• Some Must Read Blog Posts for Nurses

    Mother Jones RN over at Nurse Ratched’s Place has a very interesting blog post for this episode of Change of Shift. Check out those uniforms and nursing caps from some “old school nurses” as she relates our nursing predecessors to the challenges we face today as nurses. It’s a great blog post!! Be sure to read the linked blogs as well. Many thanks to Jana at Reality RN for asking me to guest blog!! (Staying When All You Want to Do is Quit.) I hope it’s a timely piece for those of you just entering the profession. It’s going to to take you about a year to get comfortable in…

  • Preparing for the NCLEX

    Now that school is over and graduation is or will soon be behind you, it’s time think about that dreaded NCLEX! Many recent grads report phenomena such as waking suddenly from a sound sleep with a panic that they have forgotten everything they learned in nursing school. BREATHE!!!!! It’s all still there. You have graduated. Therefore you must have passed. Calm down and relax, you will pass your NCLEX too!!! Many programs have students taking practice NCLEX exams all throughout the program to prepare students and ensure a high passing rate. How did you do on these? Take moment to regroup and figure out a plan. You just need to…

  • Congratulations New Grads!!

    Welcome to the world of nursing! The best advice I can give you is to find a job where you have a long orientation. If you can find one that offers a new grad residency program, go for it. This is a new model in new nurse orientation and is beginning to appear in hospitals all around the country. It’s a year long program designed to support new nurses through the ups and owns of their first year as a nurse. Most orientation programs are six months or less, and usually about six months is when new nurses suddenly feel overwhelmed and stupid. And just at the point where they…

  • Best Advice for New Nurses

    I just posted a question on the Nursing Site Network…. If a new nurse asked you how you survived your first year as a nurse, what would you say helped you the most? Join the Network and give us your best advice. Research says new nurses are the most vulnerable at the six month point until about nine to twelve months. We need to help them stick it out!!! How did you get past this point and live to tell about it? Please share your advice with fellow nurses. Thanks for your time!!!!

  • Article Index Now on The Nursing Site

    I’m adding content to TheNursingSite and have now made an Article Index page so if you’re in a hurry to find a particular article you can find it there faster. Be sure to check the specific web pages however, as there is also relevant information and links you don’t want to miss. As always, if you have any specific content added, please be sure to Email me. And many thanks to those who have asked before they use my content!! It is important to respect copyrights!