• Nurses Writing Patient Education Materials

    Writing patient  educational materials can be a great niche for nurses who love to write and a natural means to grow a freelance career as a nurse writer.  The following article, Nutrition in Pregnancy, by Melissa Murphy RN, is a great example of solid patient education. Patient Education Patient education is a huge part of nursing. Education can begin with the physician or other practitioner, but the major portion of the education falls to the nurses. Be sure to go over the materials with the patient to ensure they understand. Patient education is best when it’s interactive and not just handing the patient something to read. Healthcare literacy is maximized…

  • The Art of Delegating as a New Nurse

    I absolutely love training new grad nurses. Their excitement and fresh look at the profession transports me back to fifteen-plus years ago when I first started.  I work midnight’s so I have the pleasure of fine-tuning all the information that the day shift preceptors taught. Things I like to focus on are the importance of teamwork as well as the art of delegating as a new nurse. As a night nurse in the hospital, I have fewer resources and there are fewer staff members. Many times, there will be one to two patient care assistants to 15-25 patients. We all rely on our aids, but it is important early on…

  • Nurses Need to Be the Change!

    I recently had the privilege to attend a Zoom session hosted by Lorie A. Brown RM, MN, JD of Empowered Nurses. The guest speaker was RaDonda Vaught, the former Tennessee nurse who was convicted in 2022 of criminally negligent homicide after injecting the patient with the wrong medication. This was after the Tennessee BON cleared her in 2020 and told her they “had bigger fish to fry.” How and why that changed two years later needs your attention!  You can watch the replay of the Zoom session. I encourage all nurses to watch the replay and to share it with colleagues and co-workers. Learn how Nurses Need to Be the…

  • Time Management Essentials for New Nurses

    A lot is researched and written about the major struggles for new nurses. Some are blamed on not being taught in nursing school, and others are inherent in the normal adjustments to a new profession. Time management is something that is always included in this discussion. Time management essentials for new nurses is something that is always included in the discussion about major struggles for new nurses. If you don’t learn to manage time, time will quickly manage you!  You’ll find yourself always working late especially to complete the charting you’re way behind on, skipping meals, and never getting to the bathroom. Your body will be stressed out, and you’ll not…