Nurse Figurines For Nurses Week

Your Comfort Comes From The Heart


Lifting Spirits Every Day - FIGURINES

OR Nurse T-Shirt

Steve from Sanford, FL purchased one of these OR nurse t-shirts! Thanks, Steve! Wear it proudly!

OR Nurses by bethd821

Sold This T-Shirt

Kristin from Woodstock, IL purchased on of these t-shirts today! Thank you so much, Kristin. Wear it in good OR humor!

Scrub-u-lator by bethd821

Valentines For Nurses

Valentine's Day is fast approaching! Have you bought the nurse in your life a Valentine gift yet? If not, I can make a few suggestions.

Nurses have a variety of likes when it comes to Valentines. Some only want jewelry. I can remember telling my husband "Gems!" when he would ask what I wanted for Valentine's Day. Of course, that was pretty much my answer for my birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, or any other time he would ask. Poor guy didn't stand a chance. So, if you give or get that answer you might want to check this page:

Anniversary and Eternity Bands
or
Valentine Jewelry Sparkles

If your nurse is more into chocolate, and I haven't met a nurse who wasn't, you need to check out this great page. This is also a great site for Mother's Day, Easter and Christmas.

Delicious Chocolate Gifts

Personalized and customized gifts are always a hit! I have several pages that will meet this criteria.

Top Personalized Gifts For Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day Gifts for Couples
Valentines For Young Lovers
Zazzle Valentine Gifts

You should be able to find the perfect gift for your Valentine at one of these great gift sites. Happy shopping!

Nursing Gifts

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Nursing Shoes

One thing all nurses have in common is being on their feet all day. That makes for tired feet if you don't have the right shoes. You can wear the best support hose and still have tired feet if your shoes don't offer the proper cushioning and support.

I recently purchased a pair of NurseMates Ellis shoes and I have to say, I love them. My feet are not tired and do not hurt anymore. I can't say enough good things about these shoes. They come in black, white, and silver. I got the silver. They slip on and off easily, but are so comfortable. I hardly know I'm wearing them. I'm 59 years old and to come home after a 10 hour day in the OR and not have my feet hurt is a blessing.

Where did I get them? I bought them online from this page: Nursing Shoes with Style. Check it out. There are many other comfortable styles offered here, too.

I hope you find a great pair of nursing shoes to make your feet feel better!

A Big Thank You

Thanks go out to Diane from Califon, NJ for purchasing this button! I hope her OR manager appreciates the gesture!

OR Manager 1 by bethd821

A New CNOR

Somewhere in Upland, CA is a new CNOR. I know this because Rebecca bought this pin from my Zazzle store. Congratulations, Rebecca! Wear it proudly! That's no easy exam! Welcome to the family of CNORs!

CNOR by bethd821

You can find more CNOR and Operating Room Nurse products at my Zazzle store, Design by Day.

Thanks, Rebecca!

Looking for Nurses

Do you know someone interested in a Nursing career? I have found two articles that will help them in their decision-making regarding what kind of nurse they want to be and where they can find assistance financially and in picking out a nursing school. Not everyone has the financial resources and time to pursue a 4-year degree. There are plenty of options for them. LPN schools and 2-year RN programs are available. I think there are even a few diploma RN programs.

These links will help them get started on their way to fulfilling their dream of being a nurse! E-mail this to anyone and everyone you know who wants to be a nurse!

Guide To Becoming A Nurse

How To Start A Nursing Career

Good luck in your quest to join a great profession!

A Big Thank You

New purchases were made from my Zazzle store yesterday! Sounds like some nurses passed the CNOR certification exam! Congratulations to them!

Rener from Salem, MA purchased three of these:

CNOR by bethd821

and two of these:

CNOR by bethd821

I appreciate your business. Thank you, again!

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Here are some great gifts that support Breast Cancer Awareness:

Nursing Shoes

I have written a page that offers some really great nursing shoes. We spend so much time on our feet, we go through shoes quickly. At least, I do. I hope you will take the time to look at these great shoes. Your feet will thank you for it!

Nursing Shoes With Style

There's even a section of clog style shoes with University logos on the side. Not all the schools are there, but there is a good selection.

Happy Shoe Shopping!

A Big Thank You

A big thank you goes out to Barrie from Rock Hill, SC for making this purchase.

Surgical Tech by bethd821

Wear it proudly, Barrie!

This is, by far, my best selling t-shirt.

A Big Thank You

I must send out a big THANK YOU to Jeanne from Palmetto Bay, FL for purchasing these two t-shirts. I truly appreciate your business.

If you would like one of these just click on the photo to order yours:

Scrub-u-lator by bethd821

Nursing by bethd821

Have You Ever Felt Like This?

I created a new shirt for those times when you just feel like you are doing it all and your co-worker has left you high and dry. It doesn't seem to matter if they are another nurse or a scrub tech. Some people just "run" you to death.

Scrub-u-lator by bethd821

Super Gifts For Nurses

Thank You

I want to say a big Thank You to Greg in Taipei City, Taiwan for purchasing this shirt. Of course, he bought a men's t-shirt, not the one in the photo.

Wear it in good health, Greg!

OR Nurses by bethd821
See other Or nurse T-Shirts

Trauma Team - New From Wii

Do you love Wii? There is a new game for the medical field called Trauma Team.

Click here for product review. Check it out!

The End of an Era

It is a sad and happy time in the OR at UNC Hospitals. The latest class of Chief Residents are finishing up their residencies here and will be leaving for fellowships or private practice. They are happy to be starting a new chapter in their lives and we are sad to see them go.

Every year the Department of General Surgery hosts a "Roast" of the Chief Residents. It is a fun-filled evening. Awards are presented to and from the chiefs. This year's roast is June 12th. It should prove to be entertaining and I will post some pictures from it.

The day after the roast is the annual "Trinidad Cup Race" for the chiefs to prove their prowess one final time. After a night of revelry, racing in the afternoon sun can be challenging. We'll see who has the greatest stamina.

Then it is time to say good-bye. A new class of chiefs will take over and along with that comes a new class of "interns". OMG!

With sadness we say good-bye to Megan, Jen, Nancy, Heather, Mark, and Trey! We wish you the best of everything! You have enriched our lives!

Surgical Techs

I have written a new page about Surgical Techs and feature some great gift items. I hope you check it out!

Surgical Tech T-Shirts & More

Accelerated Nursing Programs

Do you work in the medical field and want to become a nurse? Are you already a nurse and want to advance your current degree? This page is an excellent resource to help you achieve that goal. Check it out and good luck in your educational endeavors!

Best Accelerated Nursing Programs

If you are interested in becoming a nurse, I have put together this guide to help you. It takes you from application to schools through your first year as a nurse. We need more nurses. Many of today's nurses are reaching retirement age. The nursing shortage of today can only worsen as we lose these seasoned nurses. So, if you're considering a nursing career, visit this page.

Guide To Becoming A Nurse

Take The Operating Room Nurse Quiz

I wrote a page last year for Squidoo titled, Operating Room Nurses. It has been my best ranked lens for about 6 months. I created a quiz from the information on this lens. See how much you know about what operating room nurses do. Here's the link to the quiz: Quiz: What Do Operating Room Nurses Do?

Scrubs-Not Just For Nurses

I wrote a new Squidoo page with great scrubs. MyNursingUniforms.com is a great site to get scrubs directly from the manufacturer and save 15-40% off uniform store prices. If you need scrubs, I recommend this site. Your satisfaction is guaranteed and there's no shipping charge on orders over $100.

Nurses Week is coming May 6th. Get your favorite nurse some new scrubs!

Visit Scrubs-Not Just For Nurses and order your scrubs today.

Scrubs-Not Just For Nurses

Don't you just love wearing scrubs? Not the ones at work, but those cute and colorful scrubs that the nurses on the units get to wear. They sure have come out with some really cute designs. Baby Phat has even gotten into the scrub business.

Visit my Squidoo page and get some great comfy scrubs: Scrubs-Not Just For Nurses. Thanks!

Precepting A New Nurse Resident In The OR

Does your operating room offer a nurse residency program for nurses wanting to work in the operating room? It's an exciting adventure to be sure. I work at UNC Hospital in the operating room. There is a good nurse residency program there. Experienced nurses, as well as new graduate nurses, are accepted into the course. The first few weeks are all classroom. Subjects include sterile technique, instrumentation, sterilization, and just about anything associated with the operating room's daily routines. After the nurse residents complete the classroom portion, they start the clinical portion of the program. I am a primary preceptor for the clinical portion of the nurse residency program. A new group has just started the clinical phase of their training.

As a preceptor, I try to take the first day to learn about the needs and educational desires of the trainee. It does me no good to use visual cues if they are a tactile learner. I ask them to give me a list of things they think are important for them to learn the first day and we go from there. I stress the importance of patient care and safety. I teach them that their focus is the patient, not the computer. Unfortunately, they are so locked in on the charting, that the patient becomes secondary at times. I work on this all day the first day. I think positive reinforcement is an essential tool to teaching.

There is so much to learn in the OR. I remind each student I have that they are not going to learn everything in a day, week, or month. I tell them that I have been in the OR for 28 years and I am still learning. With all the changes that occur in surgical procedures and equipment, learning is a constant process in the OR.

Our nurse residency program is not long enough, in my opinion. Each new resident only gets three weeks in each specialty. The first week is circulating, the second week is scrubbing, and the third week is the choice of the resident as to whether they want to scrub or circulate. Now my specialty is General Surgery and Urology. General surgery has General GI surgery, Surgical Oncology, and Trauma. Urology can be broken into several categories as well. There are open cases, Robot cases, and cysto. It is very difficult to cover these 4 arenas of surgery in just 3 weeks. My personal opinion is that these new residents should get 3 weeks in each of these surgical specialties, but I don't make that decision.

My priorities for teaching include patient safety, patient comfort, prioritization of tasks, maintaining the sterile field, and the importance of accurate documentation. I stress to each nurse resident that it will take them about a year before they start to become confident in their skills. I encourage them to establish a routine that helps them remember the steps to take in starting a case. I instruct them in the things they need to do for a case regardless of the specialty. There are certain things you do all the time.