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As a busy nurse, I sometimes find it challenging to live a balanced lifestyle. I find myself running from task to task and taking care of everyone around me, only to get home and do more of the same. Not only that, but when I do get home, I’m so tired that all of my self-care ideas go right out the window!

Work can have a way of taking over things like pleasure, social life, hobbies and health. How can an active nurse overcome these challenges? What can you do if you feel that all you do is work?

1. Take stock of your current situation. I use a tool that I created, the Living Sublime Wellness Wheel of Balance, to evaluate where I focus my time and energy. The wheel makes you aware of what parts of your life are in, and out, of balance.

To  use the Living Sublime Wellness Wheel of Balance, look at each section on the wheel below and place a dot inside the triangle marking how satisfied you are with each area of your life. A dot placed at the center of the circle or close to the middle indicates dissatisfaction, while a dot placed on the periphery indicates ultimate happiness.

When you have placed a dot on each of the lines, connect the dots to see your Wheel of Balance. You will have a clear visual of any imbalances in lifestyle and a starting point for determining where you may wish to spend more time, effort and energy to create balance and joy in your life.

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2. Be honest with yourself. The tool shows you where you spend less time and energy. Now you’ve got to be honest with your reactions to its picture. Do you want to spend more time in certain areas? If so, why? What fears or discomforts are you avoiding? If you are able to pay more attention to the areas that are lacking, how and when would you start? What excites you about the potential of working with new areas of wellness? Be clear with your ability and desire to balance your lifestyle.

3. Start where your energy takes you. You may look at your balance wheel and find there are several areas that could use more attention. Realistically, you aren’t going to start working on all of the areas at once—you just don’t have time for that! So where are you being pulled? What are you feeling drawn to first? Notice where your energy is taking you and begin with those areas…it will be easier and more fun to give attention to the things you enjoy.

4. Create a plan and get organized. Starting to pay more attention to new areas of your life isn’t going to happen magically. You’ll need to schedule time in for new things; otherwise, they won’t get done. Create a plan and stick to it…and remember, change won’t occur overnight!

5. Reach out for support. You don’t need to do this alone. Making changes isn’t easy, so rather than struggling, why not ask loved ones, colleagues or even professionals for help? This can make change much easier, bringing your whole life into healthy balance.

6. All things in moderation. You may notice you thrive in one area of your life while another aspect is severely lacking. Well, how much time do you spend on the thing that is going well? Be honest. Maybe things are flourishing in some areas and not in others because you spend all of your effort, time and energy focused on those aspects of your life. When we approach health in a balanced way, we are less likely to become one-sided.

7. Have fun. If balancing your life starts to feel like work, stop worrying about it! You are doing this to be healthy and whole, not to add more “chores” to your plate. Find fun in new experiences. Have a good time trying out other areas of well-being. Do things with gratitude, courage and joy. Have fun!

What do you do to create healthy balance? Do you have a process that has worked time and time again?

Elizabeth “Coach” Scala, MSN/MBA, RN, is passionate about helping healthcare professionals, nurses in particular, to embody holistic living and embrace self-care. Through her business, Living Sublime Wellness, she writes regularly on the topic of self-care, conducts wellness workshops and offers both in-person and online seminars for busy nurses. Scala is a Certified Health and Wellness Coach and holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, a bachelor of science in nursing and master’s degrees in both business and nursing. She lives in Baltimore with her husband and two dogs. Visit livingsublimewellness.com for more information.

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Every nursing specialty has its own habits and quirks…and agency nursing is no different! So what are some of the undeniable signs that you’re an agency nurse? Let us count the ways!

 
Top 10 ways you know you’re an agency nurse

10. You log more miles than an OTR (over the road) truck driver.
9. You have receipts stuck everywhere for tax purposes.
8. You have a plethora of scrubs in every color to meet different facility needs.
7. The police in six different counties know you and your car (and your medical condition of lead foot!).
6. Your bank regularly flags your account as suspicious because you work in so many cities.
5. You never make plans more than a day in advance.
4. You often cancel plans at the last minute to go to work.
3. You make more money (some of the time!) than you ever thought you could as a nurse.
2. You become the capable, confident nurse you always admired in other nurses.
1. You can kick back in your recliner to watch Live! with Kelly and Michael and tell work you’ve made “other plans” and can’t work…and you can’t get fired. (Guilty!)

What are some other ways you know you’re an agency nurse?

Rachael Rainer, LPN, works in a long-term healthcare facility as well as for two different agencies. She’s been nursing for four years, is married and has six children, all still living at home.

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Tell me if this sounds familiar.

I’m sitting outside our children’s hospital waiting for a relative. The woman next to me is smoking her cigarette with an intensity that screams “patient’s mother,” and her orange wristband is a clear giveaway.

I’m open about my son’s heart defects and surgeries, but I don’t assume others share my openness. So, I gently opened a door for the woman to talk if she wanted to. We were in the same club, after all, and had the bracelets to prove it.

She proceeded to bear her soul to me.

Her teen daughter was airlifted after a car accident and suffered severe brain trauma. The mother rode in the helicopter and had no change of underwear, had little cash and was down to her last few cigarettes. She wanted to go to a Walmart, but feared she couldn’t afford a cab.
I asked her if she’d spoken with a social worker yet. She said no.

She was at her child’s side for 48 hours. She hardly used the toilet, hadn’t slept outside of the bedside chair and this cigarette was her one reprieve. I told her to ask her nurse to page a social worker, that there were vouchers for cab fare, cafeteria meals and things like that. I told her to use the specific term “social worker.”

Television hasn’t engendered trust in “social workers.” The average person has no idea that hospitals staff them to help in crises. Then again, the average person doesn’t know the protocols of being airlifted with a critically ill child. Under extreme circumstances, families are not filtered through the standard admissions process. If no one asks if they want emotional or financial support services, they cannot say yes—they don’t know to ask.

Is there more that nurses can do?
As a nurse, you can help guide a struggling family through the hospital ropes…but it’s hard to know what you can and should offer if you’ve never been on the other side of the critical care bed before. If you’re a new nurse, or recently have moved from a less intense setting to the ICU, these tips can help you better help your patients’ families.

8 things you can do to help your patient’s family:

• Put yourself in their chairs. What would you need and would you know where to find it?
• Show and tell them where to get free coffee or water, if available.
• Explain shift change before shift change. Getting kicked out without warning is stressful for parents or spouses.
• Learn the resources available to families in your hospital so you offer them in an appropriate context.
• Ask if they want a social worker to talk to them about vouchers or services. Many, especially first-timers, won’t ask you or are reluctant to take “charity.” Keep asking.
• Offer to contact child life, family counseling, a chaplain or social worker (and make sure the resource actually shows up). The family’s stress isn’t helping your patient.
• Encourage them to take a walk and use a volunteer or friend to fill their seat. If sitting for long periods is bad for airline travelers and office workers, it is no less bad for families sitting bedside.
• Visit a parent/family room or the Ronald McDonald House (or similar) at least once in your career. Knowing you’ve bothered to see things from their side of the bed will increase a family’s trust in you.

Amanda Rose Adams is a child health advocate. Her first book, Heart Warriors: A Family Faces Congenital Heart Disease (Behler Publications, 2012), recounts the journey the Adamses took from expecting parents to Heart Warriors. Adams founded two nonprofit organizations to both educate parents about rare congenital heart defects and raise critical research dollars. She is currently a member of Baby’s First Test 2013 Consumer Advocacy Task Force. Adams has written for scrubsmag.com and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Bioethics. She holds a master’s degree in technical journalism from Colorado State University.

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It seems that everywhere you look these days—from newspapers and nurse magazines to job fairs and even online—nurses are bombarded with agency employment offers: “Set your own hours!” “Travel to exciting locations!” “Make $50 or more per hour!” Sure, the offers sound great, but are they too good to be true?

If you’re considering working for an agency, you have some choices: Do you want to continue your present job and supplement your income? Do you want to work strictly for the agency? Keep in mind that there are different types of agencies out there. Some will be local, while others are strictly out of town or out of state. Some withhold income taxes and some don’t, leaving the nurse responsible for paying Uncle Sam. Some agencies are accredited through the state and some aren’t.

As a nurse who has worked exclusively for agencies in the past year, I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons to give you the real scoop on agency nursing.

Pros of agency work

• Working your own hours
• Making more money per hour
• Having great variety in your job
• Traveling to different locations
• Reducing the chance of burnout from working the same old job with the same old coworkers and patients day after day
• Becoming a more confident, capable and professional nurse
• Supplementing your income
• Getting tons of tax deductions

Cons of agency work

• Work may not always be available when you want to work. Your job depends on other nurses calling in.
• If you don’t work, you don’t get paid (there are no paid sick days or holidays!)
• Not being familiar with patients and their needs
• Sleeping in hotel or dorm beds instead of your own bed
• Often, agencies offer no benefits (such as medical/dental insurance or retirement)
• Immediately being disliked or having other nurses be rude to you simply because they know you make more money than they do for the same job, and they have to help you
• If your agency doesn’t withhold income taxes, you may have to spend the extra money you made paying them
• Keeping every receipt for tax purposes

Nurses, have you ever considered agency work? Sound off in the comments section below!

Rachael Rainer, LPN, works in a long-term healthcare facility as well as for two different agencies. She’s been nursing for four years, is married and has six children, all still living at home.

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Nursing is so much more than a collection of skills and knowledge that make up a job title. It is the choice to dedicate one’s life to helping others, and a complex fusion of traits, abilities and beliefs.

So what does it really mean to be a nurse?

Nursing is learning something new every day. It is the highs and lows of doing something incredible for someone else while constantly being at risk for self-mortification. It is the art form of constantly changing your plan based on the ever-shifting conditions of your patient, your environment and yourself.

Nursing is about giving someone else strength when they have none, and providing answers in a time of weakness and uncertainty. It is, above all else, about caring.

Top 10 “definitions” of nursing:

1. Compassion
2. Expertise
3. Selflessness
4. Teamwork
5. Humor
6. Healing
7. Intuition
8. Resilience
9. Courage
10. Humility

Nursing is a permanent path of growth, experience, tragedy, adventure, happiness, collaboration, inspiration and amazement. In some ways, it is impossible to define what nursing really is, because it’s more than a career: It’s a way of life.

Molly Rose Hershman is currently a student in the Accelerated BSN program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing. Her writing can be found on several nursing websites and on her personal blog, The Awkward Times of MRH.

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One of the greatest challenges every nurse faces is a lack of sleep. Working as a nurse, you often are asked to swing between day and night shifts, and you can almost guarantee your on-call will be a random night shift mixed into your string of 12-hour days. Even worse? Our own day-to-day experiences add fuel to the fire. When I worked in inpatient psychiatry, I would lie awake for up to three hours every night, unable to fall asleep with my mind racing about staff, patients and work issues.

Sleeping (or not sleeping) in this way makes your mind foggy, and you’re more likely to make mistakes on the job. Your mood could swing from irritable to exhausted to overwhelmed and back again in the span of an hour! Plus, illness can intensify with inadequate rest, leading to depression, weight gain and decreased immune function.

Simply put, without enough sleep, it may feel like your world is upside down! So, what do you do if your body clock is completely confused? Well, there are a couple of simple and practical things to try:

• Get on a schedule. I know this is sometimes impossible with shift work. But the more you can get onto a specific bedtime and wake-up schedule each day, the easier it will be for you to quickly drift off.
• Keep your bed just for sleeping. Don’t lie in bed while on the computer. Don’t watch TV and try to “fall asleep.” Read in a comfortable chair before bed, but not in your bed itself. You have to train your body to know that when you get into the bed, it’s time for rest. (I’ve heard people say that TV or radio helps them sleep; it might feel that way, but it’s not the restful, rejuvenating sleep you need because your subconscious is still tuned in and listening to the background noise.)
• Journal in the evening. I find it helpful to write out what I’m grateful for, what I got done each day and what I’ve got planned for the next day, so that when I lie down, that information isn’t inside my head and causing my mind to race. Getting it out on paper gets it out of your mind.
• Don’t eat or drink too close to bedtime. I’ve noticed that when I cut off my water intake at 6 p.m., I don’t get up those nights to use the bathroom. Same thing with food; if you eat too close to bedtime, it will cause issues like indigestion and strange dreams (not to mention your body might be awake because it has to work harder to digest all that food so close to bedtime!).
• Do some activity and movement each day. If you don’t do anything physical that gets your heart rate pumping during the day, your body isn’t really going to be tired or need any rest—it didn’t do anything! So get outside and get moving. Fresh air is a great way to charge up during the day so you can rest well at night.
• Try aromatherapy or oils. I spray a bit of lavender chamomile mist onto my pillow some nights, and I’ve noticed those are the evenings that I really drift off quickly!
• Create an environment conducive for sleep. Keep a dark, cool room. The worst thing is to wake up sweating and hot. Turn down the lights to prepare for peaceful relaxation and quiet time. Sweet dreams!

Elizabeth “Coach” Scala, MSN/MBA, RN, owns Living Sublime Wellness, a company that guides busy nurses to health on a mind-body-emotion-spirit level. She helps nurses who feel stressed and overwhelmed to make space for self-care and healthy balance. Scala offers a holistic newsletter and virtual workshops, and is a motivational speaker/author. Originally from Carmel, N.Y., she now lives in Baltimore with her husband and two dogs. Visit livingsublimewellness.com for more details.

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When you’re a nurse, you have a million things on your mind every day—and, let’s face it, looking good isn’t your top priority (that would be, uh, saving lives). But even if you’re not willing to spend hours in front of the mirror every morning, don’t have time to slave away on the treadmill and can’t even boil a pot of water, you can still look—and feel!—like a million bucks. Try these super-simple makeup, exercise and nutrition tips to look your best in five minutes or less. Your face, body and brain will thank you!

Makeup Tips
Makeup is a must when you’re trying to hide those bags under your eyes or revive your sleep-deprived skin. But you don’t need a ton of fancy products to look rejuvenated—the ones you’ve already got will do the trick when you try these tips:

• Pass on the heavy foundation or powder. The instinct to cover up dull skin with a ton of makeup is understandable, but it’ll only make your skin look even more wan under the hospital’s harsh lights. Stick to a tinted moisturizer (with SPF!) instead to diffuse wrinkles and even out your skin tone.

• Curl your eyelashes. This simple action will immediately make you seem more awake. If you have the time (or energy), top off your newly curled lashes with a coat or two of mascara.

• Pick peach blush, not pink. Peach hues brighten skin more than pink tones. Use cream blushes for a natural-looking flush.

Revive from Within
On days when you haven’t gotten enough rest (oh, we know there are many), try these quick fixes to bring a bit of brightness to your skin:

• Stay hydrated. Instead of reaching for that second (or third) coffee, drink water. Even though you’re probably desperate for the hit of caffeine, water is the better option for your skin.

• Consume antioxidants.Antioxidants can slow or prevent damage to your body and skin by slowing or preventing the effect of free radicals. Here are some excellent and readily available sources of antioxidants (permission to nosh on dark chocolate hereby granted!):
  • Dark chocolate
  • Berries
  • Acai
  • Pomegranate
  • Dark leafy greens
  • Green tea
  • Fish
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Eggs
  • Tomatoes
  • Grapefruit
  • Watermelon
• Get your heart rate up. If you’re feeling sluggish in the middle of your shift, do a few jumping jacks or squats in an empty treatment room, or run up and down the stairs a few times. Even a little bit of activity increases your circulation and, in turn, your skin’s glow! And exercise has the added benefit of providing a much-needed mental boost after long days, which will help keep you alert and on your toes!

Marcela De Vivo, the founder of Gryffin Media, is an accomplished online marketing professional with expertise in social networking, search marketing and Web analytics. Currently she is working on a series of articles about products for healthy hair.

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Whether you’re a new nurse or a seasoned nurse, it’s always intriguing to take a look back at the history of the nursing profession.

This list illuminates the day-to-day tasks and regulations pertaining to the life of a nurse in 1887—before routine charting was even invented.

1887 Nursing Job Description

In addition to caring for your 50 patients, each bedside nurse will follow these regulations:

1. Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patient’s furniture and window sills.

2. Maintain an even temperature in your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.

3. Light is important to observe the patient’s condition. Therefore, each day fill kerosene lamps, clean chimneys and trim wicks.

4. The nurse’s notes are important in aiding your physician’s work. Make your pens carefully; you may whittle nibs to your individual taste.

5. Each nurse on day duty will report every day at 7 a.m. and leave at 8 p.m., except on the Sabbath, on which day she will be off from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

6. Graduate nurses in good standing with the director of nurses will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if you go regularly to church.

7. Each nurse should lay aside from each payday a goodly sum of her earnings for her benefits during her declining years, so that she will not become a burden. For example, if you earn $30 a month, you should set aside $15.

8. Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop or frequents dance halls will give the director of nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions and integrity.

9. The nurse who performs her labors [and] serves her patients and doctors faithfully and without fault for a period of five years will be given an increase by the hospital administration of five cents per day.

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Those back-to-back shifts have taken a toll on your body, mind and, most of all, face. Remember the good ol’ days when you actually got eight consecutive hours of sleep a night? Well, there’s no replacing a good night’s rest, but the good news is that you can achieve a gorgeous complexion with some simple, fast weekly maintenance.

Here are some natural ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen to do just that. Try these new uses for old standbys to bring the glow back to your face.

Skin Savers

H2O
You already know you’re supposed to be drinking lots of water, but the easiest and fastest way to refresh your complexion is actually to splash cold water on your face. The cold water constricts surface blood vessels, creating a smoother, tighter appearance. Plus, you’ll feel more awake after dousing yourself with icy water—perfect if you need a pick-me-up during a long NOC shift!

Milk
Milk isn’t just for your morning cereal anymore! If you’ve got five minutes at lunch, head to the break room fridge and mix together milk and ice cubes in a bowl. Dip a washcloth in it and place it over your face for five minutes before rinsing with cold water. Milk can help brighten and lighten skin, and the lactic acid in milk helps with exfoliation.

If you’re just getting home from a long day and want to pamper yourself, a thorough exfoliation treatment goes a long way in boosting radiance. Exfoliation removes surface dead skin cells that are hiding the pretty, shiny new skin, and helps boost collagen production for that tighter look. Exfoliation also helps your skin better absorb additional skin treatments.

Want a super-easy, natural scrub that’s also extremely gentle? Mix ¼ cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk together and apply it to your face. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing with water (you can apply the cold water trick here!) and applying moisturizer or other treatments.

Cucumber and Tea
If you have puffy eyes from long shifts, sliced cucumbers are great for reducing swelling (just don’t pop them back on your salad when you’re done!). Don’t have cucumbers? Use soaked tea bags (black or chamomile) instead. Black tea has caffeine, which constricts blood vessels. Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory and can help reduce puffiness.

Marcela De Vivo, the founder of Gryffin Media, is an accomplished online marketing professional with expertise in social networking, search marketing and Web analytics. Currently she is working on a series of articles about products for healthy hair.

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As a nurse, you already encounter a whole host of challenges on the job every single day—contact with infectious diseases, heavy lifting, shifting sleep schedules and emotionally taxing situations, to name just a few. Add pregnancy into the mix and your job could become even more intense and stressful. What’s a momma-to-be nurse to do?

It’s important that expecting nurses take some precautions—and give themselves a little extra TLC—to ensure a healthy and low-stress pregnancy. Here are six tips to help you have a happy, safe pregnancy…while still working as a nurse!

1. Get a head start, if possible. If you’re planning on becoming pregnant, consult with your doctor about prenatal vitamins and check that you are up to date on your vaccines. At work, it may be a good time to look into your maternity leave options. You also may want to find out about part-time and per diem options, saving vacation time for after the baby is born and family health benefits.
2. Consider letting supervisors know early. When you announce your pregnancy is up to you, but many nurses let their bosses know early in the process. This way, your employer will be in the loop if you need any special considerations or job modifications.
3. Let your OB or midwife know you’re a nurse. She can discuss any occupational concerns with you. Depending on your job, you may need to avoid certain exposures, such as radiation, chemotherapies, cleaning agents and certain infectious diseases.  Remember to always follow infection control precautions as directed. If you’ve experienced an occupational hazard, such as a needle stick or a human bite, or if you’re worried about a potential exposure, immediately consult with your doctor and your employee health office.
4. Take care of yourself. You know all too well that it’s not uncommon for nurses to skip meals, sleep erratically and go long hours without bathroom breaks…but now, more than ever, taking care of yourself is important. Make sure you’re meeting the nutritional demands of your pregnancy and getting as much rest as you need. A few things that may help: Bring snacks to eat between meals, keep a bottle of water nearby and even leave reminders for yourself to go to the bathroom. You also may need to limit the physical demands of your job. At home, try to engage in relaxing activities and see if other family members can take over some household chores to help to ease your burden.
5. Remember to take care of yourself after the baby is born, too! Being a new mother can be even more demanding than pregnancy, and finding time for adequate rest is a continued concern. You may need to ask for extra help to meet the demands of parenthood and your career, whenever you choose to return to work. If you’re breastfeeding, keep in mind that increased nutritional demands and concerns about occupational exposure may still apply. Talk to your employer about any needs you may have, such as clean and safe places for pumping and milk storage. You may want to consult your state’s laws regarding breast pumps in the workplace, as well as the recently enacted federal laws that make certain allowances for pumping.
6. Try to relax and enjoy! While it’s perfectly normal to have anxiety about your pregnancy, especially while holding down a demanding job, remember that nurses have happy, healthy pregnancies all the time. Your career choice may seem taxing at times, but your knowledge as a nurse can help inform your healthcare decisions and make you an even better parent!

Anne Murphy Garrity, RN, BSN, currently works as a school nurse in the Bronx, N.Y. She is the mother of two wonderful children, and worked as an RN throughout both of her pregnancies. Her writing has appeared in several small literary magazines.