In October 2018 I was lucky enough to attend the Emergency Nurses Association conference in Pittsburgh, PA. By FAR my favorite session there was Assassinations Throughout History: Would They Survive Today, originally given by Joseph Blansfield. As a trauma junkie, the idea that modern medicine has evolved to a place where even some of the …
Author: Kylie
Hot Hot Heat: A Guide to Treating Pediatric Fevers Effectively
So…what is a fever? As everyone already knows, a fever is an elevation in body temperature often due to an infection. Everyone also knows [for the most part] that a “normal” body temperature is considered to be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. What most people do not realize is that although a temperature may be increased slightly, …
Triage, Trauma and Tattoos
“How can you be afraid of shots?? You have tattoos!” -People who don’t have tattoos As your resident tatted up nurse, it is pretty obvious that I love body ink. Clearly, I’m not alone. According to several sources floating around, anywhere from 20-40% of Americans are rocking tattoos today. With the stigma of tattoos disappearing …
My First Thirty Years: Life Lessons from the Birthday Girl
Tomorrow I turn 30 years old and instead of descending into a full fledged panic attack, I have decided to sit down and think about the life lessons that have been bestowed upon me throughout my life. Some life lessons have been happily gained and some I would have rather stayed naive to, but all …
What Your ER Nurse Wishes You Knew
I have been a registered nurse for almost 7 years and in that time I have experienced so many human interactions, I couldn’t count them if I tried. I absolutely love being a nurse and these sometimes crazy, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating situations I find myself in regularly are exactly why emergency nursing is the …
Navigating Through Grief & Loss
“A daughter without her mother is a woman broken. It is a loss that turns to arthritis and settles deep into her bones.” – Kristin Hannah (my mother’s favorite author) My mom was my best friend. Losing her was truly like losing a piece of my soul and I’m still grappling daily to figure out …
Assassinations Throughout History: Would They Survive Today? Part 1
In October 2018 I was lucky enough to attend the Emergency Nurses Association conference in Pittsburgh, PA. By FAR my favorite session there was Assassinations Throughout History: Would They Survive Today, originally given by Joseph Blansfield. As a trauma junkie, the idea that modern medicine has evolved to a place where even some of the …
A Guide to Bali
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” — Mark Twain I have always been afflicted with wanderlust and the need to discover new places. When I was younger, I found this escape in books and expanding my imagination …
Cover Your Tax: A Guide to the Tricky World of Taxes as a Travel Nurse
While travel nursing is a ton of fun, figuring out your tax situation is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that is sometimes not so fun. There’s a lot of information to learn regarding tax homes, income tax and rules for how long you can stay in one place. KNOW THE RULES …
What is a Compact State?
Check out the 2020 updates on another post: https://thewanderingnurseblog.com/2020-compact-state-update/ (Updated 7/21/2019) Compact states are an EXTREMELY helpful bit of legislation for travel nurses that makes working in certain states very convenient and easy! Unfortunately for people like me [yay, Illinois], not all states are involved in this advantageous agreement. If you live in a non-compact …