Not long ago AJN editorial director Shawn Kennedy blogged here about a new report in Nursing Outlook on the “reality shock” that new nurses experience. The nurses surveyed spoke about the strain of excessive workloads, the stress they felt around “the need for speed,” and mistreatment by colleagues and management, among other things. Even many seasoned nurses continue to struggle with these issues. How do they carry on? I wondered. In my traipsing round the blogosphere recently I found some refreshingly upbeat voices, speaking to what works.

Over at Head Nurse, it’s clear that Jo speaks from experience in the aptly titled “It’s a Weird Job.”  She doesn’t shy away from detailing what’s difficult, but she also writes about deflecting stress through humor, friendly competition, and appreciation for big and little rewards. She says she and her coworkers “joke about everything” and take time to savor the good: […]