Category: Empowered Nurses

… and, in fact, it’s not just nurses but everybody!  I have several mentors and coaches who guide me in my law practice.  Even though I’ve been a lawyer for 25 years, mentors always have new insights to help. Many nurses get caught up in the norms of their unit with the “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” syndrome.  If you are a new nurse, […]

Normally I am neither one to get on a bandwagon nor to comment on anything negative.  Though I hesitated to write this article, I found myself so moved by the response of nurses to a recent broadcast of the television discussion program called “The View” that I felt compelled to write this. I watched last week’s broadcast of the Miss […]

Since when have hospitals become so concerned with patient satisfaction that we now are giving concierge-type care instead of doing what’s necessary to save people’s lives?  We have gone from a society of small community hospitals where the focus was on truly taking care of the patients to huge corporations where the focus is more on making sure patients are […]

It is with a bit of embarrassment that I share this story with you but in my opinion the teaching points are important. Those who have read my books have heard of the man who coded early in my nursing career.  While the more experienced nurses went to his aid, I was asked to watch the other patients on the […]

As a nurse, our identity is so tied with our profession.  If there is any question about how we are doing our job, we take it personally.  If you have been written up or have been disciplined as a nurse, I would encourage you to look at things differently.  View it as a learning opportunity. If you recall, I’m sure […]

I guess I’m a little bit of a techie and just got a Fitbit which monitors my steps and activities. I enjoy watching my number of steps throughout the day. When I was a nurse, I would spend my time walking down large halls to see my patients and back to the nurse’s station to chart. Once I became an […]

It is really sad to listen to the stories I hear from some of my clients about communications in nursing. Nurses talk behind each other’s back, complain about each other and, sometimes, have no hesitation in putting down others, right in front of each other. It’s sort of like middle school. I know I used to be quiet and keep […]

As a registered nurse, do you know the scope of practice? Have you reviewed the Nurse Practice Act of your State? Even with the Nurse Practice act, what does failure to keep abreast of current theory and practice mean? The policies and procedures of the facility at which you work are your guiding source. If your policies and procedures covers […]

It’s that time of year in Indiana, license renewal of the State’s nurses. If you’re not in Indiana, I am sure that you have a similar renewal process so check these out; I think these tips will be very helpful! The Board asks 6 questions in the renewal process because they want to know that you are safe to practice. […]

As many of you know, I have been working a lot on my personal growth for some time. I recently discovered something about myself that I want to share with you in hopes that it may help some of you as well. It’s hard for me to believe that I never put this together until after many decades of soul-searching […]