Nurse Myths and Misconceptions

Garrison Keillor and his nurses

Garrison Keillor and his nurses

Listen to some entertaining references to nurses that we’ve selected from his radio shows. Some are truly inspirational.

Creatas | Thinkstock

A tribute to men in nursing

Nursing wasn’t always a female-dominated profession. Let’s take a walk through history in this tribute to the men in nursing!

The 3 big myths about the dreaded Joint Commission

The 3 big myths about the dreaded Joint Commission

Rumors linger that similar to a college hazing period, if you can get through a Joint Commission visit, you can officially be an RN.

iStockphoto | Thinkstock

Video: A nurse’s guide to using social media

Do any of these career-killing scenarios look familiar to you?

“I’ll tell you what you are!”

“I’ll tell you what you are!”

Why do people have certain assumptions about nurses? This exhausted RN, for example, was confronted by a man intent on angering her. Both of them were in for a surprise.

10 things to NEVER say to a nurse

10 things to NEVER say to a nurse

Ever felt like slapping a bandage over an obnoxious mouth? Then you probably heard the kind of stuff that can get under even the most tolerant nurse’s skin.

iStockphoto + Scrubs

Another nursing urban legend: tattoos and pain

Is there is an inverse relationship between the number of tattoos a patient has and their tolerance for pain?

Hemera Technologies | AbleStock | Getty Images

Should nurses believe in ghosts?

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, you’ll probably hear many spooky stories during your years of practice. Here’s one of them—my own.

Image Credit: Photodisc/Thinkstock

7 ways Hollywood goofs up medicine

‘As seen on TV’ does not apply to the real world that we nurses live in.

Comstock | Thinkstock + Scrubs

No, You Can NOT Ask.

Ever feel like people see you as completely one-dimensional? Like you are the all-knowing nurse who can answer all questions, all the time?

Image: Ocean Illustration | Veer

10 nurse depictions we wish would go away

It’s not as if nurses don’t have a sense of humor. Heck, you have to be able to laugh to do what we do, right? But there’s a line—and it’s not that fine a line—between laughing with nurses and laughing at them.

Image: Photodisc | Thinkstock

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.

Image courtesy FOX Broadcasting Company

Unbelievable hospital scenes from TV

Docs pushing gurneys and doing science experiments with young patients? Nurses doing nothing but looking pretty and tottering about in high heels? Laugh at these priceless clips from Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby, Doogie Howser, Grey’s, House and more!

Comment of the week: Nursing was a reinvention

Part of being a nurse should be having pride in our profession.

Image: Jupiterimages | Goodshoot | Getty Image

No angels here

One stereotype of nursing that bothers me is that of nurses as “angels of mercy.” We’re expected to be a “cool hand on a fevered brow” or a sweet smile in a time of difficulty, or a shoulder to cry on—every day, every minute, every hour.