Being nurses, we have to struggle with so many obstacles such as working long hours, working weekends and holidays, and dealing with the occasional tough patient. But recently, I dealt with what I feel is the hardest part of our job: death. I know it’s a part of our job and I’m going to get used to it, but my first death took a pretty good toll on me. First off, it was on Christmas. Secondly, I was the one that made the call to the family. We all...  Read More »

Environmentally friendly people around the globe have gone green to protect the planet. Is it time your facility went green to protect you? A recent study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine conducted among 3,650 Texas healthcare professionals, including 941 nurses, found that recurrent exposure to hospital cleaning products and disinfectants significantly raises nurses’ risk of asthma. According to the The Washington Post,...  Read More »

“Dick, the hospital’s administrator, was bound and determined to get the bonus.” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … “Vicki”! Congratulations, Vicki! Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. They were all hilarious! And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner? Looking for a new contest? Are you a stressed out nurse? We are asking you to complete the following...  Read More »

Our contests on StressedOutNurses.com are some of the most popular features. Students and nurses fill our inboxes with creative punch lines in an effort to come up with a winning caption. And dozens of you submitted hilarious (and real!) baby names you’ve heard during your time in the hospital corridors. Then a few weeks ago, we received our funniest contest entry yet. The contest was simple. We asked you to share some of your most memorable holiday gifts....  Read More »

My sister got married last fall and I recently found out that she is pregnant. I currently have two nieces and five nephews and I’m excited that I will soon have another. My mother used to say she wanted 64 grandchildren. I doubt that will ever happen, but she will likely end up with more than the average grandmother by the time all eight of her children finish having children of their own. Pregnancy is a major event that brings many changes to a family....  Read More »

Tucson (AZ) Medical Center (TMC) is turning several job-seeking new graduates away despite spending $10,000-$30,000 on each candidate’s education. Prior to May 2008, the nurse-needy facility agreed to fund 27 nursing students’ college education, which in turn contracted the students to work at TMC for two years after graduation. Since then the facility has seen rising nurse retention rates and falling patient numbers due to the recession. The facility,...  Read More »

“I guess they can choose between the morning bingo and the afternoon bingo.” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … “Tracy”! Congratulations, Tracy! Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. They were all hilarious! And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner? What’s that? Can’t wait a whole week? Head on over to the newly redsigned StressedOutNurses.com where...  Read More »

The answer for treating a condition that causes potentially life-threatening blood clots may be found in the form of genetically modified goats. If the FDA approves it, of course. ATryn, a drug developed by a Massachusetts biotechnology company, GTC Biotherapeutics, is made from goats’ milk specially formulated to contain antithrombin. In humans, antithrombin acts as a blood thinner. However, about one  in 5,000 people do not produce enough of this hormone,...  Read More »

Skipping meals places your body in starvation mode and slows down your metabolism, which causes the next meal you eat to be stored as fat. Many people are aware that nutrition research shows that frequent small meals is the best way to lose weight—and keep it off—because this pattern keeps your metabolism going and stabilizes your blood sugars. But how frequent and how small do these meals need to be?  Would you be surprised to learn that I eat six meals...  Read More »

Are you determined to get healthy this year?  This is a big goal involving many complicated behaviors. Don’t try and make all your changes at once. You may want to break the process down into stages. What do you want in five years, one year, three months, or one month from now? For some people, exercise is easier, while changing eating habits is easier for others. As a health coach, I start my clients on a healthy diet first. We don’t discuss exercise...  Read More »