RN – The Nurses’ Lounge

Give up the “guts and glory”?

It is time to make a decision. Money and back-breaking ICU work in an intermittently unsafe environment? Or 7000 dollars less a year in a safer, happier, place? That is a huge salary chunk for a single mother with a deadbeat ex. What to do, what to do….

Lanyard, or badge-reel?

I see both types. Personally, I feel like the lanyard drops into the bed and can be used as a weapon. I like the badge-reel, but the strings break a lot. I also have to wear a shirt underneath my uniform as I am allergic to some metals and the clips of the badge reelsContinue reading “Lanyard, or badge-reel?”

Nurse Managers, be careful of your response

A very dear nurse friend of mine reached out to her manager for support and guidance during this latest spike in the epidemic. Her unit has been short-staffed for several months, and keeps getting worse as each day goes by. She confessed her frustration, anxiety, and how much she cries on a daily basis dueContinue reading “Nurse Managers, be careful of your response”

Enamel pins!

These may not be new to you, but our hospital is going through an enamel pin obsession. These little gems are different from the old, tried-and-true button pins, and will give your badge a little more personality and flair. Some of the pins out there are really clever! **I am not affiliated with any ofContinue reading “Enamel pins!”

New nurse anxiety

I hope you get a good laugh out of this post – and some hope for your own journey. Today I found something I lost 6 years ago. I will show it to you at the end of this post and you will feel so much better. I am snickering at myself already. When IContinue reading “New nurse anxiety”

Wherever you are in your nursing journey – I want to encourage you –

I have noticed a running theme in the last 9 years I have been in the nursing world. And that theme seems to play out in everyone I meet: you must be better than all of your peers. I see this time and time again. Almost every nurse I meet feels like they must impressContinue reading “Wherever you are in your nursing journey – I want to encourage you –”

Another hard day at my dream career

I am in a small hospital ICU as the resource nurse. Now when I took this position, the unit I work in was quite different from what it is today. Then we had 4 beds, with 2 patients per nurse. Our days while sometimes very busy and sometimes quite hard, but they were always –Continue reading “Another hard day at my dream career”