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Yet Yahoo recently ranked nursing the #1 career for work-life balance. Citing “flexible work schedules, which make it easier to put family first,” and “child care and educational benefits,” nursing tops the list of life-friendly careers. Teaching was #2, followed by Medical Assistant, Paralegal and Sales Professional.

What do you think of nursing’s #1 ranking? Do you think nursing offers a good work-life balance? Why or why not?

Source:

http://education.yahoo.net

Yet a variety of studies have shown that the very act of nursing places nurses at risk for burnout and compassion fatigue. As nurses care for their patients, they too feel stress – and that stress can damage both their emotional and physical well-being.

The Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) program of Ohio State University Medical Center is aimed at taking care of those who take care of others for a living. The program will offer healthcare providers everything from tips on how to reduce stress to one-on-one counseling and crisis management. Trauma specific staff training will be given to healthcare providers in the ER and ICU. Researchers will conduct studies to assess which programs are most effective, and will then make recommendations to other hospitals around the country.

Have you ever felt stressed at work? What do you think of STAR?

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This weekend I was home alone with my four year old.  If you have kids you know how it goes, or if you don’t I am sure you remember your mother or father doing this to you.  Your kids is doing something they are not supposed to be doing, you correct them, but they continue, so you count 1, your better stop before I get to 3…..2, you are about to get in big trouble……3, go to your room!

As I was going though the 1-2-3 dance with my daughter for about the 15^th time this weekend, I was thinking how great it would be if dealing with staff was that easy.  I could just walk out of my office, look at them, maybe raise an eyebrow or furrow my brow and they straighten up.  And then as a last resort start counting.

Here’s the scenario I was thinking.  Nurse Sarah comes to work late for the fourth time in a row.  I have talked to her about several times, but she continues to come in late.  Finally, I confront her by giving her my best look of disapproval and saying how disappointed I am in her actions.  She proceeds to tell that it is not a big deal, she is only 5 minutes late and I doesn’t make a difference.  I ask her to stop, but she continues.  So I start with ONE……still Nurse Sarah tells me I am being unreasonable and I shouldn’t have any concern for her private life.  I ask Nurse Sarah to stop before I get to three or I will send her home.  TWO…..Nurse Sarah becomes even more angry and yells at me.  Finally, THREE, Nurse Sarah please get your stuff and go home you are being suspended.

Then next time I start the 1 – 2 – 3 dance with an employee, they know how serious I am and they stop at two.  How great would that be?

(For those of you that are all worked up about this and already working on your responses to tell me off….it’s a joke, lighten up!)

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My family does not handle blood and guts well. I am the only one who has ever gone in to the medical profession, and so the things about nursing school that are really exciting to me are generally really disgusting and completely new territory for them. So if your family is anything like mine, here are some topics I learned to avoid (the hard way), and some alternative ways to tell them your very exciting news:

1. The details of giving your first shot. They especially don’t want to hear about where, how you pinched the skin, what it felt like when the needle went in, and how you injected it. Just tell them you gave it, what it was for, and remind them that it’s a REALLY big deal that you did it. Along these lines, they don’t want to hear about IVs – AT ALL! My family doesn’t like the thought of needles, let alone needles in search of a vein. I’ve just learned to avoid the subject all together to prevent causing cringing faces, disgusted looks, and general loss of appetite.
2. Inserting a Foley or performing an In & Out cath. For us, this is really exciting, but they don’t want to know about it. In fact, don’t mention the word catheter at the dinner table – EVER. Just tell them you got to help out with a very important “specimen collection.”
3. Seeing your first C-section. When you get to your OB rotation, getting to see a C-section is really awesome. Mostly, my family is cool with talking about natural delivery, because well, it’s natural and a fact or life. But when I came home to explain what a c-section was REALLY like, that was a different story! Especially the details about pulling open of the abdominal wall, pushing the baby out, and cleaning/stitching up the uterus after, and how the uterus looks sort of like a raw chicken. They don’t want to hear that part (neither do your friends…I learned that the hard way too). There’s really no good way to explain it to them other than it’s really, REALLY different from natural delivery.
4. Suctioning your patient. This is almost like a turning point in our student nurse careers, but your family will likely be disgusted to hear about how it works, what’s involved, or the color of the sputum. This has to be explained as another important specimen collection – “kind of like helping them cough” – only….not. And never ever use the word phlegm!
5. Spare the details. This one should go without saying, but inevitably, I end up sharing way too much. Avoid any and all details about your patient’s explosive diarrhea and/or projectile vomiting, or any similar situation, no matter how crazy or interesting it made your day. To us, it’s a way of life, to them, well… they left that behind when we got passed age 4, and they’d like to keep those memories suppressed. Just don’t even go there….

Your family and friends are really excited for you, but I’ve learned that just because they’re excited, it doesn’t mean they wish they were in nursing school too. There are just some things the rest of the world does not want to hear about. So next time you sit down at the dinner table, mind your manners, say please and thank you, no elbows on the table, and whatever you do, do NOT mention theses gripping details of your day as a student nurse. Bon Appétit!

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A good quote can lift you up when you’re feeling blue. It can inspire you to reach your goals. It can even make you laugh out loud.

As a nurse (or aspiring nurse!), you probably face obstacles every day – whether it’s helping a patient overcome pain, studying for your boards, or facing off against a doctor. If you need to be reminded of why being a nurse is such an amazing experience, take a look at the following quotes for some inspiring words.

A nurse’s worth –>

1. Make a bet with your partner or a really good friend that you know you can win. Bet a lengthy foot massage. Redeem with guilty pleasure knowing you cheated a lil’ bit. If you don’t have someone to bet with or if your partner/really good friend gives horrible foot massages, bite the bullet and go to the mall where you can get one of those hour long foot massages for around twenty five bucks or so.

2. Rent the first few episodes of a TV show that everyone’s been raving about. For example, I just rented the first four episodes of Glee. Commercial free and quite delightful, I must say! Watching just the first few episodes can give you enough of a taste to see if it’s TiVo worthy for the next season.

3. Bake or cook something new and complicated and while you are doing this drink a favorite cocktail (old or new) … if your meal turns out gross, at least you will be tipsy enough to not know it. I just took a go at making vegan cupcakes; Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. They were actually quite tasty and I wasn’t even drinking. I couldn’t drink because I had a five year old’s birthday party to go to. In hindsight, I should’ve drank. A lot.

4. Go to your favorite book store and pick out a trashy mag or a book and guiltily sit in a cushy chair and read away.

5. Get a manicure/pedicure (this isn’t just for the ladies!) and spring for the extended massage.

6. Have happy hour at a swanky restaurant with a pal you haven’t seen in awhile. The food and drinks will be cheaper and you can still have your evening open to check out all the current blogging on scrubsmag.com.

7. Go to a farmer’s market or local florist and pick out some fresh flowers for your bedside table. There is something so “vacation” -esque about waking up to fresh flowers at your bedside.

8. Watch “The Real Housewives of…” any city. I guarantee you will feel better about yourself in all possible ways.

9. Most movie theatres have an ice cream store nearby. Get your favorite scoop (or two) and smuggle it in to the movie theater. They always say “No outside food or drink”, but really the ice cream at movie theatres is quite subpar so we should be able to bring in our own chocolately peanut butter fudgy crunch.

10. Sometime around noon, get in your most cozy PJs and pop in your favorite movie of all time (mine is Pretty Woman) and cozy in to relax. If you get so relaxed you fall asleep, hey, no worries! You already know the ending!

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Whether you’re an palliative care nurse dealing with end-of-life care, or a nurse educator teaching the next generation of RNs, any job in nursing can be overwhelming and stressful. Learning how to manage stress and channel it through positive means is vital, not just for a successful career, but for your happiness and well-being too.

If you don’t take time to unwind, constant stress can lead to a number of physical and psychological problems, like poor concentration, depression, back pain and weight gain. It also weakens your immune system and increases your risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

That’s why NursingLink came up with these “22 different ways to de-stress without breaking the bank.” So hit pause, relax and indulge in some much needed (and affordable!) R&R. A hardworking nurse like you deserves it!

Here is the full list of ideas:

1. Become a kid again
2. Share your skills on your off-time
3. Stretch, breathe, meditate
4. Hang out with your funniest friend
5. Sleep
6. Visit the shooting range
7. Exercise your inner artist
8. Cook something amazing without grocery shopping
9. Get back to basics and…hug a tree?
10. Make your home a spa. Kind of.
11. Get your adrenaline pumping
12. Make to-do lists and start checking off items!
13. Get a free or discounted massage
14. Organize your living space
15. Try some at-home (or in car) yoga
16. Crank up the music and dance
17. Build a garden
18. Escape in the car
19. Hit the library
20. Grab that wrench and go at it
21. Check out free community events
22. Go on a picnic

And now…one by one…

Start with doing something you did all the time as a kid…

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Taking a long, warm bath is an excellent way to relieve the stresses and strains of being on your feet all day.

Try a homemade lavender and marjoram bath oil mixture, which has the added bonus of moisturizing the skin while it gently soothes away all your worries.

The essential oils will be sure to induce a nice, deep sleep right when you need it.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons almond oil

7 drops lavender oil

3 drops marjoram oil

Follow these three simple steps to add the therapeutic mixture to your bath:

1. Measure the above ingredients into a small dish or bowl.
2. Mix them together thoroughly, then pour the resulting mixture into your bath while the water is running.
3. Relax and enjoy a long, soothing and refreshing soak.

If you would like to enhance the effect, consider adding a bath bag containing fresh lavender and marjoram to the water. Or hang the bath bag over the faucet as you run your bath, so that the water runs through the bag.

Aromatherapy and essential oil products can be picked up at your local health food store such as Whole Foods, or can be purchased online at Mountain Rose Herbs.

At first I thought that was nonsense, but then I sat back and thought about it. I do take the time to get to know each of my employees.  If they want to sit in my office and chit-chat, I don’t discourage it. If they want to stop me in the hall to tell me about their personal life, I will sit down and listen to every word. I never thought about it as a skill, I was just doing what came naturally…..guess that’s why it’s considered a skill.

But how far do I take it? Should I talk about my personal life? Should I get involved in their lives? Should I allow them to be my friends on Facebook?

This is a tough place for a manager. On one hand you want to be a good boss and help them with whatever you can, even dealing with personal issues, but then you don’t want to become too involved and drag yourself into their issues. On one hand you want to let them know you as a person, but you don’t want the staff to become too involved in your life.

It’s a fine line to balance…being there for your staff while keeping them at arm’s length.

I care about my staff. I know when each of them is down or having problems and I try to support them the best I can. And I celebrate their accomplishments with them as well.  Sometimes they tell me more than I want or need to know….sometimes I do, too.

Guess we’ll see what happens at the Christmas party tonight!

[Image: Somos/Veer | Somos Collection | Getty Images]

Whenever I hear about his, I wonder what brought great nurses to the point where they felt they had to break the law, put their careers in jeopardy and worse, put their patients in danger.  Was it the stress of the job?  Was it an injury they could not longer get narcotics for?  Or was it simply an addiction that needs to fed?  It is hard for me as a nurse to comprehend.

But, I can see if you are in a situation where you are so desperate for the drugs you make that decision.  We are in a place where it almost seems easy for us to feed that addiction.  Imagine if you are an alcoholic or recovering alcoholic and you work in a liquor store.  Every day you have to be exposed to it.

What really gets to me when I hear about this; is the possible loss of that nurse’s career.  Most of them did not do this to intentionally put their patient’s safety in jeopardy; they did it due to an addiction.  On one hand this makes me want to give them another chance to redeem themselves, but on the other hand there are rules, and consequences to breaking those rules.  This even goes for my friend, if she loses her license because of this, it is because of the choices she made, and I will have to support her as a friend and sadly, as a former nurses

As nurses we want to take care of each people that have a problem, including each other.  Unfortunately, we don’t always take care of ourselves.