Mass Shootings and Trauma -- the New Normal
Mass shootings and similar tragic events are so frequent here in the United States that they appear to be the new normal. There were apparently more than 250 mass shootings in the U.S. in the first 9 months of 2017. As nurses and healthcare professionals, how do we cope, respond, and prepare for such seemingly commonplace yet traumatic events?Mass shootings are generally defined as events wherein a minimum of four people are injured or killed, and by this definition, an event with three people shot is not considered a mass casualty. So if we changed the definition, these situations would be even more statistically frequent...
Source: Digital Doorway - October 10, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: crisis debriefing healthcare nurse nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
For Nurses, " Just " Is A Four-Letter Word
If you ' re a nurse, when was the last time you said, "Oh, I ' m just a nurse" or "I ' m not really an expert--I ' m just a nurse" ? If you stop to think about it, what are you really saying when you deny your expertise? Words are powerful, and the words we use to describe ourselves can have far-reaching effects -- for others, and within our own psyches.For a number of years, I ' ve used the soapbox of this blog to cajole nurses to embrace their nurse identity while also embracing their individual and collective value as skilled clinicians.Like I ' ve said before, nurses have been voted the most trusted professionals in th...
Source: Digital Doorway - October 2, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurse identity nurses nursing nursing identity Source Type: blogs
Nurse Be Nimble, Nurse Be Quick
The notion ofpivoting in your nursing career isn ' t a new one, and that readiness to pivot can emerge emerges from a nimbleness of mind and a willingness to read the tea leaves of your career. Are you nimble?Being nimble in terms of your career means that you ' re willing to think beyond what ' s right in front of you. It also means doing the work of preparing and paving the groundwork for something that you want -- and if you don ' t know what you want, you ' re at least asking the right questions.Many nurses appear to settle into an area of nursing, rest on their laurels, and think less of the future than perhaps they s...
Source: Digital Doorway - September 25, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: career career development career management careers nurse nurses nursing nursing careers Source Type: blogs
Are You A Nurse Stress Cadet?
Just the other day, I heard the term "stress cadet" for the first time, and I was struck by how very apropos those two words are when considering the average 21st-century professional nurse. Are you a nursestress cadet? If not, do you know one?Most human beings experience varying levels of stress, even under the most normal circumstances, and for healthcare professionals and nurses, job-related stress can at times be overwhelming.As a group, we nurses are generally caring, compassionate, hard-working people who like to put others first. This is lovely, but we can frequently forget about a very important person---ourselves....
Source: Digital Doorway - September 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurse self care nurse wellness nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
The Crucial Nature of Nurse Volunteerism
As the United States grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I am reminded of how nurses ' collective and individual dedication to volunteerism and community service are central to the fabric of society, as well as to the notion of who we nurses are and what we are capable of. Nurse volunteerism serves many purposes, and its importance is worthy of intensive discussion.Viewing the devastation that Harvey has wrought in Houston, eastern Texas, and parts of Louisiana, I want to call attention to the many nurses and healthcare professionals who were on the ground from day one, slogging it out in the wet trenches of e...
Source: Digital Doorway - September 4, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
A Utah Nurse Bullied By Police
On July 26th, nurse Alex Wubbels was working a shift at the University of Utah Hospital. She was tending to a patient who was in a coma; he was the victim of a drunk driver and was badly burned. The course of Nurse Wubbels ' shift changed dramatically when the police arrived.According to Wubbels ' account and police body cam and hospital security camera footage, police officers came to the unit and demanded that the patient ' s blood be drawn as part of their investigation.Wubbels, being a well-prepared and astute nurse, informed the officers that a hospital policy created in coordination with the Salt Lake City Police Dep...
Source: Digital Doorway - September 3, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
" The Nurse's Story " by Carol Gino
Please enjoy this republication of a previously published review ofThe Nurse ' s Story by my beloved colleague,Carol Gino. InThe Nurse ’s Story, the protagonist receives telephone calls at home from some patients to whom she has given her personal telephone number, a regrettable choice that I also occasionally made in those early years. Blurred boundaries can lead to blurred feelings and confusion between one ’s professional and personal lives, and Gino very deftly illustrates Teri’s ongoing struggles with her boundaries as she navigates a particularly challenging professional and personal journey.In 1982, Carol...
Source: Digital Doorway - August 28, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: book reviews books burnout burnout prevention burnout recovery healthcare nurse nurses nursing nursing books nursing care nursing identity nursing roles Source Type: blogs
Nurses Leaning Into Uncertainty
Throughout history, nurses have provided care to those in need despite the cultural circumstances or political scenarios at hand. Nursing care, like medicine, is a necessary service that simply needs to be provided in a society at all times. No matter that bullets are flying or elections are being disputed, nurses are there with their patients even as uncertainty rules the day.Nurses Showing UpIf a nurse chooses to be dispatched on a medical mission to Syria, she knows that she is putting her life on the line to reach the people who need her most under very dire circumstances. For the nurse who does home delivery of methad...
Source: Digital Doorway - August 7, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: healthcare healthcare access healthcare careers healthcare delivery healthcare economics nurse nurse career nurses nursing nursing care nursing careers Source Type: blogs
Be Your Very Own Nursing Career Detective
If you ' re an older nurse, you might remember TV shows and movies with a private eye or detective carrying a magnifying glass as he or she doggedly searched for clues to solve a perplexing case. You might rememberColumbo, The Rockford Files,or any number of shows or movies. If you ' re a younger nurse, you might be more likely to think of Sherlock with actor Benedict Cumberbatch.When it comes to your nursing career, you need to be your very own private eye or detective because good ol ' Sherlock or Columbo won ' t be able to help you with this particular case.So what does it take to be a nurse private eye? ...
Source: Digital Doorway - July 31, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: career career development career management careers healthcare careers nurse nurse careers nurses nursing nursing careers Source Type: blogs
Can You Return to Nursing After a Hiatus?
Many nurses come to me for advice and career coaching when they ' re ready to return to the nursing workforce after a hiatus. For some, it ' s just been a year or two, and for others, it might have been 15 years of staying home to do the noble work of raising children. The question is, how do you break back in to nursing after being gone so long? It ' s possible, and there ' s a lot to do to get there.Acknowledge the LiabilityThe first thing you need to do when returning to the workforce after a hiatus is to acknowledge to yourself that your absence is a liability. A nurse who hasn ' t worked in two, four, ten, or fourteen...
Source: Digital Doorway - July 25, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: career career development career management careers healthcare careers nurse nurse careers nurses nursing nursing careers Source Type: blogs
3 Effective Methods for Finding Preceptors That Actually Work
Guest posts are rare on Digital Doorway, but this subject is so important, I needed to share it with the nursing community. Many nurse practitioner students have a very hard time finding preceptors, and these savvy tips are a great place to begin. Enjoy!Scenario: You ’re a nurse practitioner student who has a semester left until graduation, and the preceptor you had secured for your clinical rotation fell through at the last second. Now you’re scrambling to find a new preceptor to avoid delaying graduation.It shouldn ’t be this way, but unfortunately this is the case for so many NP students across the country-- so ma...
Source: Digital Doorway - July 21, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurse practitioners nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
When the Nurse Becomes the Patient
While nurses have a great deal of experience treating and caring for patients, unforeseen circumstances will occasionally cause the tables to turn, giving the nurse the chance to be a patient. This became my personal reality just last week. Friday, Bloody FridayOn a recent Friday afternoon, I was doing my usual workout at a local gym where I can be found pretty much every other day most weeks of the year. Cardio, weightlifting, various machines, balance exercises, and resistance training all figure in my personalized routine. Early in my workout, I was using thick rubber tubes for resistance training. These bunge...
Source: Digital Doorway - July 17, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurses nursing Source Type: blogs
Elevate Your Nursing Job Interview Skills
Job interviews are a source of stress for many job-seekers, and nurses are no exception. Nursing can feel like a rough and tumble profession when it comes to the high-stakes interview process, and for those nurses who are unsure how to articulate their value, the interview can seem like an insurmountable hurdle.I ' ve discussed interviews onthis blog in the past, and I ' ve also addressed the issue onepisode 18 (Job Interviews 101) andepisode 59(Tips For Confident Job Interviews) of The Nurse Keith Show. I recommend those resources as a good place to start when it comes to optimizing your interview skills and strategies.In...
Source: Digital Doorway - July 3, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: career career development career management careers healthcare careers interviews job interviews nurse nurse careers nurses nursing nursing careers Source Type: blogs
What Is Your Nursing " North Star " ?
Many nurses often refer to the profession of nursing as a " calling " . Being a nurse can become and intrinsic part of our personal identity, and reporting for work can end up meaning much more to us than just a paycheck.There are also nurses who approach their work like any other employed person, with no acknowledgment that there is anything more to be gained than a means to a financial end by fulfilling the tasks required of our position. There is no judgment of this approach to professional nursing, but this apparent dichotomy is worthy of our exploration.Way back on the November 12th, 2012 episode ofRN.FM Radio, Dr. Vi...
Source: Digital Doorway - June 26, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: nurse nurse practice nurse professionalism nurses nursing nursing identity nursing practice Source Type: blogs
When The Nurse Is Stretched Too Thin
In all likelihood, we can all readily agree that nursing is not for the faint of heart. Nurses in many different settings can be pushed to the breaking point, driven to the precipice of burnout, compassion fatigue, and utter defeat. But there is indeed another way.Nurses are often seen as strong figures who can tend to the sick, stand on their feet for hours on end, simultaneously care for multiple critical patients, and document it all like a pro. Many years ago, I wrote aboutthe Sisyphean nature of nursing, a topic I should probably revisit sooner than later.We can think of the nurse as Sisyphus, pushing a boulder uphill...
Source: Digital Doorway - June 20, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: career healthcare careers nurse nurse career nurse careers nurse wellness nurses nurses health nursing Source Type: blogs
