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Intention is a predetermined outcome.  Remember when you thought about getting started in this profession that you would do anything you could to get into nursing school?  Once you were admitted to school, you would do anything you could to complete the program.  Then when you completed that program, you would do anything you could to pass the NCLEX exam. […]

As nurses, we see the most difficult things in humanity.  We see people suffering, we are privy to their difficult family situations, we basically have a very privileged look into the details of our patients’ lives.  We see their hopes, their fears, their sadness and their joy. But all this does not come without a price.  When I was a […]

I have written on this topic frequently because the nursing shortage is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurse is among the top occupations for growth through the year 2022.  The field is expected to grow 19% between now and then. A 2013 survey […]

I believe that nurses have the answers to the problems in health care, but either they are afraid to speak up or others don’t listen.  So, how can we make change that will really occur? When you want to make change, think about the end result you are seeking.  That is where you start.  That is your intention of what […]

I recently had a trial and while the outcome was favorable, there were many learning opportunities presented to me. Along with 2 other attorneys, I was co-counseling this case.  Though we all are very experienced attorneys, we each had our own style and our own way of doing things. I found as I witnessed their approaches during the trial thinking […]

  A completely unscientific review of the nurses who I have represented for licensing issues shows that the vast majority of them worked the night shift. The areas where some nurses seem to get in trouble are: (1)    sleeping on the job – because they haven’t adjusted to the night shift schedule; (2)    taking Ambien for sleep during the day […]

There are more than 3-million nurses in the United States and approximately one-third, about 1-million, are “baby boomers” who are expected to retire soon. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 1.2-million job openings for nurses by 2020 because of growth and the need for replacements.  Right now, hospitals are concerned and I have noticed more recruitment […]

  A Houston, Texas nurse has filed suit against her employer because she was not given her lunchbreaks.  Even though she worked when she should have been eating her lunch, she was NOT paid for that time.  She was deprived of her break and forced to work for free. This facility had a policy that you only clocked in when […]

When I feel like I am in a situation where I don’t have choice, it’s kind of like I’m in prison.  In reality, I’m not locked in some self-perceived cell.  I know that I actually have plenty of choices.  I may not like the options but, nevertheless, the choices are available. By believing that you have a choice and you […]

When considering the body of all possible knowledge, there are very few things that we actually know.  Many times we don’t even realize that we don’t know most of the things that we don’t know! As nurses, many times we get a brief orientation and are thrown into circumstances that we could have never foreseen.  Since our training and experience […]