A Nurse Reminder – The Importance of Humanity

We are back in the Holiday Season again friends, and the flavor of the month is kindness and giving.

You see it on commercials, billboards, and soda cans. The hospital is full of potlucks and gift exchanges. You may be getting ready for your holiday party and trying to find the right outfit that is not scrubs or yoga pants. It can be a cheery time when looking from the outside of the unit.

But in your department, it is probably a different story.

The census is high. Patients are sick. Staffing is short. There is no time to sit, pee or hardly stuff any of that potluck food in your mouth between call lights and IV pumps sounding off.

We are all busy in the winter. It’s a fact. Nurses wear their fun scrubs and Christmas light necklaces that shine so brightly, but their mood is dark and cold like the weather outside. Your department has run out of everything – no more sandwiches, personal belonging bags or the good, fitted sheets for the beds. Administration is sending out emails thanking you for all your hard work, but also asking you to pick up some extra hours to fill in the staffing holes. It is easy to get resentful and cranky.

These are the days that we see holiday silliness in the emergency department that seems only to arrive in winter – 19 dialysis patients with clotted vascular access in 4 hours, patients with sore throats on a Buy 1 Get 30 Special, and so much epigastric pain (mine included) that it can only be the weeks after Thanksgiving.

And you will get those patients that no one wants to deal with but who take an extraordinary amount of time - the homeless men and women who come for what seems like complete BS. Maybe the EMS call will be for a 67 year-old homeless woman who fell and can’t (did not want to) get up or possibly a 46 year-old transient man who is having a flair up of their chronic thumb pain. I agree, this is not an emergency. This is a waste of an EMS rig. We are receiving a person who does not need emergency medical care services.

However, I want to take a moment to remind us all that while these people do not need emergency medical care, or possibly no medical care at all, they are people who still need care. These are often the forgotten, the hungry, the cold, the mentally ill, and the individuals that our society is failing. They are not getting the medical or mental health care that they need. They are most likely lacking the absolute basics – clean clothes, a place to shower, decent food, and a safe place to sleep.  

**And I hear all of you who are saying that there are lots of people who choose this kind of life and just use and abuse the healthcare system. I agree. There are those people, lots of those people. But let’s just remember that they are still people.**

I had a patient like this yesterday. They needed nothing medically and were definitely taking up a bed that we needed for a sick patient. But as I tried to get them out of the ED, they told me about how much they just wanted a shower and some sleep. They told me how they had been eating out of the trash and scared to sleep because they never know who is around and what they might do.

This is not a person who needed any medical care, but they did need someone to care. We tried to help. We gave them clothes and food. We let them wash up. I led them to the waiting room to eat and rest while the ED continued to provide medical care to those who needed it.

I finished my shift and went home. And I was frustrated and sad. The emergency department should not have to be caring for the basic welfare of our patients. I truly feel that humans all have the right to clean food and safe housing.

And I can’t always make that happen. Shelters are often full. The department doesn’t have enough food to feed everyone a meal. Hospitals can’t be the fixer for all of these problems.

But for what it is worth, I know that I can always try to remember to care – to care enough to give each person the most dignified and respectful interaction that I can and to care enough to keep their humanity in mind even during the busiest time of year.

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse


About the Author - Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an educator, speaker, blogger and owner of New Thing Nurse, a professional and academic coaching company for the nursing world. New Thing Nurse is organized to provide support and guidance to aspiring nurses, newly graduated nurses, and veteran RNs looking to make a change in their life.

Whether it’s a new school, new job or new idea,

New Thing Nurse wants to help with your new thing!




HELLO 2018! LET'S TALK ABOUT NURSE SELF-CARE GOALS.

2017 was a year of highs & lows.

The Lows: Mom gets diagnosed with colon cancer & spending Thanksgiving week in the hospital hoping that modern medicine is all it's cracked up to be.

The Super Highs: Mom is found clear of cancer after surgery & doesn't need chemo or radiation!!! Also starting this little company - New Thing Nurse - & finding so many connections & endless support through our #newthingnursetribe during the harder parts of this year has been a great gift. Thank you to everyone who reached out. You guys are amazing. 

A Personal High: I've found so much joy in helping my clients throughout the past year achieve their goals & pursue their new things. Have a new thing? Let's chat.

so what are my goals for the new year?

These past few months have definitely reshaped my goals for 2018. I have been away from the bedside for almost 6 weeks helping with my mom and am returning to work soon. I'm a little nervous, but so ready to see my ER team again. They were constant supporters throughout this whole series of events. I am so lucky & honored to be able to work with them.

However I want to come back as strong of a co-worker as possible. I am almost ready, but there are certain self-care steps that I want to make priorities this year to ensure that I am my best self for home & work. These past few months have been hard, & I have not always excelled at keeping my head level. Now it's a new year, so time to change up my approach.

None of these ideas are revolutionary, but if I achieve a few of them every day, I will be a stronger person & nurse -

Self-Care Goal: Eat better.

This is in no way a unique idea for a New Year's goal. I want to eat better for my health - eat cleaner, less junk & more consistently. My husband & I want to cook more this year. We bought an InstaPot. We will see how that goes. But the idea is to not just eat for physical health, but also for my mental health. I don't want to count calories or be guilty for having a cookie (I really love cookies). I want to support myself in my food decisions not only by what I eat but also, how I feel about what I eat. (If you want to have daily morsels of self-love along these themes, please follow BodyPosiPanda on IG.) I want to be more forgiving of myself. More on that later.

Self-Care Goal: Drink more water.

I am putting myself on notice for being better about carrying around my water bottle & using it. I am a hot mess when I am cracked out on coffee. We have all been there. The shift is going bad. You didn't sleep well the night before. The miracle bean juice smells incredible, so you drink a few cups. Then a few more. The resulting headaches & dehydrated crank are real. Sarah needs to drink more agua.

Self-Care Goal: Stretch.

Along with working out (which I need to be better about), I want to stretch more. As nurses, we carry a lot of stress in our bodies. We also have very physical jobs. I sometimes come home with aches & pains that make me feel like an old woman. Last year I got a roller, which has changed the game, but I need to use it more consistently. I want to make time in the morning & evening to stretch it out on my new yoga mat. It's time to make the pain nothing but a 2017 memory.

Self-Care Goal: Be more forgiving of myself.

I am a worrier. I worry about my patients, their families, my co-workers, my job, my family, my husband, myself, my extended family, my neighbors, my stuff, my community, my country & the general state of the world. And this is just the short list. I worry about all of these things, want to fix all the problems & then feel an amazing amount of guilt related to my inability to fix the planet.

This is not healthy.

I want to try to be more forgiving of myself. This goes along with being more patient with myself. I am a super type-A, self-critical human. I want to relax those personal characteristics a little. To achieve these goals, I hope to slow things down, be more honest with myself & others, be a better communicator, go talk to my therapist (I love my therapist.) & try some things like yoga & meditation. This is a big goal, which I know I won't fully achieve this year or the next, but if I can make some progress, I know that I will be a better me.

Self-Care Goal: Meditation.

I'm putting it out there. I'm going to try to meditate this year. There is so much sadness & emotional dreadfulness that we see as nurses. It's time to try to learn how to help clear my mind. Did you know that 1 in 10 emergency workers suffer from PTSD? Nurses see tragedy so often that it doesn't even register sometimes. It is so important to take care of our minds along with our bodies to make it possible to have long & healthy nursing careers.

2018 - Let's see what we can do.

I've never been big on being hard & fast on my resolutions. They always seem like rules that I am doomed to break as soon as I set them. This year, I want to go for these big, general goals. If I don't fulfill them every day, no worries. But if I can get a few right most days, I will be a better person & stronger nurse for it.

I want this year to be about building a stronger foundation of ME. That way I can be a strong foundation for YOU. Want to do it together?

Happy New Year!!! Let's help each other succeed & grow throughout 2018.

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse



My Holiday Wish List - Clean Hands, IV Normal Saline & Full Staffing for All.

Christmas is almost here!

Everyone keeps asking me what I want under my tree. My list is going to challenge Santa because there are some supply issues this year, but I'm hoping that he can place all these items under my hospital tree & all the other nurses who made his "Nice List" this season - 

Please make everyone wash their hands with soap & water.

Soap. It's a simple & beautiful idea. Everyone wash your hands with soap & water. Anti-bacterial gel is ok, but there is nothing better than plain, old soap & hot water. Imagine a world of snotty kids, homeless patients & confused elderly patients all with pristine & germ-free hands. I wouldn't be afraid to let people use my pen or touch door knobs. Maybe.

IV Normal Saline

You may or may not know that there is a shortage on IV Normal Saline injection bags. I work in the ER, so we use A LOT of IV NS. It is the miracle fluid. It cures everything from hangovers to the dehydration effects of GI bugs. There are so few interventions that make a universally positive impact on patients. Santa, please bring me some extra 1000 cc NS bags this year.

Full Staffing

Cue Mariah Carey voice - "Alllll I wantttt for Christmasss is full staffffinnnnnnggggg!"

I am lucky enough to work in California where we have state mandated nursing ratios.  These ratios put a max number of patients assigned to each RN based on their patients' acuity or the unit specialty where the RN works. This makes busy days more manageable because you know that there is a limit to how many train wrecks that you may have to take on during a shift. But California is the exception & not the norm. I worked in Georgia for several years & know how crazy the holidays can be in the ER with 8 hour wait-times & ambulances flying in faster than you can count. Some shifts I would have a dozen patients, all with active orders & no help because of call-outs... AHHH! Even with patient ratios in California, staffing is often short in other departments during the holidays making everything a challenge. You've never appreciated EVS or lab staff more than when there isn't enough of them & suddenly everything is taking twice as long to get done.

That's why this year for Christmas, I hope that staffing is full for all departments across the land! May your care team be plentiful & your patients kind.

Now - A GIANT SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WORKING THIS HOLIDAY!!!

THANK YOU to everyone working, on-call, who just got off or if you're getting ready to go in! You guys are the heroes that make it possible for the healthcare machine to keep going during the holidays & enable so many to be home with their families. You guys & gals are incredible & deserve all the love <3

Lastly, I want to thank all the readers & #newthingnursetribe members who have started reading this little blog. I know that there are millions of medical bloggers out there & knowing that you are taking the time to read over my musings means so much this holiday & every day.

Wishing all of you & yours a very merry Christmas!

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse



Nurse Gratitude.

The holidays can be rough.

The hospitals are full with patients who need care, & the staffing is short because of co-workers who are not there....

This holiday season is unusual for me. I am currently with family due to illness, so enjoying doing some private duty nursing & family support this holiday season. But traditionally, this is the time of year when I like to look around the ridiculously full hospital (while I'm doing a million things, haven't had a break & may or may not have peed in the last 11 hours) & focus on all the awesome reasons why I have #nursegratitude.

What is "nurse gratitude"? Great question! Nurse gratitude is the thankful feeling that I get for all things nursing. This can be for simple things like coffee & gloves (essential for each & every shift). Or it can be for things like social workers & child life specialists who make terrible situations more manageable with their wizard-like skills (I LOVE ALL YOU SOCIAL WORKERS & CHILD LIFE FOLKS).  Today, I just wanted to focus on the general aspects of nursing that make me so full of nurse gratitude.

Here is the Top 5 on my Nurse Gratitude List  -

1. Flexibility.

This job has allowed me to travel the world, be available for my family in times of crisis, take classes & start a new business. I have worked full-time, part-time & PRN. As an ER nurse, I have worked ALLLLLL the shifts which has freed me up for many educational, personal & professional opportunities. My colleagues have been able to be daytime parents & nighttime workers, full-time students, fulfilling passion projects & a few have been seasonal athletes while still being fully employed three days a week. There are few jobs with greater flexibility than nursing. Cheers to Saturday on a Tuesday.

2. We have the best stories.

When at a party, dinner out or just a gathering of folks, nurses will always have the best stories. I hate the question, "What is the craziest thing you have ever seen?". Normal folks aren't ready for the real crazy. I usually give them a watered-down rectal foreign body story that gets a lot of giggles & then we move on. What I love is hearing that someone else is in the healthcare field & then getting to compare war stories. Healthcare workers, but nurses especially, have the best, most incredibly, "you can't make this sh*t up" stories. They are best not for general consumption, but get a few jaded nurse hearts together with a glass of whiskey or wine & the night will not disappoint.

3. Nurses are the best people.

I cannot stress enough how generally amazing the people are who are drawn to nursing. I don't know why, but they are the most passionate, hard-working & funny individuals. Almost all my friends are nurses for exactly this reason. Nurses love to help. They are driven by a crazy passion to get sh*t done. No one is better suited for a high-stress, multitasking needed situation. That's why so many are balancing kids, school & a side-hustle. And nurses are HILARIOUS. Nurses can literally be facing some of the saddest & hardest situations that life can offer, but they can make light of it all. I love me some nurses. 

4. Variety.

Have you ever seen such a variety of roles that nursing has to offer? When I meet clients who are burnt crispy & telling me that they are thinking of switching careers, I almost yell - "WHY?". There is an almost endless amount of manifestations of nursing out there. Just when I think that I've heard them all, I learn about something new. Did you know that you can be a camp nurse? Or a toxicology nurse? Or a nurse podcaster? Or an organ donation nurse? Or a nurse historian? YES!!! These are all real jobs. The list goes on & on, but I encourage you to think about your passions & do some research. There is probably an amazing fit (or at least some swag) for even your nursing & knitting interests.

5. We get to help.

We get to help people. Our patients are often in their most vulnerable time of need, as are their family, friends & other loved ones. We get to help our colleagues & communities by donating to fundraisers or working at the medic booth at the health fair. We go home & help our own relatives by taking all their calls related to - "I have this spot on my back....". Our kids & their friends come to us to help with the owies. My neighbor comes by to check in after his hip operation with questions. Nurses are helpers. I live for the helping.

This holiday season you do have the option of just dwelling on how there were three sick calls, two Code 3's in the last five minutes & a laboring mother in the waiting room (where's the partridge in the pear tree?). But why? All that would do is stress me out & make my shift that much worse. Let's choose to BUMP THAT NOISE & instead find some positivity by remembering all the reasons that we can have #nursegratitude this year.

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse