According to Catherine A. Stubin, PhD, RN, assistant professor at Rutgers University – Camden (Camden, NJ), there is a “mental health crisis in nursing.” In 2024, research from Degreechoices, a higher education research group found that 38% of nursing students experienced depression. That is an increase of 9.3% since 2019. Stubin went on to say “nursing is a very rigorous, difficult, psychologically and physically demanding profession. If students don’t have the tools and resources to adequately deal with these stressors in nursing school, it’s going to carry over into their professional practice.” This is not a new problem, but nursing schools are finally sitting up and taking note. Nursing school…
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New Books Make Great Gifts For Nurses
I have been busy the last few months putting together these new books. I hope you’ll take a look and perhaps purchase one or two for yourself or a flow nurse or healthcare professional. New books make great gifts for nurses this holiday season. I realize having a chance to eat on the job as a nurse is too often a sore subject, but it can affect your quality of care as well as your quality of life. It’s high time to prioritize YOU! With some strong organization and time management skills, it IS possible to improve your nutrition and meal planning. You can even incorporate your family’s meals at…
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Why Didn’t You Pass the NCLEX?
Tips to Figure Out Why and Help You Pass Next Time In 2023, 83% passed the NCLEX, meaning 17% did not. Why didn’t you pass the NCLEX? You’ve worked hard and passed all of your nursing classes, with descent and even glowing grades and then comes the board exam for licensing (NCLEX) and BAM you fail! Now what do you do? All your dreams and plans are on hold. You must tell your employer, friends and family and you don’t even know what happened. And what are you going to do next? First you need to accept that you’re angry, hurt, and disappointed. Go ahead and cry, no really sob…
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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…
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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…
