Archive for the ‘Nursing Profession’ Category

Best In Nurse Blogs: Happy Nurses Week Edition!

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

Happy Nurses Week

As Nurses Week Runs from May  6th to the 12th, I had a decision.  Do I publish my Best of Nurse Blogs post at the beginning or at the end of Nurses Week.

Publishing today allows me to highlight the many posts this past week by nurses about Nurses Week, plus I took my wonderful wife out of town for Mother’s Day last weekend.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

We began our trip in a very sad place however.  We had business in  the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham area.  The storm devastation was heartbreaking.  I’ll be writing about it later this week.  We finished up the week at the beach and had a wonderful, relaxing time.

I read about 5 novels in three days-no personal finance or medical articles allowed. I stayed off the computer except for the minimal to keep things going here!

Please check out the article by Megan Krischke at Nurse ConnectExperts Offer Advice for Increasing Nurses’ Earning Potential.

I was honored to be on a great expert panel.

Hope you had a great Nurses Week, and now enjoy…..

The best in Nurse Blogs:

Running Wildly has a unique makeup application going. Pics too!

Those Emergency Blues writes about the  unfortunate suicide related to a  medication error.

Correctional Nurse has a video on her field of Correctional Nursing in honor of Nurses Week!

Impacted Nurse gives you Mindset Tips-great suggestions.

The Nursing Show features a post on safety tools. It’s not the tool, but the one holding it, is what I heard growing up. over, and over, and over…

Nurse Teeny at the Makings of a Nurse writes about covering your ass… Interesting perspective.  Documenting good care is not the same as CYA to me.

At Your Cervix had a special party!

JParadisi RN writes about no recognition being great recognition sometimes.  Go read it, it’s hard to explain-she does a wonderful job!

Crass-pollination has a giveaway. Deadline is today, so don’t put it off.

Sean at My Strong Medicine has words about a few challenging patients...

Nursetopia has a resource of free NIH tools for most any clinical situation.  No need to reinvent the wheel if you need a protocol or list.

Head Nurse got shaken up….Literally.

Infusion Nurse is also celebrating Nurses Week, with a few facts and figures.  Check em out.

Nurse Story celebrates nursing week-wish I’d thought of that!

The Nerdy Nurse has a contest and giveaway in celebration of Nurses Week! Go, win already.  Tell her I sent you!

Best In Nurse Blogs

Hope you enjoyed Nurses Week, and these great Nurse Blogs and their writing.

Please take a moment and leave a comment when you visit these blogs.  Most of us bloggers love conversation!

Make sure you follow me on Twitter @DrDeanBurke- quick links on the side of the blog!  And let’s not miss a post-sign up for email special delivery!

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Burnout Prevention: Secret Revealed

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Avoid Burnout With an Affordable Vacation

Guest post: Heather Thomas RN, CFO  of a Destin Boat Rental Company

A deserved second day off, but also the second day my caller ID showed the hospital was trying to call me in. They were, of course, short-staffed.  Duh!

I tried to ignore the phone as it went to voice mail; my nurse manager, someone I respected, groveling for extra help. Our unit was full and someone had called in. Again.

I laid in bed, trying to ignore the guilt laden voice whispering in my ear…”you don’t care about your so called friends and co-workers do you?  You don’t give a damn about those patients…”, who I knew needed the extra help.

Extra Hours

There was a time when I would have eagerly picked up the phone and gone in. The money was good, especially for overtime, and there were a couple of years where I raked it in by working 4 and 5 twelve-hour shifts a week. But I couldn’t do it anymore.

The money-who cares!

I spent my working days watching the clock.  I lived for my days off.   I spent my days off dreading my next day at work. I was tired all the time, but ironically couldn’t sleep.

When I did sleep, I would have nightmares about being assigned a patient and then forgetting them and realizing my mistake at the end of the shift. I was cynical. And sick of being a nurse.

Burnout

It’s something every nurse experiences at some point. Dealing with  under-staffing, struggling to meet the constant demands on your emotions and the physical wear and tear on your body from 12-hour shifts spent on your feet, you can only imagine….  And many of you are thinking “Yeah, so what?”

Time Off

Have you wondered why the saying “recharging our batteries” became so widespread.  Cause it’s true-we all need to recharge our emotional batteries.

Did you know that half of Americans don’t take vacations? Are you one of them? I’d say we nurses are amongst the worst offenders.

Why are nurses worse?

  • We are caregivers-it’s in our blood.
  • We can’t say no.
  • Our friends are at work, and they need me.
  • Breadwinner role-I’ve got to work, my family depends on it.

To  treat or avoid burnout,  day or two off isn’t enough. You just need, no,  you  have to get away. But with financial obligations, it can be hard to justify an expensive vacation.

Fortunately, a vacation doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are 5 tips to make a vacation affordable.

  1. Set a budget. Decide how much you can spend for your vacation and begin to put it aside. I’m a big fan of using an envelope system. Label one envelope vacation, and begin putting money aside.  You can do the same with an electronic transfer to an online bank savings account.   Name a sub-account “vacation”-have money automatically deposited there. So, sit down and take a good look at your finances. Determine what you can afford to spend and then set your priorities.
  2. Pick a destination. It can be tempting- fly to Disney World with the family for a week. But it can be pricey. If you don’t have the budget for a trip like that, look closer to home. Chances are there is a destination you would like to visit within a few hours’ drive. A beach? A mountain retreat? Road trips can be fun.  Travel by air these days is expensive and a hassle.
  3. Setting priorities. Now that you have a budget in place, what is MOST important to you? Will you stay in an oceanfront hotel room with a view, or in a vacation rental nearby? Do you have to eat out, or are you willing cook so you’ll have more to spend on  excursions? Develop your priorities. (maybe get a little input from the family….your choice….)
  4. Research. You have your spending planned. You know where you are going, and you have a good idea of what you would like to do. Now it’s time to check  online and do some advance planning. I’m not talking about trying to recreate the Griswold’s European Vacation. Check sites for prices and customer reviews. Make reservations early, if possible. Having a plan in place can help you avoid extra expenses.
  5. Relax. OK, so this isn’t so much of a financial tip. But remember the reason you are taking a vacation in the first place: to get away. Spend some quality time with your loved ones and enjoy your time off. When you get back, you will be rested, happier, and able to focus on the reasons you became a nurse in the first place.

Dr Dean’s Thoughts:

Heather has this dead on.  I see this in the nurses at work, and in many of the women in my medical  practice.  One of the most common complaints is “I’m tired and I have no sex drive.”  Not taking time for rest and relaxation can be so devastating to your physical and mental health.  Having your finances so screwed up you don’t think you can take time off is part of the problem.  Take charge of your life.  ONLY YOU can make it better.

About the guest author: Heather Thomas RN is a nurse-turned-entrepreneur in Destin, Florida. She is part of a husband-and-wife team of boat rental operators at Destin Vacation Boat Rentals, a Destin boat rental company that specializes in helping people enjoy their vacations.

Nursing Career: Pharmaceutical Sales Rep-An Interview!

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Nursing Career Conversation:

A series of interviews with nurses about career opportunities and nursing jobs-outside of acute care nursing.

Sales.  A sale’s job  one of the more high paying jobs in any industry.  And yes, there are successful Nurses in sales.  Many companies in health care use sales reps to market and instruct end users how to get the most out of their product.

Nurse as a Pharmaceutical Rep:

Nurse T is a 10 year veteran sales rep for a national pharmaceutical company.

She agreed to talk on condition of anonymity.  Very cloak and daggery.  Her voice has been changed by advanced electronic gizmo’s…(if it sounds like you, it may be ’cause you’re reading aloud…)


Dr Dean: What is your Nursing background?

Nurse T: I got my BSN in 1991. My first job as a new grad was on the Neurology floor of an acute care facility.  After about four years one of the admitting Docs hired me to work in his office.  I took a pay cut but was ready for regular hours and no more nights!

I worked in the office for about 4 -5 years.  It was there that I was first exposed to drug reps, or more formally- pharmaceutical reps or salespeople.  I was the gatekeeper for the practice.  The sales reps had to go through me to get to the Docs..

I was curious about their jobs, so I asked a lot of questions.  They all seemed to be happy and  laid back.  Having a good time!

I asked about qualification requirements and was happy to find a  bachelors degree was all that was required-which I had.

Dr Dean: Is that was what attracted you, the more casual and laid back persona of the reps?

Nurse T: Yes they seemed to be in a good mood.  By then I was a little bored in my job.  I had been in the office long enough not to be challenged.  I wasn’t quite ready to make the big step out of nursing though.

A marketing job in the hospital came open. I applied and was accepted.  This was a job selling our facility to the community, putting together programs to get the word out to schools and the general public.  Drug reps were also involved in this arena with sponsorships and I made a lot of contacts by networking.

Dr Dean: When did you take the plunge?

Nurse T: After a year or more in the marketing arena several sales reps encouraged me to apply.  I put my resume in over about three months with a lot of companies-and nothing.  I had basically given up when I started getting interviews and call backs.  Overall it took about 8 months between first applying and finally getting a sales job.

My first offer was with my current company.

Dr Dean: What was the training like?

Nurse T: I had a lot of materials in the diabetes area-my first product being a diabetic medication- I had to learn first.  That was basically home study for the first couple of weeks.  I then went to the home office for several weeks of training.  Two thirds of the training was science and background information on the product I was to be promoting.  One third was on sales techniques.  A lot of role playing and learning how to make my presentation in a small amount of time was the focus.

Dr Dean: Did you have a mentor or sales trainer once you finished your training?

Nurse T: No, they just told me to go forth and sell.  I was scared to death at my first sales call.   I was a wreck, an absolute wreck!   I remember it like it was yesterday-I can tell you which office it was even though it was 10 years ago.

Dr Dean: What does being a pharmaceutical rep involve?

Nurse T: I make office calls giving information to physicians and their staffs about my products.  It is informational in nature.  It is not a “hard sell” environment any more.  Offices won’t let you in if they feel you are only pushing a product.  You have to provide them with valuable information.

Dr Dean: How did your nursing background help or hurt?

Nurse T: I was familiar with the medical lingo, although the depth of knowledge required was much more deep than what we learned in nursing school.  And of course I had no sales background-that put me a little behind the reps that came from  sales.

Dr Dean: What are the pro’s for jobs as  pharmaceutical reps?

Nurse T: The salary is great-starting salary is probably $60,000 for most in the industry.  You also get a vehicle, gas allowance, and the usual benefits like retirement and health insurance.  Most reps after a few years are making in the $90,000 + range.

Your pay is part salary and part commission-so the more you sell the better your salary.

You also have a lot of flexibility regarding your schedule.  I have found it to work well with being able to spend time with my kids.

Dr Dean: Would you recommend this job for other nurses who are looking for a career change?

Just a couple of years ago, I would have said emphatically yes.  However the current environment with the changes with the health care bill, our job is much more difficult.  Doctors are seeing more patients  because of dropping reimbursements and have less time to spend with you.

We are also much more limited in the ways we can promote a product and have many more people looking over our shoulder.

Almost all pharmaceutical companies are laying off staff making the environment much more competitive.  There may be other sales jobs outside of the health care industry that would be more appealing these days.  If you want to sell though-it can be very financially rewarding.

I kept my nursing license active, just in case.  One thing about nursing is an experienced nurse can usually find a job.

Dr Dean: What tips would you give someone who wanted to give it a shot?

Nurse T: I would remind them that you are “selling” every day.  You are selling good health tips, you are selling yourself when you learn to communicate with your patients and how best to motivate them.  And remember your clinical background gives you an edge over non-health care trained sales people.

Thanks to Nurse T for her time-and she didn’t even charge me!

My Take on Nurses in Pharmaceutical Sales:

It seems as if the health care environment and the new health care bill is affecting all areas of medicine.  The pharmaceutical or drug rep may be a dying beast.  I now get many of my samples and information online.

The current model  for many companies seem to be  more consumer driven advertisements than live reps.  My patients come in asking for a certain med because of an ad on TV or in a magazine.  I’m not sure this is a better  but it’s the way it is….

So times they are a changin…

If you get an opportunity to get into pharmaceutical sales  go in with your eyes open for the overall direction of the industry-go for it.  You may feel the future uncertainty may be worth it for the benefits of getting away from shift work,  acute care,  and better pay.

My job is to help you to see other career opportunities as they truly are, not with rose colored glasses.

I want to thank Nurse T for agreeing to talk with me.  Her honesty about her profession and potential job prospects in Pharmaceutical Sales is refreshing- or maybe she just wants it all for herself…(just kidding!)

{photo credit dno 1967b c.c.}

Make sure you follow me on Twitter @DrDeanBurke- quick links on the side of the blog!  And let’s not miss a post-sign up for email special delivery!

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Best In Nursing Blogs: Dead and Injured Kids Edition

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Dead Kids and Cribs

John and Joan were soooo excited bringing home their baby.  After two years of infertility workups, needles and probes, they finally conceived.

All their relatives wanted to help out as they got the nursery ready.  John  loved the idea when his Mom suggested using the crib that he slept in as a baby.

“Honey, I kept it in the attic all this time.  Your Dad brought it down and sanded and varnished the wood.  He got the rust off those metal thingey’s so the side goes up and down easily.”

Yes, you know “the rest of the story!”

I am all about frugality, saving money is important to me.

Don’t try to save money on cribs and car seats.  It’s not worth it!

A recent article in the WSJ about cribs, gave me chills.  I’m sure many of us hand down cribs from generation to generation.  We think nothing about, and are actually proud, to use Grandma’s cribs, blankets, and bumpers.

The March Journal of Pediatrics advises that 26 children are brought to the ER-Every Day- with crib related injuries in the US.

Some of those are not preventable-we all know a baby that can barely stand while grabbing on the crib rails one day, is trying to climb out the next.  At least do all you can to prevent the preventable.

Make sure you buy a crib that passes the new crib standards formulated recently by the US Gov. Consumer Safety Council.  Get rid of puffy bumpers, mobiles, cords close to the crib or any other object that might cause smothering or strangulation.  Stories abound of babies getting tangled up in the cords of those monitors and the bumper ties that were within reach.

Grandmas are special so honor her with  her picture  in the nursery, but letting your most precious commodity sleep in that old crib is like a ticking time bomb!  Put it in the corner with a doll and use it as decoration-if you need to make Grandma happy.

Great Reads from the World of Nursing:

Sarah Beth RN: What Happens When The Lights Go Out?

Karin, RN writes a short post about tax day-did I say it was short?

Bonnie RN writes about breast cancer.

Crass-pollination asks you not to be “Nurse Layzee” reasonable request…

ER Nurse Joy, must be back from Jamaica-asks you to remember the tornado victims.

Not Nurse Ratched has a rant going about patients, families and Nurse Appreciation….

Lost on The Floor discusses scrubs and appropriate scrub wearing behavior.  Probably vomiting on yourself after 10 shots of tequila while wearing your scrubs is a no no!  Of course taking them off while knocking back the last two, wouldn’t be too cool either…I hear tequila does that to some…

Nerdy Nurse has fallen hard for social media-mainly twitter-she also wants you to lift up a fellow tweet.  Check it out.

Infusion Nurse has had to use her skills on an airplane...Been there, done that. Though I was able to use the emergency box.

Sean at My Strong Medicine can’t leave home without it….”Will we be born with one eventually?” I ‘ll ask Darwin when I see him.

Nurse Story has set up a journal club. Maybe you should get tips from her and start one of your own.  I liked the part about the beverages…

At Those Emergency Blues a lovely (as usual) and moving post about Empathy-check it out!

Barbara at Nurse Practitioners Business site gives a few real facts about costs in providing healthcare.  Ain’t nothin free!

Please drop by these great blogs and let the writers know.  Blogging can be a lonely craft at times.

And don’t forget to advocate safety to all those new moms you run into. Nurses get asked for health advice all the time.  Use your platform to advocate for child safety.

One preventable death of a child one too many!

(photo credit: tammra mccauley c.c.)

Make sure you follow me on Twitter @DrDeanBurke- quick links on the side of the blog!

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Nursing Career Conversation: Program Manager as a Nurse?

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Nursing Careers

Are you overwhelmed by your work as a nurse, student loans,  and your family responsibilities. “Social life, what the hell is a social life???”

It can be hard to think about the future.

That’s why I’m here.  Here to help you learn about other career-nursing and non-nursing choices..  If you are unhappy in your present job, quit whining and take action.

Action to make something happen. Dreams stay a dream till you start to  plan.  Then it’s a Goal.  A real life target.  Something to shoot for.  You get it, don’t ya.

I’m beginning a series of interviews of nurses in different career paths.  I know you will find them interesting even if you think your work life is settled.

You Never Know!

Nursing Career Interview

In this inaugural edition of Nursing Career Conversation, I am excited to share with you an interview with Kathryn Clayton MSN, RN, MBA, ALNC.  Please listen to the podcast of the interview as well.

Kathryn Clayton MSN, RN, MBA, ALNC

Kathryn is a program manager for Contemporary Forums.  Contemporary Forums is a leading provider of continuing education conferences, mainly for nurses.

Kathryn is in charge of putting together live conferences all over the country each year.  These conferences range from intensive care, to pediatrics, and even leadership training for nurses.

The company tries to choose conference sites that are conducive to a quality meeting for a reasonable price.  Contemporary Forums also now has online courses with CE available for a very reasonable cost.

Kathryn’s brief Bio:

Kathryn graduated from University of Michigan with a BSN, and went on to obtain a masters specializing in maternal health.

After a few years in acute care nursing, administration, and research, she eventually went back to school for her MBA.  She spent time in medical device marketing before getting into the business of managing continuing education for nurses at Contemporary Forums.

Here is summary of my conversation with Kathryn…

Dr Dean: What is your role in Contemporary Forums?

Kathryn: I am the program manager for the company.  I help pick out the curriculum, arrange for speakers, provide feedback on conference site selection, and help with marketing of the course. During the conference, I  make sure the meetings run smoothly.  I support the speakers and course attendees  in whatever they need to make the conference a success.

Dr Dean: Why should a nurse attend a conference instead of getting online training or taking courses through journals?

Kathryn: The conferences allow time for nurses to interact with the speakers.  We frequently have round table discussions with opportunity for engagement of the speakers.  There is also time to get to know other attendees and network with your peers.

We have nationally recognized speakers and we keep up with what is happening in the world of nursing-so our courses have real world value.

My feedback from attendees is always positive about the amount of value that they received from the conferences.  They go home excited about what they have learned and are ready to share information with their co-workers.

The networking aspect is a great way to learn how other facilities and peers are handling problems or issues at their facility and also can be a way to hear about other career opportunities that might exist in other parts of the country.

Our company understands the investment required to attend our conferences and our goal is for everyone attending to feel they received value for their money.

Dr Dean: What are Contemporary Forums most popular conferences?

Kathryn: A Slice of NTI, which is an Intensive Care oriented conference-a collaboration with the AACN- is one of our more popular conferences, but there are many other well attended meetings.  Most of our conferences are 2 1/2 days with pre-conference specialty classes frequently offered. We hold them in great locations.

Dr Dean: How did you get from where you are now-from your initial acute care job?

Kathryn: Like most nurses I didn’t know anything about anything but acute care nursing when I graduated. I always liked business so I gradually became more interested in the management aspects of nursing. I did assist with research grants and projects in maternal health. Each step of my career I met new people and became interested in new opportunities.

I stepped into a sales job-which at the time was a little unusual for nurses.  I also managed conferences which included live demonstrations of certain interventional coronary procedures,  and that  eventually led to my moving into a job in business outside of the acute hospital setting

Dr Dean: What are your recommendations for nurses who might be looking for another career?

Kathyrn: I strongly recommend nurses interact and use all opportunities to network with other nurses in other career fields.  Remember the passions of your youth and try to find an opportunity that will combine your nursing skills and knowledge with your interests.  That’s the best way to have a fulfilling career.

Nursing Career Summary:

Kathryn has a fascinating job.  Unfortunately, there are not thousands of similar jobs available.  Many nurse conferences are sponsored by non-profit nurse organizations so there are other jobs in this arena.  Similar jobs in communications/program management in hospital systems have salaries that range from $70-90,000/year.

These non-clinical jobs require skills you can pick up as you move along in your career.  Always keep your eyes open, learn as much as you can about the world around you.  You never know when opportunity might pop up.

It could be a patient or patient’s family talking about their business.  It could be a co-worker with a great idea.  Nurses learn many skills during their working career-computer skills, hospital infomatics, working with peers, and people management.  Making sick people and their family more healthy and comfortable is an art that is transferable to many other jobs.

Take advantage of all your opportunities.

Comments and Questions:

Make sure you let me know your dreams.  Are there career opportunities you want to learn more?  Let me know and I will do my best to find someone in that field.

Make sure you follow me on Twitter @DrDeanBurke- quick links on the side of the blog!

Friends, I love friends-check out my Facebook page, and I’m definitely Linked-In-use the shortcuts on the side-that’s why I paid my Web Master of the Universe Ben the big bucks to put em there-save you time!


Your Dream Nurse Job!

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Nurse Burnout

“I hate this job! How am I supposed to take care of 10 sick patients-just wait till those surveyors get here-I’m going to tell them how it really is here behind the curtain…

Angry?

That guy in Room 405-what an asshat-can you believe he grabbed my behind. Him at 80 years old….And he DOESN’T have dementia.. and that Dr Jones  shouldn’t be allowed to talk to me that way.”

Your co-worker is rolling her eyes thinking-”hey stupid, you just got here 30 minutes ago-cool it we got 11 more hours.”

Your nursing job:

Do you  think of nursing as a dead-end job?  It’s just a way to make a living.  You work your 12 hour shift and then go home to what your life is really all about.

Your hobby, your second job, your marriage or kids-that is where you get your life satisfaction… a paycheck is the only thing keeping you at work

Or are you the poster child for Mick J and The Rolling Stone’s: “I can’t get noo, satissssfacshunnn?

Can you say depression?

Nurse career satisfaction categories:

I’m going to step out on a limb and categorize nurses, for the sake of analysis your thoughts about your job. No this isn’t gender, sex, or age related category, so don’t get your pants in a wad…

Are you?

  • A Nurse that hates everything about the job,  co-workers and wonders if he/she could just run away…Leave it all behind and never think about it again.
  • A Nurse that just wants a paycheck-you really don’t care anything about nursing- it’s just a  job, and you have no desire to advance in the profession.  But you like it better than any other job you can think of.
  • A Nurse that loves nursing and want to continue in acute care nursing your whole career.  The idea of not interacting with patients and getting that immediate feedback every day gives you nightmares. (you are your supervisor’s dream child.)
  • A Nurse that likes the field of nursing, but to hell with being on med-surg or in the ER working shift work every day.  You want to advance your career.  This might mean clinical training such as advanced practice  or nurse anesthesia,  administration, or  a nurse educator.
  • A Nurse who will use your  previous training and experience to branch into  a  whole different area.  This might include sales, entrepreneurial adventures such as owning a health care related business, or in the health care industrial complex. Or you’ve got a great idea or invention that will help your fellow nurses, if only you could get it produced.
  • A Nurse that has reached your  dream job.  You are now thinking only about mentoring others and continuing your career as is.

But more likely, you don’t know who the hell you are…cause you haven’t had time to think about it.

Like many who are busy trying to juuust make it through the day, you have blinders on.

It seems like yesterday you were capped and penned, now you’re pooped and pissed.  You have 2.5 kids, an upside down mortgage and car.  And your mom just called-for the third time this week,  asking when you were coming to visit.

“I don’t have time to dream, I’ve got to much stuff to do!”

Make a Change

You don’t realize that you can make a change.

Over the next few months I am going to interview and highlight nurses in varying career fields.  Those that are enjoying their career choices and have opinions and recommendations for others.

Maybe, just maybe, you will see something of yourself in their decisions and successes.  Maybe it will give you permission to dream and a desire to get your life together enough to make a change.  Or allow you permission to be satisfied where you are, if you have a great thing going.

What is your dream nursing job?

What are your dreams? What would you be doing if you could make your career wishes come true?

Let me know and I will try my best to find someone who has done just that.   Maybe the journey won’t seem impossible if you’ve met one who’s been there/done that!

(photo-credit Lora604 c.c.)

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