Quality of Life

It isn’t news that smoking hurts your health. Yet millions of people still do it despite widespread awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco.  

By  Marlon Garzo Saria, PhD, RN, AOCNS, OCN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, FAAN      Lieutenant Colonel, 452d Aeromedical Staging Squadron, U.S. Air Force Reserve Command      Magnet Program Director and Nurse Scientist, Providence Saint John’s Health Center  

Courtesy of the FDA Office of Women's Health

Quality patient care requires partnership. Health care providers bring expertise and experience. Patients (hopefully) follow their providers’ guidance to help make treatment and health care as effective as possible. But patients can only truly participate when they understand what the provider is asking of them and why it is important.  

The Hispanic population is growing in the United States. Hispanics account for roughly 19% of Americans — the largest minority group in the U.S. But Hispanic adults are the least likely ethnic or racial group to have health insurance or get preventive care. And their health outcomes reflect that.

Do you feel like you spend a huge chunk of your time traveling to and from work? Do you wish you could make better use of that time? Even if it means using that time to simply relax or decompress?  

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” (Paulo Coehlo)

It’s always a smart idea to have a strong, updated resume. But “updated” doesn’t only mean having your latest credentials and work history in a formatted template. It also means abiding by the tried-and-true best practices every nursing resume should follow.  

Change begins with a single idea. But all too often, great ideas don’t make it out of the breakroom.  

“By learning about the past, you come to understand the present, so you may make educated decisions about the future.”           Richelle Mead, American author  

By Cody Stubbe, MSN, RN Cody Stubbe, RN, MSN, is a nursing instructor in Omaha, Nebraska, the co-leader of PCRM's Nurses Nutrition Network , a member of ACLM , the co-director of So Many Cooks in the Kitchen and So Many Kids in the Kitchen , a Food for Life Instructor , and is the president of Wholistcdish LLC.  

As a nurse, you help others heal and stay healthy. But what if you realized your upbringing and life experiences might be causing you to treat some patients and coworkers differently? That kind of bias, called implicit or unconscious bias, is something that every nurse and every human being lives with — you may not even be aware of it. But it can impact the ...

Men and women tend to take very different approaches to their health care. Women generally seek routine care for gynecology issues and childbearing. On the other hand, most men don’t typically have a pressing need for regular health care once they leave the pediatrician. But self-awareness and preventive action are essential in detecting many ...

You know that emotion you get after an enjoyable, productive, or heart-warming conversation? Maybe it’s a feeling of satisfaction, contentedness, or joy. However you describe it, those emotions happen when we feel a connection to someone. And there’s no denying the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of social connectedness.  

Racism is harming nurses, and it’s an ongoing problem. Results from a survey of over 5,600 nurses found that almost half of nurses say there’s a great deal of racism in nursing. Sixty-three percent of nurses surveyed have personally experienced an act of racism in the workplace, with the wrongdoers being either a peer (66%), a patient (63%), or a manager ...

On May 1, 2017, ANA Enterprise launched a bold, new program — The Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge, now simply known as Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation (HNHN). The goal of HNHN is to transform the health of our nation by first improving the health of its 4 million RNs. In the first 5 years, we’ve accomplished much more than we ever thought ...

This was the question the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation (HNHN) team asked of nurses who attended the 2021 ANCC Magnet and Pathway to Excellence conferences. Our goal was simple: to spark a conversation. We wanted those who came by our booth to think about their own self-care practices and feel inspired and empowered by their peers. The HNHN team brought ...

Daily habits focused on positivity are how nurses can contribute to a better working environment. But especially during a pandemic, keeping a positive attitude is challenging. As a nurse, you’re busy and stressed out. How do you find the time and energy to contribute to happiness at work? The key is kindness. Small, sustainable, daily acts of kindness ...

Over the past two years, you’ve experienced unprecedented levels of stress and burnout. You’ve emptied your cup by filling others’ time and time again. The last thing you have time for right now is self-care. We see what you’re giving up to focus on others. We hear you. But by reading this blog, you’re making yourself a priority for at least a few minutes. ...

It’s not unusual for any new employee to feel anxious in their first few months of work, and nurses are no exception. Becoming a nurse and starting your first official nursing job is thrilling, but also overwhelming. Starting your nursing career in the middle of a pandemic has made the experience even more complex. Fortunately, there are things all ...

Nursing:  Is it your Calling or your Kryptonite?   R eprinted with permission from ANA\California By Teresa Martin RN, AMFT Taken from "Fly with Me: One Woman's Leap into a Life of Love and Joy" (Braughler Books 2021). Why are we Caregiving Machines?  I’m a nurse.  And nurses don’t lie, cheat, or steal.  They breed that out of you in nursing school.  They ...

All of our relationships go through ups and downs — even workplace ones. Most of the time you can’t control with whom you work. So, what can you do to ensure the interactions you have with coworkers are healthy and positive? And how do you know if a particular relationship is toxic — and if it is, what should you do? We spoke with Eileen T. O’Grady RN, NP, PhD, ...

As a nurse, your job includes showing compassion to patients. So why is it often overlooked or deprioritized when it comes to yourself? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes compassion as the "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." Self-compassion, then, is the ability to become mindful of your ...

This blog is made possible by Morrison Healthcare, an operating division of Compass One Healthcare. As some of you may or may not know, last year Compass One Healthcare formed a new partnership with the American Nurses Association (ANA), which is the nation’s premier nursing organization representing the country’s four million registered nurses. ...

 “Mentorship is also called sponsorship,” said Vernell DeWitty, PhD, RN, Director for Diversity and Inclusion at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). “When a mentor serves as a sponsor, they act as an advocate seeking opportunities for their mentee.” Having a mentor has the power to influence a nurse’s career right from the ...

There’s no denying that these past few years have been stressful  — and that’s putting it lightly. You’ve had a lot going on, so it’s even more crucial to keep that stress from building up and causing burnout . Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses can benefit from artistic outlets to gain a sense of calm, get out of their heads, and let go of the ...

By Andrea Coyle Mary Smith, charge nurse, was working her second of four 12 hours shifts. When Mary arrived on the unit, she was told by the night shift charge nurse “we had two sick calls and we do not have any nurses available to come in and help.” Sigh…Mary’s first thought was, “How am I going to accomplish all the tasks that are expected of me as the charge ...

You may have heard the adage, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” It’s true, you know. You can’t give to others something that you don’t possess. But what happens when your “cup of compassion” runs dry? Where do you fill your cup? Who fills it? You may be surrounded by a group of personal cheerleaders who love to encourage you, but if you’re like most of us, ...

Heart health, lung health, brain health - these are all essential areas of well-being, but are you neglecting your body's largest organ?

Reprinted with permission from Morrison Healthcare, an operating division of Compass One Healthcare.  See the original blog here . Making a difference in patients’ lives often starts with working closely with a hospital’s nursing staff. Morrison Executive Chef Marcelo Rubio and Kenneth Lim, a patient dining associate, were recently recognized ...

By Lauren Mochizuki We are living in a very dynamic world right now.  While certain things are out of our control, there are still many things within our  control.  I have previously written about what nurses can do to  emergency-proof their finances.  The process of ensuring a financially  secure future can take several years.  In the meantime, we ...

Lauren Mochizuki is an ER nurse, wife, mother, and financial blogger at www.casamochi.com where she has written about living a great life within your means.  Lauren has been featured on Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, and Good Morning America, and she is passionate about helping other nurses feel confident with their finances. * ...

How long has it been since you hung out with a group of friends? Or hugged someone? Or sat down to eat at a restaurant? When not taking care of patients, you’re probably practicing the government’s recommendation of social distancing. Also called physical distancing, the purpose is to slow the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control ...

Nurses aero the heart of healthcare. While National Nurses Week runs from May 6-12 every year, it's always a great time to recognize nurse contributions. 

Developed by Dr. Bernadette Melnyk and ANA Enterprise’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ If you are feeling anxious and stressed about the COVID-19 pandemic, you are not alone – many nurses are experiencing higher than normal stress and anxiety levels right now. Here are six tips for coping with COVID-19.  Breathe deeply: Take five slow deep breaths ...

By Jill B. Hamilton, PhD, RN, FAAN and Nakia C. Best, PhD, RN Being a nurse is rewarding. We show compassion and empathy to patient and caregivers that are vulnerable and need our help to make difficult decisions. We serve as patient advocates. Nurses are also leaders and researchers that have a profound effect on how health care is delivered. No matter ...

When we think about health and wellness, your financial habits may not seem like a top priority.  Surprisingly though, the biggest stress factor for most Americans today is money. It outranks family issues, health or work as a source of worry. Financial wellness is part of our quality of life and can help to alleviate stress and improve your overall ...

Editor's Note:  This blog was previously part of a Support Caregivers Challenge powered by support from EMD Serono. Nurses have a great deal in common with family caregivers. Both selflessly give up their energy and time to care for another person(s). Both require daily patience, compassion, and resilience. And both often put others before ...

By Linda Roszak Burton  

By Eileen T. O’Grady, PhD, RN, NP Dr. Eileen O’Grady is a certified Nurse Practitioner and Wellness Coach who uses an evidence-based approach with people to reverse or entirely prevent disease.  With over 35 years of experience in health care, she believes deeply that more attention must be paid to getting us unstuck from lifestyles that do not support ...

Anxiety at work? Eileen Carino, Clinical Director at Griffin Hospital, recommends acupuncture and aromatherapy.

Explore what having a nurse mentor, or being a mentor to someone else, can do for you.

It’s possible to feel fulfilled at work and at home. Nurse coach and RN Heather Lapides explains how.  

A bucket list, also known as a life list, is a record of the things you’d like to do or accomplish before you die. Research suggests that people who write down their goals are more likely to accomplish them. So, creating a bucket list is a powerful tool for reaching your life’s goals. Creating a life list is as simple as taking out a piece of paper and a pen and ...

Description: The Japanese practice of unplugging and getting out in nature can make you happier and healthier. What is it about spending time in nature that makes us feel so good? A lot actually. Science has shown us that being outdoors and in nature may boost immunity , while lowering stress levels and improving mood . More good news: You don’t have to ...

Barbara Dossey, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, HWNC-BC and Co-Director of the International Nurse Coach Association (HNHN Champion), explains what a nurse coach does and how to become one.  

Jacque Crockford, Exercise Physiology Content Manager at the American Council on Exercise (ACE), shares five ways to up the fitness factor at your organization.  

An Overview of Various Meditation Techniques