sign up for two more classes for the fall semester, I figured…
I just returned from a week-long hiatus from work, spending time out in the mountains with my husband. We had a small window of free time in-between graduate school semesters, so we made the trek out to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park for a change of scenery and change of pace. We hiked,…
It’s crazy how things can change in an instant. I’m writing this blog from the couch, with my left foot elevated on two pillows while icing it for twenty minutes on/twenty minutes off. I can barely handle putting weight on my left foot. Movement takes a lot of effort, and any trip to the kitchen…
My research team recently started a highly intensive research study this week: an investigational drug in phase 3 of clinical trials (the last stage before FDA approval) is given over 12 consecutive days. Day 1 involves nine busy hours of study tasks, including a 4-hour mixed-meal tolerance test, insulin and glucose review, safety labs, infusion…
There are many opportunities for a nurse to use her story to inform her daily actions, to bring meaning to her work, and to be a well to draw motivation from. In the medical field, you are taught (and encouraged, in fact) to distance yourself from patients. Constantly providing physical care for people is draining,…
Working in pediatrics has given me ample time to work on addressing needle phobia. Sometimes I don’t even have a needle visible, and the simple act of reaching out to feel for a vein causes an immediate screaming tantrum – complete with kicking and flailing and all out hysteria. Needle phobia is estimated to be…
Happy Holidays to everyone! I spent a lot of time with family, relaxing in pajamas, and eating a lot of delicious food – probably not the best for my body but so good for my soul. My family doesn’t buy a lot of presents for each other, which makes Christmas a welcome chance to unwind…