live healthy, live curious, live bold
“People think death is the hardest part of my job, but it’s actually being forced to keep someone’s body alive far past the possibility for any meaningful recovery. There are worse fates than death.” – Anonymous RN As an ER/Trauma RN, I have experienced death more times than I can count or care to recall. …
Wait…what is a CEN? CEN stands for “Certified Emergency Nurse” and is a certification obtained from the Board of Certification for Emergency Nurses (BCEN) signifying mastery in the field of emergency nursing. The BCEN website states, “The CEN exam is for nurses in the emergency department setting who want to demonstrate their expertise, knowledge and …
As an Emergency Department RN, I have worked closely with law enforcement throughout my career in a variety of circumstances and know firsthand the importance of maintaining a strong working relationship between hospital and police staff. I have worked in huge ED’s where the police department is always present serving as security for the hospital …
As the temperatures start to cool off and the kiddos all go back to school, the season for freshly graduated nurses starting out their careers has also commenced. You guys have worked WICKED HARD for YEARS at this point and you deserve a huge congrats!! You should be so proud of yourselves and know that …
It’s been 7 years since I graduated nursing school and started on this journey of being an Emergency/Trauma RN and, let me tell you, it hasn’t come with a shortage of insane stories. Over 5 of those years working as an RN have been in the ER which has been almost exclusively in level 1 …
When I talk about the subject of Botox and express my love of it, people often respond with “You’re crazy! You don’t need Botox!” And they’re right. There is one huge reason why I do not, in fact, need Botox: I ALREADY HAVE IT! I started getting treatments when I turned 30 earlier this year …
Definition of “sexual assault” (noun): illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant in a position of trust or authority In recognition of April being …
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 …
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, …
“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 …