If you experience bullying from coworkers-known as horizontal hostility-use open, effective communication to get to the root of the problem. Find someone in a management position who is responsive to ending the behavior and will assist you in putting a stop to the cycle of violence. Discuss the situation with a colleague you trust (or your manager) and role play how you will confront the person(s) involved. That way, you are prepared for...  Read More »

Beginning this fall, nursing classrooms will be chock full at the University of Kentucky. The school, which admits 80 students each year (40 each semester), will now make room for 160 future nurses in hopes of curbing the shortage in the state. The hiring of eight new faculty members over the next three years and a collection of adjunct clinical instructors will help the school handle the growth. The change is in response to recent semesters,...  Read More »

Feeling left out as a male nurse? Give Albany-based Excelsior College a try. In nearly 35 years of existence, the school has graduated 35,000 nursing students, 16% of which have been male. That’s 10 percentage points higher than the national workforce average of 6%. To show its appreciation, the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, a national organization aimed at bringing male nurses together, awarded Excelsior the 2006 Best School...  Read More »

It looms large at the end of every nurse’s education. It’s a daunting, intimidating collection of questions meant to test knowledge on anything, everything, and then some other things. It is, without further ado, the National Council Licensure Examination. Or, as you like to call it, the NCLEX®. So, why is the test so scary? Is it the amount of information on it? Is it the reality that, upon successful completion, you are...  Read More »

It is recommended that some medications need to be diluted more than others, due to their caustic natures. When looking up medications in a drug book or guide, you will find advice for mixing and administering injections. Rocephrin, an antibiotic, is an example of a very caustic medication. Some drug guides suggest that high doses of Rocephrin be mixed with lidocaine (a local anesthetic) to decrease tissue irritation, and that each dose...  Read More »

Need a little break? Sit back, put your feet up, and let us help. Here’s a quick dose of fun to help you get through your day. Check out our chat with Jennifer Sheehan, a 3rd-year nursing student at Molloy College, NY: In five words or less, why do you want to be a nurse? Opportunity, smiles, making a differenceWhat one thing do you need to do everyday before your first class? Relax, breathe, and refocus on why I’m doing this.What’s...  Read More »

St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, NH, and Franklin Pierce College recently signed an agreement to create a new program that will help nurses turn associate’s degrees into bachelor’s degrees over a two-year period. The program will help move nurses toward master’s degrees, which are necessary to become staff educators. That, in turn, should help to stem the nursing shortage in New England. Students interested in becoming nurse...  Read More »

When preparing your resume, use 12-point type, Arial or Helvetica font, and be sure to use quality paper in a neutral color (such as white or cream). When sending it, use a manila mailing envelope that is 8.5 x 11 inches so you don’t have to fold your resume. Source: Stressed Out: About Your First Year of Nursing, HCPro, Inc., 2006.   Read More »