I recently had to take my child to get a couple of shots at the doctors office. Oh did I dread this day. No one likes needles, especially kids! Think about it, you are going to a sterile doctors office filled with screaming kids to get a needle stuck in you on purpose, that is no one’s idea of fun! So here are a few tips to help you handle the shot situation when it’s time to take the kids in for a doc visit:

Don’t Hide the Painful Truth

The last thing you want is for your child to be “surprised” by a nurse with a needle. So on the car ride over to the doctor’s office explain to your child that they are going to get a couple of shots and yes, it may pinch a little, but it will be over super quick! Make it sound simple and don’t drag it out. Answer questions your kid may have and steer the conversation. Explain that these shots will help make them big and strong and that it will keep them from getting sick.

Stay Calm!

Your child will feed off of your fear if they see that you are anxious or nervous. Kids are very in tune to every move their parents make, so lead by example and keep cool. Encourage your child and even sing a “shot” song with them as a distraction. Who knows, the nurse may even join in!

A GOOD Surprise

Right before the shot, have a special candy or toy ready and hidden in your purse. Tell your child beforehand that they are in for a treat to take their mind off of what is about to happen. This reward gives your kid a goal and puts a positive spin on getting a shot.

A friend of mine recently gave birth at a “Birthing Center” using only a jacuzzi and a midwife. Being equally pregnant at the time and terrified of hospitals, I considered doing the same. So after extensively researching midwifery and all that it entails, I learned that many people are misinformed about midwives, their training and their approach to giving birth.

Myth #1: Unqualified Care

The number of midwife deliveries has more than doubled since 1990 and with good reason. Unlike doulas or birthing coaches, most midwives have different levels of medical training. 97% of all midwives deliver in hospitals and contrary to popular belief, certified nursing midwives are qualified to give pain meds, labor inducing medication and even epidurals to their patients.

Myth #2: Using a Medical Pro is Safer Than a Midwife?

Many people still believe that using a doctor is safer but recent reports indicate that women who use midwives have babies with higher birth rates, better prenatal care and lower rates of C-sections. If you have a low risk pregnancy and want to be more pro-active during your labor and delivery, having a midwife can actually make you feel more comfortable and in control. Midwives are great at helping new moms with nutrition for mom and baby, breastfeeding and emotional support when dealing with anxieties about giving birth.

Myth #3: The Medication Myth

I had always heard that if you use a midwife, hang up any form of pain medication. Not true. Although midwives tend to favor the natural approach to labor and delivery, if the mom wants pain meds, she can have them! This tall tale is usually the one thing that keeps women from using a midwife but the real reason behind the natural approach of massage, natural stretching and using a jacuzzi is to avoid episiotomies and reduce the chance of a Cesarean and has worked. Statistics show that the rate of having a C-section when using a midwife is one third of the national rate. So talk to your doctor about local midwives and the pro’s and con’s of using one, you may find they fit your

Ask any nurse who has worked longer than twenty years how their profession has changed and you might be surprised. Unlike the typical “times were tougher back then” answer, nine times out of ten, they’ll say that nursing today is much more involved and respected than it was fifty years ago.

Rocking the Roles

Not only are nurses payed more now than any other time in history, there is presently a massive shortage and high demand for nurses in all fields. Along with specialized roles in nursing such as practitioners, midwives, ER and OR nurses, pediatric nurses and the list goes on. The primary difference is the way nurses today work along side of doctors. Today’s nurse has taken over many of the roles that were once reserved specifically for doctors and are now a respected part of the medical staff. Able to make informed decisions and perform procedures that would have been solely reserved for physicians fifty years ago, today’s nurse is more technologically advanced than ever.

Blurring the Gender Lines

Men in the nursing field were practically unheard of fifty years ago. Even today, thanks to media and movies like “Meet the Parents” (yes you, “Greg RN”), although still not widely realized, there are more male nurses than any other time in history. Surprisingly, there were a small number of male nurses in the 50’s, but they were few and far between due to the belief that women were better equipped to handle the emotional, mental and physical (ie: bathing and caring roles) aspects of patient care than men. Times have certainly changed and although female nurses far outnumber their male counterparts, male nursing roles have become accepted in the medical field.

Time Changes Everything

Nurses today take home in one month what nurses in the fifties would make in a year! Of course the laws of supply and demand as well as skyrocketing inflation are the reason for this enormous pay increase but the difference between $5,200 and $72,000 is an astronomical jump. Other changes in nursing include the obvious dress code. The uniforms, which began as a dress, cap, cuffs, stockings and the required pillbox have morphed into scrubs and lab coats and focus more on function than form. Time changes everything and thanks to modern medicine, updated fashion and gender acceptance, nurses today are a far cry from what they were in the fifties.

When you think of fame and fortune, nursing is not the first profession that comes to mind.  For one thing, it is not a career that lends itself to grandstanding or public attention.  Most people who enter the nursing profession do it because of a deep-seated desire to help others in need, rather than advance their own interests.  Further, it does not tend to be a field in which one gains notoriety, even if they are the best at what they do (unlike, say, doctors, who can expect a higher salary and a waiting list of wealthy patients if they are the top in their area of expertise).  So let’s take a look back at some of the great nurses in history and what put them in the pages of history.

1.      Florence Nightingale – no surprise here…some of you may have even heard of her.  Also known as “The Lady with the Lamp” (for checking up on injured soldiers throughout the night), she became famous for her humanitarian efforts with the poor as well as her endeavor to pioneer a new health care system for the British military.  She spurned her aristocratic family and a married life in order to pursue a career in the noble art of nursing.  Appropriately, International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday, May 12th.

2.      Clara Barton – she is best known as the founder of the Red Cross.  She began her illustrious career in nursing at the tender age of eleven, caring for her injured brother, and went on to work in the battlefields of the Civil War.  She was a noted patriot and advocate of both the women’s suffrage movement and black civil rights.  After lecturing abroad about her wartime experiences, she returned to the United States and convinced President James Garfield to support her movement to form the American Red Cross for the purpose of managing any type of mass medical crisis, not just those found in wartime.  She became the first president of the newly found American Red Cross in 1881 and subsequently traveled to Istanbul, Beijing, Cuba, and several other countries to open hospitals and aid humanitarian efforts.

3.      Mary Eliza Mahoney – she is noted as the first African-American professional registered nurse and she paved the way for women of color in the nursing profession.  In 1908, she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN), which later merged with the American Nurses Association (ANA).  The Mary Mahoney award, offered biennially, is given out by the ANA in her honor for significant contributions to race relations, namely in the field of nursing.

Sadly, not all nurses are good and kind. Some of them twist and pervert their noble code to suit their own aberrant interests.  Here are a few notable nurses who give an example of what to look out for when seeking a nursing professional.

1.      Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest, 1975)– she represents all that could go wrong in nursing.  She is a tyrannical bully who lords her power over her patients by withholding medication and other sundries as well as famously lobotomizing the only one who challenges her power.  The American Film Institute voted her the fifth worst movie villain of all time, and it’s easy to see why.  It took a good, long choke to knock this naughty nurse down a peg.

2.      Sam Lockwood (Awake, 2007) – she may be pretty, but beware the siren song.  She reels in successful businessman Clay Beresford with the intention of killing him to claim the insurance money (to cover a previous malpractice suit, no less).  She has definitely gotten the wrong idea when it comes to bedside manner.

3.      Beverley Allitt (this one is real!) – a British pediatric nurse, she became known as the “Angel of Death” after attacking 13 children in her care over a 15-day period.  Four died and five others were seriously injured due to smothering or injections of insulin or potassium chloride to bring about cardiac arrest.  She was convicted in nine cases and sentenced to life imprisonment.  She stands to be released in 2022 at the age of 54, but only if she is deemed to pose no threat to the public, which seems unlikely.  She crazy.

But for every bad nurse out there (and let’s be honest, most of those catapulted to fame are fictional characters), you can find thousands that love what they do and sincerely want to help their patients.  So during National Nurses Week, think of something nice a nurse has done for you and consider sending her a little thank you.  After all, not every nurse requires fame and fortune, but they could use a little recognition.

Becoming a school nurse can either be a rewarding and pleasurable career or a living nightmare.  There’s certainly something noble about devoting one’s life to the health and education of children, but on the other hand, they sure do puke a lot.  However, there are many pros and cons to be considered before deciding not only on a career in nursing, but in a specialized field like school nursing, in particular.

For starters, one must look at the level of education required.  Generally speaking, most states require that a school nurse be at least an RN (a two-year Associate’s Degree, plus you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN).   And some states even require a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).  However, it is not unheard of for a Licensed Practicing Nurse (LPN) to be hired as a school nurse (only a 1-year program), so depending on where you practice, you may not need as much education as an RN or a traveling nurse.  You will, however, be required to receive certification through either the Department of Education or the Department of Health in order to become a school nurse.  It may also be mandatory to obtain education in some or all of the following areas: growth and development, child and adolescent psychology, public health, crisis intervention, handicapping conditions, sociology, and sports medicine.  Handling the health issues of ch
ildren is a pretty broad category, so be prepared for continuing education.

In terms of salary, you can expect to make less, on average, than other nursing professions.  According to national surveys, school nurses earn an average of $45,000 per year while staff nurses (RNs) tend to pull in about $55,000 and travel nurses can make upwards of $70,000 on average.  So salary does not necessarily correlate with the amount of schooling required for each of these professions.  As a school nurse, you may end up doing the same amount of (or more) schooling than other types of nurses for a lot less pay.  And with the budget crisis facing schools right now, that number could drop.

However, for most people who enter the nursing profession, it’s not really about the money.  It’s about helping people, and as a school nurse, you will certainly do that.  Your primary goal is to facilitate the health and well-being of students and to further their education.  As such, you may be responsible for a number of tasks, including health services, health education, a healthy environment, monitoring physical education and activities, counseling, parent and community involvement, and staff wellness.  And remember school-wide screenings for scoliosis and lice?  All you.  You will be the one kids come to when they’ve got chicken pox, the flu, or a sprained ankle in gym class.  You’ll have to deal with bloody noses, sore throats, and Sally-dropped-a-rock-on-my-head.  However, you will also get thank-you notes from grateful parents, adolescents seeking sexual advice, and classrooms full of kids who learn to wash their hands.  You can make a real difference in the lives of children.  You can help them stay healthy and teach them lifelong habits.  Just keep that warm, fuzzy feeling close at the times when they’re yakking all over the floor.

Travel nursing, as a profession, is pretty much what it sounds like.  Traveling nurses become specialized in a specific field and can travel all over the country, or even the world, working for private clients or helping out at hospitals in need.  It is an opportunity to work in your chosen field with the luxury of setting your own schedule and the added bonus of experiencing life in different parts of the world.  But how does one become a travelling nurse…and why?

Travel nursing starts with your education.  Because there is a call for all types of nurses in the travelling field, you can start with a 2-year Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), a 4-year Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), or even a 3-year diploma (usually a hospital-based degree).  From there you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and practice at least one year in your specialty of choice.  Types of travel nurses that tend to be in demand include registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners, nurse managers, and those that specialize in dialysis, speech pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and radiology.  In all likelihood, you will be required to have one to two years of recent experience if you want to take advantage of employment in travel nursing.

So now that you know how to become a travel nurse, the question is, why?  For one thing, travel nursing is contract work.  That means you decide which jobs you want to take based on location, duration, and pay.  Looking for something semi-permanent?  Try working as a live-in caregiver.  These types of jobs are easy to find and can last for weeks, months, or even years depending on the needs of the patient.  If you’re looking for something short term, sign up with a travel nursing company that can place you based on your specifications.  If you’re working full time, you stand to make an average of $70,000 per year and many companies that place travel nurses now offer insurance, 401(k), and continuing education, just to list a few perks.

In addition, now is a great time to join the nursing profession.  Although jobs in every profession have been scarce due to the recession, nursing is a field that is expected to grow substantially over the next decade.  And if health care reform continues as planned, there could be a lot more Americans with insurance who are looking for health care, possibly for the first time.  So if your goal is to help people with their health care needs, and you would like to travel while you do it, take the steps necessary to become a travel nurse.  The schooling is similar to what you would face as a staff nurse and the pay can be substantially more, not to mention the opportunity to see the world while you work.

Let’s be honest, not all of us are cut out for public service and even less have a stomach strong enough to witness what a nurse must face on a daily basis.  Not only do you need to have guts of steel, a career in nursing means long hours, hard work, and a knowledge base parallel to a general practitioner of medicine (at half the pay).  As a nurse, you may have to deal with patients who are rude and condescending doctors who belittle your expertise.  And let’s not even get started on some of the things you will be forced to clean up (people are both fragile and messy).  So what is so great about becoming a nurse?

For starters, nursing can be a very fulfilling career in that it allows you an opportunity to help others and make a difference in the day-to-day lives of real people.  What could be better than making a sick child feel better or telling someone that their mother is going to be okay after her accident?  For most nurses, this aspect of the profession is what makes it so rewarding.  You get instant gratification from making sick patients well, or at least easing their discomfort.  In addition, a nurse gets to know her patients intimately and possibly play a role in some of the most important events of their lives.  The gratitude that comes from these interactions is often enough to keep a harried nurse going through a tough day.

Nursing is also a versatile vocation.  Jobs can range from live-in situations, staff, and travel nursing to management, education, and administration.  In addition, many seasoned nurses can set their own hours, depending on the field they choose.  And in the future, nurses will surely continue to enjoy job security.  With less people entering the field and baby boomers hitting retirement age (not to mention health care reform on the horizon), nurses are going to be very much in demand in the years to come.

So besides learning skills that can easily transfer to other areas of your life, a career in nursing allows you to give something of yourself to each and every patient you interact with, to take pride in the fact that your choices help save lives, and to use your knowledge to heal and give comfort.  This will give you a strong sense of satisfaction that far outweighs long hours, low pay, and anything the day might throw at you.

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Ma Bell. These two were just ahead of their time. They remind me of people who have their cell phone permanently attached inside of their ear.

Ma Bell may not be your mother, and I know that she can’t tell you what to do, but I doubt that she would approve of nurses talking on their cell phones or text messaging at the nurses station. I don’t like it either. Don’t get me wrong. I love Twittering my friends and chatting on the phone just as much as the next guy does, but it’s not appropriate to do those things in front of patients and their family members. It reminds me of when my dad use to read the newspaper at the dinner table. He would nod his head in agreement with whatever my mother was saying as he turned the pages of the newspaper. He was listening, but not really. Mom would get very upset. Patients feel like you’re blowing them off when your typing away on a keyboard or talking on your cell phone.

I know that it’s hard giving up your cell phone cold turkey, so here are some tips about using your cell phone at work.

Turn Your Cell Phone Ringer Off When You are in a Patient Care Area

Picture this: You’re tip toeing past a sleeping patient when all of a sudden everyone on the nursing unit hears, “Hey you, I’m talking to you. You have a call. Hey stupid, I’m talking to you! Answer the phone! ANSWER THE G-D PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!” I heard that ring tone one day when I was at work. Ring tones like that are a lot of fun when you’re out at a bar, but not when you giving patient bedside care. Turn your ringer off.

Use Your Phone Only For Important Calls

I’ve never understood why nurses use cell phones at work when there are multiple phones at every nursing station. If you must use your cell phone at work, use it only for important calls. What should you classify as an important call? It should be childcare issues. Talk to your friends about the new love in your life after work. Use your common sense.

Don’t Bring Your Cell Phone Into The Bathroom…Ever

Do I really need to explain this rule? Reach out and touch someone, but not from the bathroom. Enough said.

Paper halo? I didn’t know that they use to make nurses caps out of paper. My cap was made out of starched cloth. We used Lubri-fax to glue the black stripe to the top rim of our caps. Really! I would never lie to you. You can trust me because I’m a nurse.

My blog buddy, Brad Levinson, from Health Care United sent me some great information about a new Gallup poll. Guess what, people. For the 7th year in a row, and for the 9th out of 10 years, nurses are ranked number one on their annual “Honesty and Ethics” survey. That’s right people, nurses are number one! The poll says that 84% percent of Americans rank nurses’ “honesty and ethical standards either ‘high’ or ‘very high.” The one year that nurses didn’t make the top was in 2001, when fire fighters were ranked #1 (a very well-deserved honor that year). Pharmacists are #2 and doctors are #4.

People trust nurses for a lot of different reasons. Nurses are patient advocates. We always put our patients and their family members first. We are there for you during your darkest days, and your brightest seasons. We see life and death, pain and joy, hope and sorrow. Nurses don’t question your social status. We only want to know about your needs. We may not all have a halo, but we come pretty darn close.

Nurses rock!

Nursing provides great educational opportunities for nurses within the workplace environment. This nurse is about to learn a valuable lesson about taking care of patients locked up behind bars.

Note to self: Never turn your back on a creepy looking prison inmate.

I have a simple philosophy about life. Every person that I care for is my teacher. I learn a lot of life lessons while I’m at work. Some of the most entertaining information comes from former prison inmates. They like nurses, too, and they have given me some great insider information over the years about how to survive in prison if I should ever find myself locked up behind bars. Here are two important tips in case you ever land in jail.

Tip #1: Prisons are like any other type of real estate. Location counts.

According to former inmates, not all jails are created equal. It’s all about location, location, location. Make sure that you do your illegal activities in rich neighborhoods, and that you get locked up in an upscale jurisdiction, or in a town just like Mayberry. Rich people can afford to build nicer jails that include access to updated computers and exercise equipment, and people like Sheriff Andy Taylor always make sure that there are clean sheets on the beds. One patient, who spent most of his adult life in jail told me that he preferred doing time in the same prison system that served as Paris Hilton’s temporary residence a few years ago. My patient thought that Paris was a wimp. He said that she had no idea how good she had it while she was in jail. He also told me that some VIP correctional centers offer prisoners the option of paying for upgraded accommodations. These perks include clean sheets everyday, clean semiprivate bathrooms, and better food.

Tip #2: Always make friends with the person in your jail block that works in the prison kitchen.

I’ve been told that it’s really important to make friends with inmates who work in the prison kitchen. This is because they save the best food and leftovers for themselves, and for their best friends. Good food is a commodity in the big house, just like cigarettes. I bet that Martha Stewart was the most popular girl in the jailhouse.

Email me from your fancy prison if you ever get locked up. I’ll ask Martha to bake you one of her famous prison cakes. Martha’s cake is just the thing for a jailbreak. They are stuffed with a cream filling and a metal file.