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Posts from the ‘Nursing Advice’ Category

Sep 13

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Nurses and Creativity

Are nurses creative? Of course it varies from nurse to nurse. Perhaps the better question is: Do nurses get to use creativity on the job? When I was a new nurse I didn’t think so. As a creative type, and a sometimes artist, I was happy to have finally settled on a career that had nothing to do with art. Now I was free to work on my artistic pursuits, apart from any worries about making money from them.

When I was a new nurse, I thought you couldn’t find a less creative job. At times I felt like a robot – churning out tasks, adhering to schedules, following orders. Where was there room for creativity? But the more I practiced nursing, the more I realized that of course nurses use creativity. Give a nurse a towel and some surgical tape and she becomes a sculptor. Give a nurse a tiny scrap of paper and an encyclopedic amount of data to write on it and he will become a graphic designer.

Give a nurse a patient care problem and they will solve it. There are numerous products invented by nurses like the bili bonnet and the Wee Thumbie. Both products were invented by NICU nurses to solve particular problems that they came across in their practice.

Opportunities for creative problem solving are everywhere in patient care. How to get a chemo patient to eat. How to help one sleep in a noisy ICU. How to teach them how to do wound care when they leave. How to teach a newly diagnosed diabetic what to eat. These things take creative problem solving skills to a new level. And nurses do it on the fly.

Do you get to use creativity in your job as a nurse?

For more thoughts on creativity in nursing, I recommend following Creative RN on twitter.

Aug 7

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Can a Nurse be Introverted?

I recently read the book “Quiet” by Susan Cain. If you haven’t read the book but are interested in the whole introversion vs. extroversion personality type, I highly recommend it. I’m an introvert and I wish I could have read it 20 years ago, if only to make me feel more comfortable inside my introverted skin.

The book dispels the myth that introverts are these shy, meek people. Rather, they are simply people that thrive in situations that are quiet, solitary, and interruption free. On the other hand, extroverts tend to thrive in group settings, and are adept at handling the many types of interruptions and stimulation that are thrust upon them.

Interruptions? Group settings? Sounds like an extrovert would thrive at nursing. So where does that leave us introverts?

I came across this interesting thread on the topic. I found it interesting because although it predated the Cain book, a few of the nurses were very aware that introversion does not mean shyness, or a lack of confidence; rather it involves levels of social stimulation. Some suggested that ICU, OR, or even school nursing would be tolerable for introverts.

But all of these suggestions don’t take into account that just about any nurse job involves being around people most of the time, and constantly fielding interruptions. Both factors that make an introvert want to pull her hair out.

My advice to the nurse introvert? Go eat lunch by yourself. Find a quite corner somewhere. The chapel, perhaps. Or go outside if the weather permits. An hour of solitude can go along way in re-energizing you for the rest of the shift. But be prepared. Nurses tend to be act in a tribal way, so you may find yourself gingerly explaining that you want to be alone, and you don’t mean to be antisocial.

Also consider the night shift. I used to dread bouncing back and forth from AM to PM shifts, but sometimes the night shifts could be really quite peaceful, without all the interruptions that occur during the day.

In a perfect world we could all find careers that suit our every personality need. In this imperfect world, I believe an introverted nurse can be a happy nurse if he just takes the time to respect his introversion and give it the occasional solitude that it requires.

Feb 27

The Latest in CPR Techniques

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(Foreman performs the life saving “titty twister technique” after House OD’s on methadone)

Renewed my CPR today. In the beginning I was so blase about it. I couldn’t believe that the content could actually take up 4 hours and I complained about it. But once I was there I had a better attitude because I remembered that this is pretty important stuff, and so it’s important to practice and brush up on your skills every once in awhile. By the end of the class I was really starting to thing that I am ready to go back. I’m not afraid. It’s going to be a good thing. Oh sure there will be some tough days (and nights) but I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.

A couple surprises, though:

1. They didn’t mention the Stayin Alive factor. Something I find incredibly useful in keeping pace.

2. They didn’t mention the “titty twister method.” For those of you unfamilliar with this it was on House last week. House went into respiratory arrest and Foreman brought him back with an heroic titty twister. My initial thought? This would be perfect for those who like to fake seizures.