“Dear Deanna: I haven’t had a lot of experience with removing transparent dressings on IV sites. Everytime that I do, I pull out the IV catheter. What can I do?” First of all, relax. This is a technique that is only accomplished with practice. Here are a few tips that will  help you remove that bio-occlusive (transparent) dressing without losing that IV catheter. It will also minimize any discomfort to the patient. 1. Never pull the transparent...  Read More »

Networking happens every day–at work, at church, at your child’s school, at sporting events, and even when visiting your relatives. People learn you are a nurse and will ask your medical opinion, or ask your advice/direction. You never know whether a chance encounter at the grocery store or a casual conversation at a get-together will lead to an opportunity on the horizon. Watch Out! Even with the best intentions, you must be cautious when giving...  Read More »

“That patient in 310 is soooo needy! He won’t eat, complains about everything, and refuses to ask for help to get around! ARRGGHHH!” How many of us are guilty of saying something like this about our patients? We say it to co-workers, ourselves, and doctors. We even say it loud enough to be overheard at the nurses’ station. Then we wonder why the family seems distant to us. We all have the things that make us come to work. Sometimes,...  Read More »

Real-world nurses bring competency, professionalism, and passion to the hospital everyday. But according to a new study, it wasn’t until recently that onscreen nurses exhibited these qualities. David Stanley, MSc, RN, RM, lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Curtin University of Technology, in Perth, Australia, studied 280 films featuring nurses produced throughout the U.S., U.K., Western Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia between 1900...  Read More »

Drugs are sorted into classes or related groups, such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, benzodiazepines, etc. One of the cool things about pharmacology is, generally speaking, members of drug classifications behavior in a similar fashion. Let’s consider this list: Pindolol Propranolol Sotalol Timolol Metoprolol We would note a certain similarity in the last syllable of each and suspect they belong to the same family. Learn the characteristics...  Read More »

“Who cares about a lunar eclipse?!?” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … Suzanne Conway! Congratulations, Suzanne! Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. They were all hilarious! And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner?   Read More »

On Wednesday, I shared my first tip on how to be “The Man” in an overwhelmingly female classroom. Here are some more thoughts on the topic: Tip #2: Be organized Okay, I’m going to be honest. I can’t find stuff about 25% of the time. The day of a test, I was usually asking friends for a pencil, or an eraser, or something simple (I make sure to return it though!). The night before class, however, I was packing my bag with all the books...  Read More »

Tip #1: Know the numbers You have accepted your first nursing position and will begin your orientation tomorrow. The first few days are very similar regardless of what facility you have chosen. Fire Safety, HIPAA, and an array of educational modules will be presented to you. Your head will be spinning with paperwork and introductions. Once you get through the Human Resources pitch and all of the other regulatory mandates, you will finally set foot on your...  Read More »

It’s been quite some time now that I’ve been working, already more than a month. And at this point, I still can’t get over the fact that I’m not in school! Even though I’m constantly under supervision from my preceptor, it is strangely liberating. For the first time, I don’t have to rely on my professors for feedback. Now, I am the one patients are looking to for information about their diagnosis or prognosis. I know what...  Read More »

Mention to most guys that they could have a job where they could be surrounded by women, make relatively good money, have countless opportunities to make the world a better place, and most would ask “where do I sign up?” There’s just one catch. To get there, you must first go through at least two years of education about the entire process and your responsibilities in said field could mean life and death for others. Still, some of them would...  Read More »