Blog - Page 35 of 37 - Brown Law Office

10 Ways To Stay Super Excited About Your Job

March 13, 2014 by LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. Leave a Comment

Guest post by Caroline Porter Thomas

Hello & Thank you for reading!

A special thanks also to Lorie, for having me.

My name is Caroline Porter Thomas and I’m so excited that you are reading this! I believe that you can truly be happy in your career as a nurse, but, it does take a little work.

The nursing job can be very physically and mentally challenging. Most of the time you are working short handed and there will be multiple times that you will have to handle people directing anger towards you, when things are out of your hands.

Although there are many nurses experiencing burnout, there are tons of ways that you could be really happy as a nurse!

Here is a list of 10 things that I do to stay super excited about my job!

One of the very first things that I would recommend is beginning your day with being thankful, by writing down 5 things that you are grateful for. When we are grateful for the things around us, we feel wealthy, and when we feel wealthy, we are happier 🙂
Another thing that I recommend is to always be on the lookout for ways to grow… become curious and interested in everything. Ask anyone and everyone questions!! About everything, new discoveries, new procedures, their personal lives… ect.
Stay busy in your body, but clear in your head… as you walk say THANK YOU!!!
Avoid nurses that complain… nothing good can come from complaining and it will just bring you down… so you can do 2 things to get out of the situation. 1st say to that person playfully “If you didn’t have this to complain about, then you would find something else ;)” or 2. My personal favorite, act ditzy… Really? I didn’t notice… the complainer will get tired of you and find someone else who gets it (hehe)!
Never ever compare your assignment with someone else. This is a personal journey and you are given the assignment that you are supposed to have.
Plan on ways to fill your body with proper nutrients and hydration!
Find your Creator in the hospital… if you look for love you will find it!
Turn harsh voices into funny sounds to erase the emotional impact and help you laugh about it!!!
Look for ways to spread love to your patients! Look each of them in the eye with a welcoming smile! Give appropriate and kind physical gestures, such as a gentle touch on the shoulder!
Find ways to go the extra mile. If a co-worker asks you to start an IV, Document it as well and check to see if they are on IV fluids and then start it for them! Little things like that will make you feel better and help everyone else around you as well!

Bonus 😉 Most importantly… do not take yourself too seriously! Laugh at yourself when you make a mistake, be easy and fun to talk to and don’t be afraid to ask a stupid question!

I hope this has added some value to your life!!

With Much Love,

– Caroline Porter Thomas

The Truth About Impaired Nurses

March 12, 2014 by LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. Leave a Comment

Many nurses incorrectly believe that the only nurses who end up before the Licensing Board are impaired. This is simply not true.

An impaired nurse is someone who uses alcohol or a controlled substance on a regular basis and to the extent that it interferes with their work. And here’s a sad fact, many of these nurses don’t know that they have a problem.

Yes, there are a fair number of impaired nurses and, surprisingly, the incident of impaired nurses is the same as the general public even though nurses have increased access to controlled substances.

I have had nurses forge prescriptions or call in a prescription for a friend or loved one. I’ve had some steal other nurse’s Pyxis code to obtain narcotics. Others “cheat” the monitoring programs while still using. Some nurses also try to obtain materials that neutralize the controlled substance or dilute their urine so it will not show on a urine drug screen.

I believe that alcohol and drug use somehow creates a chemical reaction in the mid-brain that is so powerful that it creates an intense desire for the substance that cannot be sated. This intense desire causes someone to act in ways that he/she would not normally act so as to feed the craving and achieve the desired chemical reaction in the mid-brain.

In Indiana, where I live, I have represented many nurses who were accused of stealing controlled substances from a hospital. In fact, there are software programs out there that will track to see if a nurse administers narcotics more frequently than other nurses on the unit.

There even is software that can track every time a nurse fails to co-sign a waste. Therefore, your employer is watching you.

I think most nurses would never do this as we are trustworthy, caring people. I think is so sad though that the addiction can be so powerful that it overcomes the impaired nurse’s inhibition and they will do anything to get that substance.

If you are using any controlled substance other than for acute situations go to an addictionologist who can evaluate you and do an assessment on you to determine your propensity for addiction. It is better if you don’t use controlled substances except for limited circumstances such as when you need them after surgery or an acute injury.

Unfortunately, many doctors are so quickly to resort to prescriptions. Most states have a Peer Assistance Program. If you do have an addiction or use problem, the best way to protect your license is to get help. The nurses who have gone through the recovery program have learned skills to deal with problems and seem to be happier and more fulfilled in their jobs and in their lives.

Contact Information