“She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she could fly.” Kobi Yamada If she’d never climbed the tree in the first place, she’d still be earth-bound and unaware of her powers.
Nurses Can Do Anything
When I first got out of nursing school, I envisioned myself always working in a hospital emergency room. That was my passion and my plan. I did just that for several years until I moved to a new geographic location and was unable to find a suitable ER job. So I began exploring my options… [Continue..]
The Write Stuff
Recently, while having lunch with several women, one of them said, “I’d love to write, but I have no writing ability.” I chuckled to myself remembering that there was a time in my life when I was absolutely convinced I had no capacity to write. Then I learned that almost anyone can learn how to… [Continue..]
Loving What You Do
I love being a nurse. I have loved it every single day of the 30+ years I have been in it. Not because the work was always easy or because I always felt appreciated or recognized for my efforts. But rather because I have always known, in a very deep and fundamental way, that… [Continue..]
Create a Nursing Tapestry
When I think about all the patients and their loved ones that I have worked with over the years, I know most of them don’t remember me nor I them. But I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them and they to me and those threads make up… [Continue..]
Tell Your Nursing Stories
Stories, however short, are a powerful way to define and delineate the real value of what nurses do. This piece by Lynn Visser, RN beautifully illustrates how nurses make an impact. “I held her hand, looked her in the eye, and told her the procedure was all over. Then I said, ‘I was there the… [Continue..]
Go Back to School and Change Your Life
This post is sponsored by Capella University. There is plenty of compelling evidence these days to encourage nurses to further their education. And while many employers are either encouraging or requiring nurses to get a BSN, I have an even more compelling reason for you to go back to school: It will change your life… [Continue..]
Don’t Minimize Your Value
I was speaking to an 81 year old physician who had been recently hospitalized after a bad fall. He told me that in all his years in medicine, he never truly understood, until he was a patient himself, the vital role that nurses play in the healing process. I told him that what he “saw”… [Continue..]
Ignore the Nay-Sayers
20 years ago this month I launched my speaking/education business with a full day seminar titled Career Alternatives for Nurses. Fortunately 25 nurses showed up and I am grateful to every one of them (plus the thousands that have followed) to this day. But beforehand, I had quite a few people tell me why… [Continue..]
