My Name is Susan

My name is Susan, and I'm an alcoholic. I'm also a registered nurse, hold a bachelor's degree in Human Services, and a Masters in Human Service Administration. I have diabetes, a cirrhotic liver, and haven't had a drink in fourteen years. And, in spite of my continued sobriety, accomplishments, and dedication to working in the helping professions, I am still considered a social pariah by many. I continually ask myself why the judgment cast on those with addictions by those who have dodged that genetic bullet is so harsh as to be venomous. I still can't seem to come up with an answer. Read More

Follow us on our Facebook Pages

Help promote nursing by following our Facebook pages: allnurses.com and Nurses Rock. allnurses.com Facebook page currently has 155k likes! Our Nurses Rock page has 407k Likes!

This image caption was provided by our Facebook readers...

Personal Experience after Many Years as a Nurse

I've just recently lost my son (17) after a freak accident where he was playing a pickup game of football during baseball practice (to get in their conditioning/running/exercise instead of just running laps, etc) and he went back to catch a pass, tripped in a rut, and fell, landing on the top/front of his head. Initially, it appeared that he strictly had a severe spinal cord injury due to a C5 fracture... Read More

How many hours per week (avg) do you work these days?

Do long hours of work still exists today? How many hours per week (avg) do you work? Do you see medical facilities in your area reducing or increasing hours? Read More

2013 Spring Article Contest

Spring is here. The next article contest has begun. This time around we are NOT providing you with ideas to choose from. As long as it is nursing related, it will be acceptable. Articles can encompass daily work, past experience, education, study tips, technology, etc. Read More

Your journey (jobs) as a nurse?

How has your career surprised you as a nurse? What paths have you taken you never expected to cross? Have you stayed in one job forever or have you had many? I love hearing about how many different paths we all take.

As for me I started out in med surge and have done that pretty well for 6 months. I am now moving on to Public Health nursing mainly because of having young kids making night shift incompatible. I can't wait to see how my career changes as the years go by. Will I become an NP? Or will I go back to bedside as an RN? Or will I go into school nursing? So many options!!! Where has nursing led you? Read More

Which specialty compensated the most financially?

I am not looking to hear the do what you love its about passion. Given you are employed as a DNP in a state that allows full autonomy, which specialty offers the highest compensation? My thoughts would be family nurse practitioner in your own clinic where you have a full busy clientele, but I'm not sure what all factors into it. Would an acute care make more? I mean obviously your own clinic carries heavier debt, but that aside, which one has the most potential for high earnings. Read More

How to become an anesthetist after you already have a masters?

I hope someone can help, I am just starting my nursing program, its an accelerated BSN-MSN program and the masters portion of the program doesn't have any specialties I am super interested in. If I get my masters in lets say pediatrics, once i'm done and have the requirements (ICU experience etc) can I just go to a certificate program to become an anesthetist or even a doctorate program? I think it would be silly to have two separate masters, and if the program is two years if that extra two years could give me a doctorate. Read More

How do you "leave it at work?"

Before starting nursing school I had no problem managing my emotions. I was happy and in good spirits 99% of the time and laughed more easily than anything. Now I feel like a bomb ready to blow, and it can go either to crying due to sadness or crying due to frustration. Things that never bothered me before in my everyday life now have the potential to set me off with no real warning. My feelings just spill from the hospital into every other part of my life. Read More!

What would you do ROOKIE?

During school, you heard of talk of a nursing shortage. It was everywhere, littered in news articles, posted on billboards, you couldn't get through a day without seeing some advertisement to become a nurse, promising a future with limitless opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people, who needed you. Even your professors dazzled you with stories of their adventures as a young up and coming nurse. Now, you question your professor, wondering why they didn't forewarn you, of these kinds of roads blocks, back when you might have been able to better prepare yourself. Now, you scold and scoff at the lies, the media has fed the public, you know, your truth! Read More...

Dreaming About Work

I'm off of work for a few days in a row, but my mind can't seem to leave work in my sleep! I just thought I would share two of the weird dreams I had this week.

I was caring for a patient who has been chronically in and out of my unit over the last several months and quite debilitated. I wanted to ambulate him around the unit. My unit secretary (who, in real life, I feel often oversteps her bounds as a unit secretary and is a know-it-all with no real knowledge or experience to back it up) told me I should have 2 people and have the patient use a walker. Telling her I knew better than her, I walked him with no assistive device and just myself. He fell and broke his front teeth. I guess the lesson here is better safe than sorry, and don't let pride get in the way of safety. In my second dream... Read More

How do you reward yourself after a tough shift?

Just for fun. Do you ever reward yourself after a tough shift, patient, patient load, weekend, night, etc? I like to get Starbucks on the way home. It's about once every two weeks but when I start to feel frazzled after a round of admissions on night shift it gives me something to look forward to. Read More