Starting this January, we’re inviting you to come on a little journey with us and meet a new friend of ours. Our new friend is like many of you-or at least in a place where many of you have been in your lives. She is a new nursing graduate. She has experienced the dizzying highs and the devastating lows of becoming a certified, scrub-wearing, coffee-guzzling, bedside healthcare provider. Now, without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to Joye:...  Read More »

The need for new nurses in Arizona has Tucson Medical Center (TMC) looking in creative places-including its own kitchen-for new RNs. Eighteen students recently graduated from a program that trains non-clinical staff who work at TMC to become nurses. Cooks, schedulers, and radio technicians, for example, made the switch. In exchange for free nursing classes at the hospital, these new nurses are expected to work at TMC for a number of years. That number varies...  Read More »

Starting this January, we’re inviting you to come on a little journey with us and meet a new friend of ours. Our new friend is like many of you–or at least in a place where many of you have been in your lives. She is a new nursing graduate. She has experienced the dizzying highs and the devastating lows of becoming a certified, scrub-wearing, coffee-guzzling, bedside healthcare provider. Now, without further ado, we’d like to introduce you...  Read More »

Documentation is a serious business. It demonstrates excellent patient care and can be your saving grace when legal issues occasionally rise to the surface. But sometimes, a chart can make you laugh. From entries as bizarre as a patient refusing an autopsy to a woman being numb from her toes down, you can find some funny stuff on a chart. A friend sent us this list of 25 gut-busters and we had to pass them along. Enjoy. And, in case you were wondering, these...  Read More »

Remember your first day on the job as a new nurse? The eagerness you exhibited as you apprehensively approached your first patient? The excitement you felt as you began working in your chosen career? Was there someone there to guide you through the nerves you experienced? Someone you could approach for direction or guidance or to help you manage your first difficult patient load? Today’s nurses enter an acute care environment with rigid and complex processes,...  Read More »

Once you have completed your research on the organization in which you are interested, you can sit down and write a custom cover letter. Here are some tips on creating a solid one: Always address the letter to the appropriate individual. If you do not know his or her name and title, call the organization and ask. Always limit the cover letter to three or four paragraphs. Always type your cover letter. Always use the same paper that you used for your resume. Always...  Read More »

The need for geriatric knowledge development is a real one in today’s nursing world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an elderly population explosion between 2010 and 2030 is inevitable as the baby boomer generation reaches the age of 65. Much of healthcare is devoted to the care of older adults; patients over 65 reportedly make up 57% of all visits to a generalist physician, as well as 80% of all homecare visits. However, despite this fast-growing...  Read More »

Two thousand dollars might not go very far when paying for a semester of college. But it will help pay rent. Or an unexpected car repair bill. Or a child’s day care. That’s the thinking behind Flo’s Cookie Jar (named after Florence Nightingale), a fund created by the Foundation for California Community Colleges that gives one-time grants of up to $2,000 to nursing students experiencing money troubles. This year, more students will benefit,...  Read More »

Many nursing students across the country said goodbye to friends, flashcards, and fried food runs in packed cars last month as they crossed the graduation stage. Now what? For recent grads, the time to relax is certainly not at hand. There’s the NCLEX®, putting together a resume, and finding the perfect job. Suddenly, there’s so much to do! We recently grabbed a few precious seconds with one now ex-student from Michigan who was kind enough to share...  Read More »

The need for geriatric knowledge development is a real one in today’s nursing world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an elderly population explosion between 2010 and 2030 is inevitable as the baby boomer generation reaches the age of 65. Much of healthcare is devoted to the care of older adults; patients over 65 reportedly make up 57% of all visits to a generalist physician, as well as 80% of all homecare visits. However, despite this fast-growing...  Read More »