Communication

The secret of successful charting

The secret of successful charting

Instead of seeing it as one more thing to cross off your to-do list, what if you looked at it as…a conspiracy?

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10 ways you’re annoying fellow nurses

Want to improve your workday? Do a quick self-check. Our list can help you figure out if you’re annoying your team — and show you how to stop.

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Is technology making you bad at your nursing job?

Computers and smartphones have revolutionized our lives. But is the smartphone in your pocket REALLY making you more productive?

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Are you making these 5 big communication mistakes?

Don’t make these mistakes when communicating with patients or their families (like I did…ahem)!

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Speak more assertively as a nurse

Let’s face it: Standing up to colleagues, patients and their families isn’t always easy. Let these simple tips teach you how to speak with confidence.

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Secret things nurses REALLY think

Head Nurse Jo confesses some of the non-nursey thoughts that sneak into her brain, like, “Sometimes I don’t like you very much.”

3 body language tips every nurse should know

3 body language tips every nurse should know

I recently read the following instructions on delivering bad news to patients: “First, stand when addressing the patient, so they know who’s in charge. Second, hold an x-ray or other prop to show this is serious and that you are the expert.” Wrong, wrong, wrong!

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The eventual burn out of nurses

Maybe I’m being cynical, but the very people who make our jobs worthwhile are the same ones that can drive us to quit. I’m talking about our patients.

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Improving nurse-doctor communication

It’s not all about following SBARQ; what can we do to improve communication between nurses and doctors?

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When is education not a good thing for all patients?

As a childbirth educator and a nurse on the labor and delivery floor, I encounter both types of patient: the educated and the clueless. The thing is that every patient is entitled to know what is happening to their bodies, right?

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Social media policies?

Are you aware there are actual policies and procedures out there regarding how nurses and other healthcare professionals conduct themselves on social media sites?

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How to be a more effective communicator

Tip #1: We all know to always maintain direct eye contact, but also make it a point to maintain the patients eye level. Meaning, unless you can’t prevent it, don’t interview your patient standing over them.

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Email and texting etiquette for nurses

Here’s how to avoid the electronic faux pas that could harm your career or damage your credibility on the floor.

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Shhhh.

Nurses are trained talkers. We use our words to express SBAR, to educate our patients, to report off to other nurses, etc. Yet I am noticing there are times we need to just shut up.

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SBAR Fail

When patient information gets mangled, it can be like the game where a “secret” is whispered into the ear of one person, then that person whispers the info into another person’s ear…