Mind and Mood

How do I deal with an overwhelming assignment?

How do I deal with an overwhelming assignment?

Unless you get control of your thoughts, you’re going to spin your way through your shift without ever really knowing what to do next.

AbleStock.com | Thinkstock

How to create focus in the chaos

Stating positive declarations can create greater focus and concentration, and give you a sense of balance.

Jupiterimages | BananaStock | Getty Images

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.”

iStockphoto + Scrubs

Do you have “nurse brownout”?

“Brownout” is that state of being just before burnout happens, when you’re feeling cynical, tired, less productive and fighting off a “Who gives a blank?” attitude.

Yuri Arcurs | Veer

5 healthy (and safe) ways to rant about your workday

Go ahead and indulge your work rage! But — do it in a smart way. Here’s how to make it a healthy habit in 2012.

Hemera | Thinkstock

5 strategies to help cope with compassion fatigue

“I get so attached to my patients that I just can’t get them out of my head when I go home.” “Every week I find myself getting distraught over a new favorite patient who isn’t doing well.” Is this you?

Nurses Grieve, Too

Nurses Grieve, Too

I found a wonderful video about the grief we OB nurses feel and how we cope with that grief. I wanted to share it in the hope it helps someone else out there.

Blend Images Photography | Veer

Give this nurse a break!!

Morale has been getting low. There are days when you don’t even know when someone on another station is working because there’s no time for you to meet up.

Photos.com | Thinkstock

Top 10 things this nurse is thankful for

#1: I am so thankful I have a paying job. Looking at the economy, both nationwide and within my own healthcare system, I’m thankful to be able to punch in when so many people can’t claim a paycheck.

Image: iStockphoto | Thinkstock + Scrubs

To post or not to post?

What should you share online with your patients? What should you share online with your friends? Here are the social media DOs and DON’Ts that all nurses should know.

iStockphoto | Thinkstock + Scrubs

Jo’s laws of nursing: revised and updated!

First Law: If you have to jack with it, it’s wrong. Second Law: Never ignore your gut feeling. Third Law: When in doubt, stop and shut up. And there’s more…

Medioimages | Photodisc | Valueline

Leave nursing for what??

Have you ever daydreamed about getting into another field besides nursing? I haven’t really thought too much about it…until today.

Medioimages/Photodisc | Valueline | Thinkstock + Scrubs

Survey results: The #1 cause of a nurse’s stress

Scrubs magazine analyzed the results of a nursing “Work Stress Profile” and discovered some interesting facts. You may be surprised at what factors contribute to a nurse’s stress!

iStockphoto

Compassion fatigue checklist

When you get too immersed in the lives and trials of your patients, you can become a victim of “compassion fatigue.” Use this checklist to assess if you are suffering from this condition.

Photodisc | Thinkstock

This nurse’s tragedy happened for a reason

When I was five, my home was destroyed by fire and I received third degree burns over 50 percent of my body. The year was 1959 and there were no burn centers. My odds of survival were slim to none…but I survived.