Nursing
Health care’s dirty secret
Health care has a dirty little secret. And if you aren’t part of the club, chances are that you don’t know anything about it. Aside from COVID-19, short staffing, and the lack of hospital beds to accommodate those who need them, another crisis has been overshadowed and hidden from public view.
What is the secret? Health care is dangerous.
In fact, so many doctors and nurses are choosing to leave the bedside …
It doesn’t matter where you are in the health care hierarchy
He was in the Ivy League for med school. His dad was an MD, and they lived not too far from this small town. Daddy’s house, a “mini-mansion,” was right around the corner.
After successfully completing his residency, Dr. David became our ER physician. This was a big deal—a big fish in a little pond.
He had an aura of wealth about him. He had an arrogance about him, too.
He was new …
All I ever wanted to be was a nurse
I am a nurse. I am tired and defeated. Thursday, I went to work at 7 a.m. after the strike, only to want to leave as soon as I walked into the hospital. We were short-staffed … again. I made an “aware” which is a hospital forum where anyone can report unsafe staffing, hospital conditions, maintenance, or security issues. My aware went to my unit manager where we had a …
Racism in nursing: a story
I could give you several examples of racism I have witnessed in my lifetime of nursing. But there is one incident that always comes up: Olisa.
Her name was passed down to her from her great-great-grandmother. Her name meant “God’s promise.”
Olisa came from a long line of nurses. Her great-great-grandmother was a nurse, nanny, and an enslaved person owned by some wealthy folks on their Southern plantation.
But the torch was passed …
Seemingly unimportant acts make a big difference
We were reminiscing recently at a brunch we set up. It had been many years since we had seen each other. Eventually, we went our separate ways. But we reconnected once again.
Anna was one of our night shift nurses. She was bright and articulate. She eventually became a preceptor and mentor to many new ICU nurses.
The “night shifters” are on an island of their own. We form a special family, …
The nurse who walked a million miles
Nurses are notoriously tough, resilient, and caring. Their ability to deliver health care with a mindful spirit is uncanny. Multitasking is soon ingrained in even the greenest of this kind.
Go ahead, inundate them with requests, some admittedly regretful, and you will witness amazing things being accomplished with few exceptions. They can be mischievous as well. After all, they’re human, right? Surely the new haughty unsuspecting intern deserves a 2:45 a.m. …
Florence Nightingale. Clara Barton. Radonda Vaught?
Mistakes and errors are regrettable but inevitable risks of the job for any patient-facing role in health care. As nurses, we are trained to report mistakes and errors when they happen. The maintenance of transparency in this way is an important element of our profession, intended to inform improvements that will, in turn, reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of the error.
The context in which Radonda’s error occurred may be …
I have survived every tragedy that comes with nursing
If mommy dearest only knew.
There I was, sitting in the banquet room — a room full of retired nurses celebrating with upper management. They were praising us for our retirement and praising us for our blood, sweat and tears and massive overtime hours with little to no potty breaks. They were praising us for our missed time with our families, like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.
It was nice.
With their white gloves, …
Health care worker appreciation: When the thought doesn’t count
Maybe we need to educate upper management — those multi-million-dollar hospitals with multi-million dollars per year salaried CEOs and board members with their financial perks — that health care professionals and nurses during “Health Care Worker/Nurse Week” in May of each year are no longer in the second grade.
Maybe we need to remind “them” that we are college-educated health care professionals with degrees, like ADNs, BSN, MSNs, RNs, LPNs, educators, …
Nurses are struggling in isolation [PODCAST]
“It’s apparent to most that the dark clouds and stormy waters in the business of health care continue. There is much that needs attention from both health care workers and consumers.
We have learned that when we work together, strength, creativity, and energy multiply exponentially.
We need to move forward and create a …
It’s time for someone to show up for nurses
I have been privileged to work with and learn from some of the best. Skilled, talented, giving, compassionate human beings who support their patients and each other. I have been pulled up by nurses who saw more in me than I saw in myself. I have been mentored by them and am a much better nurse practitioner because of what I’ve learned from them. I’ve also had the privilege to …
Why a nurse should not go to jail
I recently wrote a letter to the Davidson County, TN judge who will sentence RaDonda Vaught, a former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse convicted on two felony counts in the 2017 death of a patient. RaDonda faces up to 12 years in prison for her role in a complex chain of events that led to the death of Charlene Murphey. I shared my belief that incarcerating Ms. Vaught will not …
Lesson learned: Pick your battles
It was a known fact — I was 4′ 11″ but I had a mouth on me to compensate. I was loud and noisy. Fellow nurses called me the “rebel without a cause.”
But I had a cause.
I knew I was David against Goliath. Almost everything became my cause. And I verbally fought my way through this iron-clad management structure.
I had to fight for the betterment of the patients, their survival, …
A mother’s advice to her physician son
I hope this finds you well. Today, I took some time shopping for a new outfit to wear to the upcoming festivities marking the end of your emergency medicine residency. We have celebrated many educational milestones over the years, haven’t we?
It seems like only yesterday that you started the third year of medical school. I remember the anticipation and pressure associated with moving out of the sim[ulation] lab and beginning …
How to maintain your relationships during nursing school
Maintaining a relationship during nursing school takes some effort. Your time is taken up by studying, classes, clinicals and labs. Oh, did I mention studying? At the end of the day, there is just not much time left for significant others. Now, I am referring to romantic relationships here, but the same concept also applies to friendships.
I’ve put together a list of tips from my own experience to hopefully give …
A tale of 2 nurses
There is no denying that we live and work in some extraordinarily trying times. Cast your eyes in the direction of any streaming news source, and another breaking story that describes the catastrophic dumpster fire of the current state of the U.S. health care industry will jump out at you.
The weight of this downward spiral, coupled with staggering workloads, makes it almost impossible for those struggling in the front lines …
Death of a nurse: a soliloquy
It’s not what you think. It’s not my actual mortality.
It’s that emotional death.
Of being a nurse.
If you’ve never been a nurse. Then you will never know.
It’s that’s giving of yourself: heart and soul.
Constantly and forever.
It’s not being with your family for Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas.
It’s not being able to go to the bathroom or even take a 30-minute break in 12 to 13 hours.
It’s being surrounded by bully nurses …
Nurses are in need of racial healing
In a recent survey of nurses (n=5,600), 63% of respondents reported having experienced racism in the workplace. These racist acts were mainly done by peers (66%) or a manager or supervisor (60%). Such widespread racism should send shockwaves throughout a profession known for its caring and compassion. These findings outlined in a report from the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing are a …
From the prison of my job to freedom
It became a prison to me — impending doom.
I knew I had only three months left before I could retire. Three months isn’t long, but it is a lifetime away.
That long drive to work in that heavy highway traffic where there was always a collision. The anxiety of the drive knowing all along there was even more anxiety to come.
The patients that were involuntarily committed — forever schizophrenics and bipolar, …
Past Week
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Gender affirming care: a matter for the Supreme Court or a matter for a medical malpractice court?
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From strawberries to stethoscopes: lessons in humanity from a future oncologist
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The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
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The hidden grief of Black fathers after pregnancy loss
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Mindset matters: a doctor’s New Year resolutions
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Doctors reveal the unspoken toll of shame and sacrifice in medicine
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Past 6 Months
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Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
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The ER doctor who became the new PCP
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Medicare’s decision to stop telehealth coverage in 2025: an urgent call to action
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When the caregiver becomes the patient: lessons from my experiences in the health care system
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Why the public’s anger at a health care CEO’s death speaks volumes
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I knew hospitals were not taking good care of doctors. But when I became a patient, I experienced it.
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Recent Posts
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Mindset matters: a doctor’s New Year resolutions
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How to find your purpose in a joyful way [PODCAST]
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Finding voices with AI: a call to developers, administrators, and corporations to support ethical speech therapy
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Past Week
-
Gender affirming care: a matter for the Supreme Court or a matter for a medical malpractice court?
-
From strawberries to stethoscopes: lessons in humanity from a future oncologist
-
The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
-
The hidden grief of Black fathers after pregnancy loss
-
Mindset matters: a doctor’s New Year resolutions
-
Doctors reveal the unspoken toll of shame and sacrifice in medicine
-
Past 6 Months
-
Pay for performance and shared savings are good, but they’re not the solution
-
The ER doctor who became the new PCP
-
Medicare’s decision to stop telehealth coverage in 2025: an urgent call to action
-
When the caregiver becomes the patient: lessons from my experiences in the health care system
-
Why the public’s anger at a health care CEO’s death speaks volumes
-
I knew hospitals were not taking good care of doctors. But when I became a patient, I experienced it.
-
Recent Posts
-
Mindset matters: a doctor’s New Year resolutions
-
How to find your purpose in a joyful way [PODCAST]
-
Finding voices with AI: a call to developers, administrators, and corporations to support ethical speech therapy
-
The heart of family medicine: a doctor’s journey of compassion and care
-
How a systems approach can revolutionize pain and depression treatment
-
States have the power to influence health care
-
