The NCLEX isn’t that hard!
"I went through each question… and I reread the question after I answered to make sure my answer made sense. I did that for every question.. and the computer shut off at 75 questions about an hour into the exam....
Novice to Expert: Acute Renal Failure
Mastering renal failure takes time, but this stripped down advice from practicing nurses makes it easy. Nurses see clients on every shift that have renal insufficiency, so we need to consider it every time we either give a medication, send...
Finding Your Helping Hand
In my last blog post, I discussed the importance of inventorying relationships in order to eliminate naysayers, foster positive relationships, and address unmet needs. When it comes to addressing unmet professional needs, I often recommend people seek out a mentor....
Partner Up!
There’s an old saying that two heads are better than one. This rings a bell for me and I’d wager it does for you as well. We’ll start with a small example. It’s 5:00am and you’re searching frantically for your...
NCLEX-style questions
Forget all the tricks. The NCLEX makers are wise to those and no longer write questions that can be answered by just any savvy test-taker. For example, assessment is always the first step in the nursing process, unless there is...
Addicted ?
On the forefront of nursing care, we are now challenged to relieve pain and suffering while preventing narcotic addiction. This is an overwhelming goal for all healthcare staff. Let’s take a look at the problem. In the 1990s, the pain...
A Tale of Two Deaths
So many healthcare advances, targeted immunotherapies for cancer, robotic surgeries, and so much more. Yet, here we are, still making life-altering and life-ending errors in the profession of delivering healthcare services. How can this science be so advanced and still...
Happy Holidays?
No one goes into bedside clinical care with the notion of having every holiday off. Healthcare is a ’round the clock business, after all! Early in our nursing career, we have to accept that “Yeah, it is Friday!” has no...
#vhd: Heart Valve Assessment
Like many focused assessments, a cardiac assessment requires a systematic approach–partly so we don’t miss anything indicating dysfunction, and partly because there are so many important components that give a complete picture of cardiovascular function. Following a review of patient...
Handling the death of a patient
Whether a nurse’s first experience with the death of a patient is during their time as a student or as a nurse, the experience comes with responsibilities and emotions. It is an honor to bear witness to and provide dignity...