Your First Years

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Halloween in the hospital

The holiday has been commercialized in order to sell exorbitant amounts of candy, masks, and provocative adult costumes. But it can also be fun in the hospital setting.

5 things I’ve learned in my first month as a real nurse!

There’s nothing like your first weeks on the unit, right? Thank God I’ve had a good team at my side and mentors to support me. Here are some gems that may help other new nurses…

5 embarrassing new nurse mistakes

Nurses make mistakes. Lots of them. Most of the time we catch ’em before they become a big deal. Maybe you’ve pulled a medicine at the wrong time or called a patient by the wrong name, or done something vaguely harebrained that won’t necessarily cause harm, but will cause embarrassment.

Nursing: How do I love thee?

A challenge: to come up with things I love about being a nurse, from the serious to the silly. So, let me count the ways…

A nurse’s top 10 list of “Kid-isms”

Working with children as a pediatric nurse has given me a new appreciation for the old saying, “kids say the darndest things.” As a testament to their great spirit, I have compiled these precious one-liners for others to enjoy.

6 things your patients won’t tell you

Honesty is the best policy — but do YOU tell your doc the whole truth when you go in for an examination? Neither do your patients.

10 ways you’re annoying fellow nurses

Want to improve your workday? Do a quick self-check. Our list can help you figure out if you’re annoying your team — and show you how to stop.

Nursing, one skin layer at a time

Cleaning my hands with a foam that makes my skin painfully peel is just one of the sacrifices I make when it comes to caring for my patients.

Nursing brings out my best

At home and with my friends I am silly, loud, outspoken, and say things that are off-the-cuff. At work I am a calm, critical thinker who doesn’t get my feathers ruffled…

Your First Years

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