Anna the Nurse

06/09/2022

Time to reminisce/photo dump from NTI 2022 in Houston!

For me, this conference was all about CONNECTION. It was incredible to share a space with some of my favorite humans again after missing 2020 and going virtual for 2021. It was also pretty special to be attending as a social media influencer and speaker! I did my best to pace myself and try to soak it all in. 😌 Between the supersessions in the morning, to the meet-ups with friends in the evening, I left with a very full metaphorical cup. I love that NTI is this customizable experience that’s this odd combination of unique and familiar every year, and I consider myself lucky to have been in Houston this year.

And STARTING NOW, I’ll be prepping for NTI 2023 in Philadelphia!🙌

04/28/2022

How soon is too soon to pack for NTI? And how many pets can I bring?🤔
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is hosting their annual nursing conference NTI in Houston, TX this year and I’ll be heading there in a little over two weeks! 🥳 And rumor has it that the therapy dogs will be there this year, so I’ll get my animal fix. 😁Learn more info and register at https://bit.ly/3bFdqwC (link in bio)! Also, stay tuned for a special coffee meetup with , , and myself!❤️
Comment below if you you’re doing and want those details.
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03/29/2022

Thank you for this statement, ! To summarize:
1. A punitive approach to healthcare errors creates a culture that hides mistakes and decreases patient safety.
2. The ability to safely report errors allows for a full investigation to the multi-factorial causes that exist and allowed the mistake to happen in the first place.
3. The case has demoralized an already exhausted and overworked nursing workforce and has the potential to impact the nursing shortage negatively.
…………..
Last thing: this has stirred up a lot of emotions in the nursing world. It’s okay to pause and take it in. Check in with each other. Speak up if you notice you’re in an unsafe environment. And organizations, you’re responsible for creating safe spaces for people to speak up without fear. Let’s do better.

03/12/2022

How I spent my spring break: talking about healthcare worker well-being to a room full of familiar faces!

The Endoscopy/GI Department across the health system I work for had our annual Therapeutics Conference in Park City, UT and I was sandwiched between a talks about acid reflux and endoscopic management of weight loss.

To summarize the experience: we need organizations, leaders, and individuals to each play their part in creating and sustaining healthy work environments, more now than ever. ❤️ And what an amazing opportunity to talk to the nurses, techs, MAs, and nurse leaders I directly with with!

02/02/2022

💥Ask any nurse. We can tell you capping travel nurse pay isn’t fixing any of the problems. We spoke up when and came out with guidelines that didn’t protect nurses and here we are again. Write to your congressional representatives and let them know you’re paying attention. Let’s focus on safe staffing (swipe to read the proposed bill) and not on capping the pay of the frontline staff who you should see as an investment, not an expense! Go to blog to find an template of her well-written letter, edit it with your info, find your congress representative with the link on her blog, and send to them using the “contact us” forms on their websites. This stuff matters. Nurses need to be involved in health policy for our patients and ourselves.

❗️Moral of the story: involve nurses in the decisions that effect them!

01/22/2022

I want to remember that in year 2 of the pandemic, we started putting COVID-19 tests in vending machines.
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Commonly asked questions:
1. Yes this is real.
2. No, you don’t have to pay for it, you swipe your employee badge and you can get one.
3. This is a saliva test. You drop it off and get results in 12-24 hours (except on weekends, then it’s next business day).
4. This is optional and for asymptomatic testing.
5. I can take up to 2 tests a week if I want.
6. Yes, this seems kind of extravagant. But remember, we’re two years into this and we’re just NOW getting easy access to testing. That, and Utah’s positivity rates are incredibly high right now, so some people are waiting hours in line to get a test. I’ll take the vending machine.

12/02/2021

If you were following me last year, this will look familiar. 👀 I made a few edits and I’m re-sharing for anyone looking for some self-care ideas this month! December is a wonderful time to give the gift of self-care to yourself. My definition of self-care is anything that improves your mental or physical well-being. ❤️

But I don’t want this to be a burden or “another thing on your plate.” For me or anyone else. I have to be honest: I don’t know how often I’ll be posting this month and I’m not going to commit to anything. After the divorce this year, my social media activity took a hit, partly because my time and energy was going to other priorities in my life (work, school, friends, family, my mental health, etc.). And while I love this space and connecting with all of you, it is only one small part of my life. So follow along, post if you want (tag me if you do!)…or not. It’s up to you. I don’t mean to sound apathetic, just that there’s no pressure, no obligations. That’s not the point of self-care anyway. The point of this post is to simply spark some ideas in how you can take care of yourself. So many of us are in survival mode right now and that’s okay. One day at a time, my friends. And try to show yourself a little love along the way.❤️

10/30/2021

October is my 3 year anniversary of being in Endoscopy! Here are 5️⃣ things I’ve learned being an Endo nurse:
1. The prep, truly, is the worst part. The warm blanket and the nap help make up for it.
2. Literally everyone makes the same jokes after experiencing propofol for the first time. “No wonder Michael Jackson liked this stuff” or “Can I get some of that stuff to take home?”
3. The world of GI is actually fascinating. Between foreign bodies, GI bleeds, stones, and f***l transplants, there’s always something to learn about! And all of that combined could make a pretty spooky-themed haunted house…🤔
4. Anticipating what can go wrong during a procedure and being proactive to catch anything as early as possible is the best approach.
5. While this job doesn’t have the glitz and glamor of ICU, it has allowed me to have a decent work/school/life blend, manageable stress, and an amazing team to work with (which, right now, is exactly what I want).

Happy Halloween, friends! 🎃💩

10/27/2021

I had a conversation with a seasoned nurse educator today and she reminded me of the importance of this concept:
🔥Setting healthy boundaries is one of the keys to longevity in nursing! Those boundaries will look different for each of you and will likely change as your career progresses. For example, I’m at the point where my time off is more valuable than any incentive/overtime pay (partly because of grad school)😆. For others, the financial gain or benefits may be the priority and they might make changes accordingly. And for another person, the job they’re in might lead to future professional growth opportunities, so they stay focused on that.
What are your job priorities right now? There’s no right answer here, so please share. :)

10/20/2021

Friends, check out this awesome scholarship opportunity!

We have a scholarship opportunity for you! Every year TravCon awards up to ten $1000 scholarships to travelers to further their education.

To apply:
✅ Be a current student in a Bachelor, Master or Doctorate program in your healthcare field.

✅ Attend at least one TravCon in the 3 years prior to submission.

✅ Complete at least one travel assignment in the year of your scholarship submission.

Application is due November 1st, 2021 and you can apply here: https://travcon.org/scholarship/

10/03/2021

Me after passing my Nursing Professional Development Certification exam!🥳
*swipe*
Also me after passing my Nursing Professional Development Certification exam.😅
*swipe*
I studied for 3 months (with lots of practice questions in the final month), sat in a testing center for 3.5 hrs, and answered 175 questions, ALL so I could become certified in a specialty that’s connected to nursing education and apply hours to my DNP program! 🙌
I remember seeing words pop up on the screen at the end of the test: “You are done. Congratulations. You Passed.” While it seemed anticlimactic and lacking in celebratory punctuation, I felt a slow smile creep across my face under my mask as that news sunk in. I’ve come a long way from failing the NCLEX the first time I took it.
✨There will be ups and downs. It’s life. Learn from the failures. Celebrate your wins! And surround yourself with good people who celebrate with you.✨