Monthly Archives: November 2011

End-of-Life Issues: Saying Goodbye

Nurses who face the deaths of patients with whom they have developed a close relationship have a personal and professional challenge to confront.

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Self Care at the Holidays

Nurses work 365 days a year, and many nurses need to work on holidays when they would rather be home with their families. Long hours and being separated from family at important times can take a toll, and nurses must … Continue reading

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Boundaries

Nursing is a profession where we interact with patients and the families on a level that is often personal and intimate. Whether we work in a hospital, home care, or a nursing home, maintaining appropriate boundaries can be a challenge, … Continue reading

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Mindfulness and Nursing

Some readers may be familiar with the term “mindfulness“, which is often used to describe various techniques for keeping the mind focused on the present moment, useful not only for meditation but also for more mundane tasks. In fact, mindfulness … Continue reading

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“Occupy” Your Career

With the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in the news every day, there have been spin-off sayings cropping up throughout our culture, like “occupy the present moment” and “occupy your heart“. This movement towards recognizing what is wrong—and right—in different aspects … Continue reading

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Nursing, Unions and You

Organized labor has a long history in the United States, although some would argue that it has seen a significant decline in the latter half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, deservedly so or not. That … Continue reading

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To Med-Surg Or Not Med-Surg, That Is The Question

It is a commonly held belief among nurses, nursing educators and nursing students that a year or two of Med-Surg is essential for the beginning of any nursing career. This initiation into the profession is seen by many as inarguable … Continue reading

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Make Your Documentation Count

As we learn in nursing school ad nauseum, documentation is a critical aspect of nursing. Love it or hate it, documenting what we do is essential, since the old adage of “if it’s not documented, it didn’t happen” is always … Continue reading

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Paying for a Nursing Education

Many of us who choose to pursue a career in nursing do so for a variety of reasons. We may have a nurse in the family, or perhaps we have been inspired by nurses we have known. We might also … Continue reading

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