If you experience bullying from coworkers-known as horizontal hostility-use open, effective communication to get to the root of the problem. Find someone in a management position who is responsive to ending the behavior and will assist you in putting a stop to the cycle of violence. Discuss the situation with a colleague you trust (or your manager) and role play how you will confront the person(s) involved. That way, you are prepared for the conversation and...  Read More »

RN is an easy one. BSN is pretty simple, too. But how about APRN, PNP, and DEd? Or CEN and QXLPTV? Okay, that last one is made up, but you get the point. Tongue-twisting collections of credentials-due to various degrees and certifications-are growing almost daily in the nursing world. “We seem to love our alphabet,” says Diana Swihart, PhD, DMin, MSN, CS, APRN, BC, a CNS (clinical nurse specialist in nursing education) and ANCC Magnet Recognition...  Read More »

Beginning this fall, nursing classrooms will be chock full at the University of Kentucky. The school, which admits 80 students each year (40 each semester), will now make room for 160 future nurses in hopes of curbing the shortage in the state. The hiring of eight new faculty members over the next three years and a collection of adjunct clinical instructors will help the school handle the growth. The change is in response to recent semesters, which have seen...  Read More »

So you’re the new guy on the block, eh? Suddenly you’re the smallest fish in this enormous pond. As a new graduate in a new job (or even an experienced nurse in a new job), these feelings are normal. That fear, that nervousness, and that excitement are all quickly put to the test on the night shift. Often, those “graveyard” hours fall to the low nurse on the IV pole. Now that you’ve got your schedule, how do you adjust? Colleen...  Read More »

Nursing school is no cake walk. There’s nothing easy about the classes, nothing easy about the studying, and nothing easy about the finals. After conquering all the stress that comes with it, you pass your boards, get a good job, and ride off into the nursing sunset, right? Well, not all the time. More and more nurses are making the fateful choice to return to academia. Below, one student shares her story with us. My name is Debbie Buchwach. I graduated...  Read More »

Taking tests is not new to you. You have likely already developed some strategies that work and at the same time, you probably have some habits that interfere with your best test-taking efforts. Check out this helpful tactic where taking the question apart can help you select the best answer. It doesn’t get more fundamental than reading the question. You are probably asking yourself, “How can I possibly answer the question without reading it first?”...  Read More »