Nurse Curse

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How do I deal with friends calling for a diagnosis?

The funniest requests are always things like rashes three states away…

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Nurses and their sixth sense

You know the feeling. It’s like a hunch, or an instinct. And it’s nothing you can learn in nursing school.

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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!

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Do nurses really know everything?

Although it sounds as though I’m complaining, I do feel truly honored that my friends, family, and complete strangers trust me and ask my advice.

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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.

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A nurse’s subconscious mind

There are just some things civilians will never understand – your brain just gets ‘re-wired’ after years of nursing. Here are 12 ways I’ve changed since I’ve become a nurse.

What’s your nurse curse?

What’s your nurse curse?

Medical knowledge can give you the edge when it comes to your family’s health. It can also be a curse—in more ways than one. Relatives call for a second opinion after seeing their doctors. Friends want free medical advice. Strangers, upon learning your profession, give TMI.

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When is a nurse not a nurse?

When are you not a nurse? When are you just you? When do you get to be unprofessional and just let loose? When is it your turn to live it up and go crazy?

Is it just me?

Is it just me?

So why is it when I’m NOT at work – work follows me home?? Do you hear EKG monitor alarms when you’re home, too?

A cloudy forecast at work?

A cloudy forecast at work?

It’s an inside joke among nurses, really. Cloudy days mean that drama isn’t far behind. Here, my nurse curse follows me from Trauma to Recovery to the ICU.

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Sometimes being a nurse is a curse

When we get sick, not only do we postpone medical treatment, but we continue to work. We show up at work at half speed, hoping for the best, when in reality we’re not doing anyone any good. The guilt of calling off is an amazing thing, isn’t it?

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You’re a nurse, right?

Why are his hands swollen?! What does this bump mean? These are the somewhat arbitrary but sometimes serious questions I get asked from my ‘non-medical’ friends and family.

When your child is the patient

When your child is the patient

Sometimes it’s better not to be a nurse. You just know…too much.

Nurses, take care of yourselves

Nurses, take care of yourselves

Here are 8 rules for nurses to live by. By taking care of yourselves, you are giving the greatest gift to those you love and to your patients.

Hypochondriac? Or am I getting sick?

Hypochondriac? Or am I getting sick?

Sometimes having a little knowledge is dangerous…consider all those patients who “google” their disease and come up with crazy diagnoses. But having too much knowledge can be just as dangerous.