Nurses and doctors often accompany people on sad journeys and see people when they are vulnerable. The constant exposure to those in need and vulnerable takes a toll, and when you ignore the impact, you may be cutting yourself off from not only difficult feelings, but pleasant ones as well. You get to have the full…

Nurses and doctors often accompany people on sad journeys and see people when they are vulnerable. The constant exposure to those in need and vulnerable takes a toll, and when you ignore the impact, you may be cutting yourself off from not only difficult feelings, but pleasant ones as well. You get to have the full…

“Put your oxygen mask on first” has become a metaphor for the importance of self-care.  It implies that you can’t adequately help another until you’ve helped yourself.  Even when there is no emergency, this is an important concept. The need to care for yourself is not just for emergencies. When you tend to your needs you’re more…

When you are faced with challenging situations and things don’t go as hoped for, it’s easy to feel discouraged. When it comes to patient care, documentation and time pressures in a busy medical setting, you may often feel like you haven’t accomplished much at the end of the day. The fatigue and feeling ineffective are…

Do you ever get bored with patient care? One patient after another coming in, each unique and also sharing many commonalities. It’s easy to feel like you’re in a bit of a rut with repetition day in and day out.  Repetition with your conscious effort leads to mastery, and sometimes to boredom. It can be…

“Whoa, I’m barely keeping up as it is.  If I slow down, I’ll be even more behind.” It often feels that way when you focus on all the things to get done, rather than on what you’re doing right in the moment. Do you ever rush from one patient to the next and mix up some…