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Who knows what challenges a nurse faces more than another nurse?
Nursing blogs can be a great source of inspiration or simply provide a much-needed laugh after a tough shift.
Check out these seven blogs by nurses that can help you relax, restore and laugh:
Jerome Stone, RN, has been a nurse for more than 30 years, so he certainly knows what it’s like to be in the profession and navigate the stress that comes along with it. Recommended by nurse.plus, his blog emphasizes meditation and mindfulness along with other topics, including a recent post featuring a simple list of things nurses can do to maintain a compassionate presence at the bedside. Minding the Bedside also offers free downloads for helpful videos, audio and recordings.
This blog, written by holistic nurse Elizabeth Scala, is also recommended by nurse.plus. It aims to help nurses enjoy their work and care for their minds and bodies. Scala also speaks to organizations about preventing burnout. You’ll find inspiration on topics like “Morning Hacks for a Ridiculously Productive Day,” “4 Tips to Boost Resilience” and “6 Habits That Block Your Happiness.” Each is written from Scala’s perspective as a nurse and is directed toward those in the profession.
With a background in emergency and psychiatric nursing — as well as being a self-proclaimed “cut-up” — Donna Cardillo has two blogs at her website. Nurse Power! is designed to help you “harness the power, passion and pride of nursing” through posts such as “Nurses Are Always on Duty” and a passioned defense of a nurse’s expertise in writing for WebMD. Cardillo’s Motivation Café blog aims to provide motivation, inspiration and conversation with topics such as “Why It’s Absolutely Okay to Embrace the Ups and Downs of Your Life.”
Cardillo also speaks at conferences and other events.
“Thank you, thank you and thank you for the joy you brought to so many in Austin last Friday. I am SO pleased that you joined us for our annual Nursing Symposium and contributed in a significant way to the success that day,” Kenn M. Kirksey, RN, MSN, PhD and director of the Center for Nursing Research at the SETON Family of Hospitals, wrote on her website. “Verbal feedback was extremely positive; and the written evaluations certainly confirm that with numerous positive comments like “she is great,” “excellent speaker,” love her,” “great catch,” “inspirational,” “very fun & energetic,” and “thoroughly enjoyed this speaker,” just to cite a few. The planning team and I are just thrilled with how everything went so smoothly. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Texas and that you will join us again in the future.”
Nurse Keith Carlson also serves as a holistic career coach for nurses and other health care professionals, so his blog is focused on helping you become an empowered and fulfilled nurse. Recommended by onlinenursing.cn.edu, Carlson’s blog explores topics such as day shift vs. night shift and how to tell if your nursing career is on autopilot — and what to do if it is.
In the post “The ‘Shoulds’ and ‘Coulds’ of Your Nursing Career,” he writes: “In the world of nurses and nursing, it can feel like we are told what we ‘should’ do with our careers much more often than what we ‘could’ do. While the difference can seem subtle, it is actually something that can have a serious impact on the career path we choose and the subsequent satisfaction that we derive from our choices.”
You’ll find a heavy dose of humor on the Nurse Buff blog, which is praised by onlinenursing.cn.edu. Through topics such as “15 Funny New Nurse Mistakes We Can All Learn From” and “Nurses and Humor In the Time of a Pandemic,” the blog aims to make you laugh as well as provide some practical advice.
Recommended by nursebuff.com, The Nursing Site has content for everyone from nursing students to those who have been in the profession for years. You’ll find posts on freebies and discounts for nurses as well as healthy eating for nurses who work long shifts. Another post discusses why it never gets easier to lose a patient.
Julianna Paradisi’s blog combines her experience as a pediatric intensive care nurse and an adult oncology nurse with her talent as an artist. Described as “where science, humanity and art converge,” the blog is recommended by nursebuff.com. In addition to posts like “Of Med Errors and Brain Farts,” you’ll find Paradisi’s original artwork.
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