Oh man . . . it's hard to believe that about 14 years ago I was sleeping on a mattress I'd found in the dumpster - not even sure if nursing school would ever end. It did. I survived. I passed the NCLEX. And I got a job in the Neuro ICU right out of nursing school. Today I want to share part IV of my journey. Happy Nursing Jon Haws, RN
Caveat: some people (nurses) might not agree AT ALL with what I say here . . . oh well! I want to share how it is to give confidence to those struggling. We get hundreds of emails a day from nursing students. Sadly, a good portion of them are from students who feel like they should quit nursing school altogether. I started nursing school with high hopes, but after my fourth semester, I dropped out. I quit nursing school. I knew nursing school was going to be hard . . . I mean the whole point is ...
For some FREE resources to help you through nursing school visit www.nursing.com My name's Jon Haws, RN, founder of Nursing.com. Today we're gonna continue the story of my journey in hopes that it will give you some motivation, give you that some of it will resonate with you and give you kind of some background on me, but also some motivation to continue in your journey wherever you are in your nursing journey. Yesterday we left off with me just getting into nursing school, my journey of applyin...
When I think back 14ish years, it is hard to believe just how far this nursing journey has taken me. Sometimes it's helpful to think back to the beginning and consider how it began. Over the next couple of days I want to share with you parts of my journey that you may not know and hopefully some of it will resonate with you. #nclex #nursingschool
Nursing school is hard enough without the fear tactics. And the truth is, there are so many ways that people learn. Instead of saying "One of you won't be here" - what if we said "I will HELP you be here". You CAN Do This! -Jon Haws, RN
The past is prologue - there comes a time when we have to stop wishing for a better past. It took me 5 years to accept the past as a way to move forward.
I literally wrote the book on surviving your first year as a nurse (The New Nurse Survival Guide) and today I wanted to share 3 tips from that book that you can start applying TODAY whether you are in nursing school or already working as a nurse.
If I could encourage you to start doing ONE thing today while you're in nursing school - it would be this. To join the NURSING.com Insider Circle - just visit https://NURSING.com/insider
What I Wish I Knew: Potassium-K Lab Value Levels For resources to help you master Potassium and ALL the lab values, we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/labvalues . What do bananas, avocados, and kale all have in common? Potassium! For more resources to help you understand Potassium, Hyperkalemia and Hypokalemia, click here : What role does it play in the body? What's a normal range level for potassium? And what happens when potassium levels are too low or too high? On a shift early...
For resources to help you master ABGs and ALL the LabVales, we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/LabValues . At NURSING.com you can learn everything you need to know as a nurse about ABGs including gas exchange, acidosis, alkalosis (metabolic and respiratory), normal lab value ranges, and more. We also cover key concepts for NCLEX for arterial blood gases. Our gas exchange nursing care plan covers impaired gas exchange nursing management, impaired gas exchange interventions, impaire...
For resources to help you master Cardiac topics, we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/heart . At NURSING.com you can learn everything you need to know as a nurse about distributive shock including distributive shock pathophysiology, distributive shock definition, types of distributive shock, and more. We also cover key concepts for NCLEX on distributive shock nursing. Our distributive shock nursing care plan covers distributive shock nursing management, distributive shock interventi...
For resources to help you master Cardiac topics, we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/heart . At NURSING.com you can learn everything you need to know as a nurse about coronary artery disease including coronary artery disease pathophysiology, coronary artery disease symptoms, coronary artery disease treatment, and more. We also cover key concepts for NCLEX on coronary artery disease nursing. Our coronary artery disease nursing care plan covers coronary artery disease nursing managem...
For resources to help you master Cardiac topics we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/heart . At NURSING.com you can learn everything you need to know as a nurse about heart failure (CHF) including: heart failure pathophysiology, heart failure pharmacology (heart failure medications), heart failure symptoms heart failure treatment, and more. We also cover key concepts for NCLEX for heart failure nursing. Excerpt: "So let me tell you about this patient of mine. They had just come out ...
For resources to help you master Cardiac topics we have a FREE Cheatsheet Download at NURSING.com/heart . At NURSING.com you can learn everything you need to know as a nurse about agina including: angina symptoms, anginal pharmacology, the difference between stable and unstable angina, and more. We also cover key concepts for NCLEX for angina nursing. Excerpt: ". . . it wasn't my patient that I should have been worried about When my patient's son said he wasn't feeling right, it would have been ...
ICU Nurses- Voices for the Voiceless For more on cardiac care to help you in nursing school visit NURSING.com/heart Roughly 1 out of every 3 patients in the Intensive Care Unit, on average, are unable to communicate. Because of this, the role of an ICU nurse stretches far beyond providing medical care alone, but also acting as an advocate, or a voice for the voiceless to ensure that these patient's needs, rights, and wishes are heard, recognized and respected. In doing so, these warriors in scru...
For more Carditis and the heart just visit NURSING.com/heart . Did you know that the average human heart beats 100,000 times a day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood? Now, imagine if this vital pump was under threat from, pericarditis, myocarditis, or endocarditis and couldn't pump effectively. In this episode we will look at the importance of understanding carditis and an easy way that I used in nursing school to remember the area affected by each type; then, run through a quick scenario at the en...
Ever notice why some students embrace challenges, while others shy away? Mindsets. Your mindset might just change how you approach your goals in nursing school… A fixed mindset: abilities are set. A growth mindset: abilities develop. When challenges appear, your mindsets matter. In nursing school, challenges are constant. A student with a fixed mindset avoids challenges. One with a growth mindset thrives when challenges arise. Having a growth mindset is the secret sauce for success. Putting effo...
Does insulin save lives, or does it take lives? Bodies that don't produce enough insulin shut down, but if too much insulin is in the system it can be just as disastrous. As nurses, we are often tasked with administering insulin to our patients. When done incorrectly it can be life-threatening. For years I was a member of the code team, and count WHEN I was a new nurse I remember trying to keep track of the patients and insulin action times and the dosage times and everything else . . . I felt l...
I almost killed my patient. In the days after my scary event I spent hours and hours thinking through what I had done. I knew my ABCs, I had prioritized everything I was supposed to, how could things have gone so horribly wrong… See our full lesson on Prioritization at NURSING.com . And I realized that I had overlooked a very important part of my ABCs. It wasn't the A - airway, the B - breathing, or the C - circulation What was left, what did I miss? What I violated was Safety. That small little...
Them: "How can we help?" Me: "I don't know . . ." This is a conversation I've had countless times over the last year. If only I had some sort of ailment that could be SEEN and FIXED . . . why can't it be a broken arm? A simple cast would "fix" the problem in just a matter of weeks. With mental health, you read the books, you do the checklists, you take the meds, you attend counseling . . . but at any moment . . . around any corner . . . there it is - ready to crush your hope and happiness. Each ...
My first job out of nursing school was in the Neuro ICU at a very large hospital in downtown Dallas. In this particular hospital, new ICU nurses complete a 13 week internship partnered with an experienced nurse (called a preceptor). My preceptors name was Vanessa, she was the typical ICU nurse type - a hardcore, type A nurse. She trained me well . . . but . . . those 13 weeks came to an end and it was time for me to be all on my own - no safety net to fall back on, no babysitter to make sure I d...
Just 4 words saved her life . . . "You CAN do this" In 2018 as a nursing student, Heather found herself in a very dark and lonely place. But those 4 words brought her out of that darkness and gave her hope. I was there with Heather when a nursing student asked her, "Will I make it through this?" ======== Here is her response: "You WILL make it through. When I got back from Iraq in 2008, I suffered from PTSD. And when I first found NURSING.com , I didn't think I was going to make it through. I fe...
[After graduating from nursing school with a 3.8 GPA, Ashley failed the NCLEX 3 times. This is her story.] Learn more about NURSING.com: https://nursing.com First one was a knife to my chest. I was miserable. I really honestly thought this was my calling for so long. Nursing is what I wanted to do. For four years, I had worked so hard and I was unsure, should I change my career? Should I do something else? The first time I failed, I decided I would run 10 miles, and I cried the whole time. I rem...
Working as a nurse in the ICU, I cared for many patients who are burned into my mind and heart forever. I would like to share with you the stories of two patients that I will remember forever and whom shaped my life and nursing career forever. People NEVER forget their nurses. The rest of their hospital stay will be a blur, but their NURSES will be in their minds forever. It's okay to CARE as a nurse. We went into this profession because we want to ease human suffering. We need more nurses who C...
During my first semester of nursing school my son was born and he had a couple issues that required him to stay in the hospital during his first couple weeks of life. My wife and I were sleeping at the hospital. I would go to nursing school and then come back and be with him. But there was one night where we were extremely tired, and so we went down to the hospital cafeteria to get some food. And when we came back a few minutes later after eating his nurse, her name was Tracy (I still remember h...
Today's episode is a must-listen for anyone gearing up for the NCLEX: "NCLEX Decoded: Strategies for Success." The NCLEX can feel like a giant puzzle. It's a test designed not just to quiz you on knowledge but to assess your decision-making and critical-thinking skills. Understanding how the exam works is the first step in conquering it. We can help you put those puzzle pieces together, by giving you a real practice NCLEX Simulation: SIMCLEX. You can take a free sample today at https://nursing.c...
In today's special episode, "Mastering the Art of Efficient Study in Nursing School," we're diving deep into strategies that will transform your study habits. Plus, I have an exclusive offer on our Lifetime Membership that you won't want to miss. https://nursing.com/lifetime For more info on mastering efficiency in studying, we have a whole lesson that you can enjoy at https://nursing.com/lesson/test-01-01-time-management...
Deal of a Lifetime!! We are actually temporarily bringing back our lifetime plan. From now through Nov 27th (cyber Monday) you can sign of for our NURSING.com Lifetime Plan Enjoy lifetime access for just 9 monhtly payments of $49. Just visit nursing.com/lifetime to learn more!
Full Episode HERE Your 14-Day Jump-Start For Nursing School Success Begins Now!!! Come along for a 14-day series that will push you ahead of the curve, helping you break through the most difficult nursing content with a FREE 10-minute video each day. You can access these lesson videos completely free of charge! Simply set up a password, and you're good to go. Fractures Did you know that there a several different types of fractures? Closed – skin intact Open/Compound – bone pierces skin Transvers...
Full Episode HERE Your 14-Day Jump-Start For Nursing School Success Begins Now!!! Come along for a 14-day series that will push you ahead of the curve, helping you break through the most difficult nursing content with a FREE 10-minute video each day. You can access these lesson videos completely free of charge! Simply set up a password, and you're good to go. Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a chronic condition affecting how your body handles sugar (glucose). It's due to issues with insulin, a...
