New Nurse

Nursing Etiquette: Embarrassing situations

Nursing Etiquette: Embarrassing situations

“One thing I never learned in school, and haven’t figured out as a nurse, is how to handle embarrassing situations in the clinical area. For example, if my patient ‘lets go of gas,’ he and I both feel uncomfortable.”

Burke/Triolo Productions | Getty Images

A nursing student’s Christmas list

You know you’re a student nurse when your Christmas wish-list asks Santa for some scrubs, pens, and a good night’s sleep before clinical.

Fancy Photography | Veer

Becoming In.De.Pen.Dent

Becoming an independent nurse means so much more than just performing skills. I broke down the word in a way that reminds me what it truly means to be an RN.

Bananastock | Thinkstock

What NOT to do this holiday season

We sometimes forget to separate our personal lives from our work ones. This can make things uncomfortable when we “act like nurses” around civilians!

iodrakon | Veer

Changing careers within nursing

Dear Scrubs: How do you break free of the pigeonhole of one type of nursing? For example, I have spent nearly 20 years as a geriatric nurse and would like to take my career in a new direction, but I have found it increasingly difficult to do so.

Stockbyte | Thinkstock

Does this experience make my butt look lazy?

Do seasoned nurses take advantage of CNAs? Do they do less work than the new nurse? I distinctly remember feeling confused and resentful as the more experienced nurses on the floor did crossword puzzles or caught up on other work…

iStockphoto + Scrubs

If I knew then what I know now: things I wish I’d known my first month on the job

Now that I’ve been a nurse for mrmph years, there are a few things that, looking back, I wish somebody had told me right off the bat.

David De Lossy | Digital Vision

The nurse curse – how do you help when you feel helpless?

Once you become a nurse, everyone turns to you for answers. But when you don’t know everything it can be frustrating and kind of sad.

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.

Maridav | Veer

NOC – The adjustment period

My body and mind are dealing with the fact that I’m now an independent nurse – who stays up all night!

Top 10 signs your patient may be a drug seeker

Top 10 signs your patient may be a drug seeker

How do you recognize someone who may be seeking narcotics inappropriately? Here’s a tongue-in-cheek list with some serious advice.

Jupiterimages | Comstock | Thinkstock

Thinking about retirement

I’m 24 and new on the job, yet they have me in retirement lectures already! But here’s what’s interesting: They tell me that I can retire a millionaire if I follow their instructions…

Jupiterimages | Comstock | Getty Images

More than I expected

I wasn’t prepared for this! I couldn’t imagine nursing could be so great…and I didn’t anticipate that it could be so hard.

Hemera | Thinkstock

7 tips for dealing with doctors…at night!

I think #7 may be the most important: Develop a thick skin. But the rest of these ideas will serve you well when handling MDs during the evening shift.

iStockphoto + Stockbyte | Thinkstock

Kids say the darnedest things

Turning a hospital room into his own personal lab, this patient definitely has a HUGE imagination with some to share with the rest of us!