Temperatures are steadily rising outside and the comfort of an air conditioned room is becoming tough to beat. And what better to do when you’re inside escaping the heat than to answer some poll questions on StressedOutNurses.com? Okay, eating ice cream may be a bit more fun (and delicious!), but many of you have shared your opinions on our site during the past several weeks. Let’s take a peek at how you’ve responded to some summer poll questions. The...  Read More »

People with depression feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. They often feel like giving up. They need gentle encouragement. Here are some things you can do to help them handle their low energy levels: Assume a reasonable amount of responsibility. Gently insist that the patient do some things for him or herself. Set realistic goals. Do not push the depressed person to undertake too much too soon. Balance the need for diversion and company with...  Read More »

Our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea, has shared her life with us as she navigated the last few months of nursing school. She shared lots of highs—her time at the NSNA Convention in Texas and the joy and pride she took in developing a nursing philosophy, to pick just two examples. This time, though, she shares a low. Chelsea recently flew to Maryland for her first real job interview and recently found out she didn’t get chosen for the position....  Read More »

Employees at William Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak, MI, in need of some summer spending money are in luck. If they bring a new nurse to the organization, they earn a nifty $5,000. Heavier-than-usual competition among hospitals in the area is responsible for the heavier-than-usual bonuses, say Beaumont officials. The hope is to recruit between 20 and 100 nurses this year to drive the vacancy rate below 7% at the three-hospital organization. The national nurse...  Read More »

“Sorry, doc, you should have called ahead. I’ll be with you in about 30 minutes . . .” And the winner is . . . (drum roll, please) . . . an anonymous e-mailer! We received this hilarious caption without a name! If it’s yours, please let us know so we can send out your prize. Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner?   Read More »

When Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA, decided to cut nursing paperwork by 50% to increase nursing time at the bedside, it was an all-hands-on-deck approach. “What we found was that it was the paperwork that was keeping us from patient care,” says Deborah Briese, RN, BSN, CCRN-CMC, who is in charge of Provision of Care chapters for the facility. In October 2007, medical-surgical leadership chartered a nursing documentation team to address...  Read More »

Our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea, has shared her life with us as she navigated the last few months of nursing school. She shared lots of highs—her time at the NSNA Convention in Texas and the joy and pride she took in developing a nursing philosophy, to pick just two examples. This time, though, she shares a low. Chelsea recently flew to Maryland for her first real job interview and recently found out she didn’t get chosen for the position. Here...  Read More »