Author Archive, Terri Polick

Annie was always a good nurse, but things started slowly changing after she met Don. Her coworker, Gloria, was worried. Patient care on the unit was suffering and by the look on Annie’s face every morning during report, so was she. Gloria had grave concerns for Annie’s safety at home because of Annie’s attempt to conceal her bruises with thick makeup. Once a bright and happy woman, Annie was fading away. When Annie started going out with Don, she couldn't ... More »

Their eyes met across a crowded room. They knew in an instant they were kindred spirits. The problem? The crowded room is the nurses’ station, and the kindred spirits are coworkers. During the last few years, there has been a lot embarrassing stories circulating out on the Internet about hospital employees who have become romantically entangled with each other. Personally, I’ve never dated a coworker. It just struck me as being kind of incestuous. I always thought dating someone ... More »

In October of 2008, I wrote a post about how to bullet proof your nursing career. I predicted that nurses were going to start feeling the impact of the recession, and I told readers how to brace themselves for the fallout. Here are some words to those of you who pooh-poohed my advice. I told you so. No, I’m not gloating. Times are too tough to gloat, but don’t worry. There are ... More »

It’s that time of year again. I’ve been getting a lot of letters from senior nursing students asking me for advice on how to write a resume. Most new graduates that I talk to think that their resume will fall flat when they turn it into a nurse recruiter. Take a deep breath and relax. You have more experience than you think, and more importantly, you have the qualifications that employers are looking for. Let’s begin with ... More »

Nursing is a tough job. It’s challenging on many different levels. Nurses must have many different skill sets and know how to use them simultaneously. Everyone knows that nurses can take a patient’s temperature and administer medications, but the most important nursing skills are the ones that are the most overlooked. One of the most important skill a nurse must have is the ability to communicate with others. You might think that being a good communicator is a ... More »

My employer recently announced that they were seeking magnet status for our hospital. I have never worked at a magnet hospital, so I had a lot of questions about the process. It takes a lot of time and it costs a lot of money to obtain magnet status, so I wanted to know if there were any advantages to working at a magnet hospital. What I found out was eye opening. There has been a lot of conversation ... More »

When I was a little girl, nurses wore a white uniform and a nurses cap, white support stockings, white ironclad leather shoes, and a blue cape. I always thought a nurse’s cap was her crown. Looking back at it, nurses looked regal. I know those days are never going to come back, but it makes me really sad to see what some of my nursing colleagues are wearing to work. I think that nurses today are dressing more ... More »

Welcome to the New Year. If you’re like me, you’ve already started breaking your New Year’s resolutions. I’m writing this post while eating a large wedge of hot apple pie. So much for my unrealistic resolution about taming bad eating habits. If you made a resolution about finding a new nursing job, I have some advice. There are three things that you can do that will help you land a job during the New Year. Update ... More »

This is the time of year when students start taking a look at which schools they might want to attend after they graduate from high school. I remember sometime during my junior year I thought, “Holy cow! I just have one more year before I graduate! What am I going to do?” Take it from me, don’t wait until the last minute to make your plans, especially if you are planning to enter nursing school. ... More »

I went to the post office the other day and a reminder of the Christmas season was in my mailbox. My employer had sent me a letter, cordially inviting me to the big hospital Christmas party. Unfortunately, I can’t attend that party because I have to work, but I plan to attend our unit party. Going to a workplace holiday party can be a lot of fun, but it can be full of pitfalls, too. ... More »