Last week, we shared a Q&A with a recent college graduate who had just passed the NCLEX®. Today, with help from our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea, we’ll touch on some of the fears and anxieties leading up to the big day. And, as an added treat, she lets us inside her mind for a glimpse at some NCLEX dreams. Or are they NCLEX nightmares? D-day is approaching! I can’t believe I am actually taking the NCLEX. What a weird...  Read More »

On Wednesday, we shared the first part of our conversation with recent Curry (MA) College graduate Julia Tenuta. She found out she had passed the NCLEX® and gave us some helpful hints and tips that brought her to the big day. Now, we’ll take a closer look at the exam itself. SO: Okay, back to the test. What did you do that morning? JT: I got up at 6 to leave by 6:30. On the way there, I ate peanut butter and graham crackers. SO: Did...  Read More »

Summer has just begun and already, recent Curry (MA) College graduate Julia Tenuta has thrown “RN” after her name. She took the NCLEX-RN® exam last Thursday at 8 a.m. and found out on Monday that she passed with flying colors. She’s obviously very, very happy. But Julia managed to break her permanent grin for a few minutes and chat with us about the test. We asked her about some study tips, the questions on the exam, and...  Read More »

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...  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...  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...  Read More »

Ah, graduation. It’s a time to sit back, relax, and celebrate all your hard work. Ah, the NCLEX-RN®. Gulp. It’s a time to sit up straight, get serious, and put in all your hard work. Life’s like that, isn’t it? You pass one hurdle and there’s another one staring you in the face. Anyway, many of you will be taking the NCLEX this summer and we’re here to provide some help courtesy of Stressed Out About...  Read More »

The first four months of a new graduate nurse’s job can be stressful, to say the least. Trying to fit into a new facility, trying to remember everything from nursing school, and trying to stay awake during those long shifts are all tall tasks in themselves. A little help, a gift, would be nice. At the Seton Family of Hospitals in Central Texas, that gift now comes in the form of the Versant RN Residency Program. “Hospitals all...  Read More »

It is understandable to be nervous about dealing with a doctor. And it’s understandable to be nervous about calling a doctor. But, with any nurse-physician interaction, there is something important to keep in mind: You may be nervous (or you may not even like the doctor) but you are contacting them on behalf of your patient. You are the patient advocate, and you want to make sure patients receive the best care possible. I learned how...  Read More »

Catherine Miller, RN, founder and president of Children of the World, a non-profit organization that built and funds an orphanage in Ethiopia, has met lots of people around the globe. “There are all kinds of people doing wonderful things,” she says. “But so often, it seems to be nurses. Nurses are always involved.” Miller couldn’t help but get involved. After 17 years working as a labor and delivery nurse in...  Read More »