Category: Empowered Nurses

  A performance review is one of the few documents your employer creates that formally evaluates your competence, behavior, and overall practice as a nurse. And yet, most nurses sign it, maybe skim it, and never think about it again. That’s a mistake. You should always keep a copy of your performance review—because it can protect you, support you, and, […]

There is a moment on night shift that almost every nurse recognizes. The hallway lights are dimmed, the call lights are quiet, and the steady hum of monitors fills the silence. The rest of the world is asleep, and the hospital feels like it has slowed its pulse. Somewhere around three in the morning, the body feels it. Eyelids grow […]

Recently, MultiCare Health System made headlines after discontinuing its use of Moxi service robots at Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. The robots were introduced with big promises: reduce nurse walking time, transport supplies, handle specimen runs, and free nurses to spend more time at the bedside. On paper, it sounded like the clinical equivalent of calling in […]

In the intensive care unit, we measure pressures, saturations, reflexes, and responses. Outside the hospital walls, we measure trust, influence, reputation, and the sacred bond between nurse and community. When one of our own—like Lexi Lawler—becomes wrapped up in polarizing, harmful speech online, it’s not primarily a First Amendment issue. It’s a professionalism and ethics issue. Lexi Lawler, a former […]

If you’ve ever worked a shift so short-staffed that you skipped water, skipped the bathroom, skipped your own humanity—while being told, “There’s just no money right now”—this one’s for you. Because here’s the uncomfortable diagnosis healthcare doesn’t want to chart: The problem isn’t a lack of money. It’s a failure of distribution. This isn’t a revenue issue. It’s an ethical […]

  (A nostalgic, slightly alarming walk down memory lane) I jokingly say I was practicing nursing when the dinosaurs roamed the earth but here are some things we did that we no longer do. I am sure you have some examples on your own. 1. Unclogging G-Tubes with Coca-Cola For years, Coca-Cola was treated like a medical device hiding in […]

That’s not just a line from a press release—it’s the quiet truth beating in the heart of every nurse, every patient, and every person who knew and even those that did not know Alex Pretti. On January 24, 2026, the world lost a bright light: a man who chose nursing not just as a job but as a calling through […]

  Right now, nursing labor disputes across New York, California, and Hawaii feel less like isolated events and more like a system-wide stress test. When multiple regions are striking or preparing to strike at the same time, it’s not just a contract dispute anymore when nurses are already stretched thin. In New York, the strike is no longer theoretical. As […]

  For many nurses, student loan debt shapes career decisions long after graduation. It influences where you work, whether you pursue an advanced degree, and if teaching or serving in an underserved area is even financially possible. Washington State has taken steps to address this reality through loan repayment initiatives designed specifically to support nurses while strengthening the healthcare workforce. […]

Most nurses don’t quit because they don’t love nursing. They quit because the plane ride is exhausting. Turbulence. Delays. Cramped seats. No legroom. Someone kicking the back of your chair while asking you to “do more with less.” Sound familiar? Somewhere along the way, many nurses start believing that the plane ride is the trip. That if it’s uncomfortable, chaotic, […]