Navigating Career Goals in Nursing: From New Grad to Advanced Practice
The journey of a nurse is as diverse and dynamic as the field of healthcare itself. From the moment a new graduate nurse steps onto the unit, to the seasoned professional aiming for advanced roles, each step brings its own set of challenges and rewards. In our latest podcast episode, we delve into the world of nursing careers, offering insights and encouragement for nurses at every stage of their journey.
The First Steps: Embracing Your Role as a New Grad Nurse
Starting out in nursing can be overwhelming. New graduates often find themselves trying to absorb a vast amount of information, adapt to the pace of healthcare settings, and find their footing among seasoned professionals. It’s important for new nurses to recognize that getting comfortable on the unit is a significant achievement in itself. Seeking mentorship, embracing the learning curve, and gradually building confidence are key steps in this initial phase.
Aspiring Towards Leadership
For those looking to move beyond bedside nursing, roles such as charge nurse, nurse educator, and nurse manager present exciting opportunities. Achieving these positions requires not just clinical expertise, but also strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills. We discuss the pathways to these roles and how nurses can prepare themselves for leadership positions, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and professional development.
The Pursuit of Advanced Education
The field of nursing offers vast opportunities for those willing to advance their education. Whether it’s becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), advanced degrees open new doors for career growth and specialization. Our episode explores the challenges and rewards of pursuing higher education while balancing work and personal life, providing listeners with practical advice on navigating this ambitious path.
Maintaining Mental and Physical Health
Nurses are no strangers to the pressures and demands of healthcare. The emotional toll of dealing with life-and-death situations, combined with the physical demands of long shifts, can impact even the most resilient professionals. We delve into the importance of mental and physical health, offering strategies for managing stress, building resilience, and maintaining well-being amidst the challenges of nursing.
Resilience: The Heart of Nursing
Perhaps the most vital trait for nurses is resilience. The ability to face adversity, adapt to change, and emerge stronger is crucial in a profession that deals with human suffering and constant challenges. Our episode shares inspiring stories of nurses who have demonstrated incredible resilience, providing listeners with insights into how they can cultivate this quality in their own lives.
The nursing profession is a journey of continuous growth, learning, and adaptation. By setting thoughtful goals, pursuing further education, and prioritizing our health and resilience, nurses can navigate their careers with confidence and purpose. As we support one another in reaching our fullest potential, we not only advance our own careers but also contribute to the betterment of healthcare as a whole.
Why did you become a Sex therapist? What did you find so fascinating about it that you wanted to pursue it?
Looking at an article from Gitnux: 32% of people that watch porn believe their porn habits are problematic or addictive, 56% of divorce cases involve one party having an obsessive interest in porn.
Have you seen a lot of cases of porn addiction? Why does it happen?
Typically those who compulsively or habitually watch porn it is due to a feeling of loneliness, isolation, a feeling that they cannot be themselves around others, or that relationships with others drain them. They go to porn then to feel a part of something fun and pleasurable where they can just let their inhibitions go.
So are they divorcing because of the porn watching, probably not. They are already feeling lonely and isolating themselves or looking for a nonjudgemental place to be themselves. That’s a couples issues.
Who struggles more with sex men or women? Why?
They both have their own struggles. The most common struggles for men are erectile dysfunction, using porn more than they’d like, and wanting more or less sex than their partner.
Women most commonly struggle with the impacts of sexual trauma, lack of pleasure in sex, painful sex, and mismatched desire for sex.
My theory is that men are more focused on performance.
What are the typical struggles or thoughts that men go through vs. women?
Men = Performance due to expectations of what it is to be masculine, you’re not a man if you can’t get hard/want sex all the time/want to be more submissive in the bedroom, and able to become desirous for sex quickly or spontaneously
All men want is sex/ pressure to keep their men satisfied, only able to desire sex if the stars are aligned or it’s been a good day or after steps, responsive
Does bad sex lead to a bad relationship?
Sex is a big part of any serious relationship and I’ve found that a lot of relationships and marriages fall off if there is a lack of sex. Phases/Seasons
Why do some couples have sex but then find it hard to talk about sex with each other? The world finds it hard to talk about sex, and that’s why. It is not normalized. No practice. Even in medical and therapeutic settings, it has been documented that unless a doctor specifically asks about sex, patients will not bring it up first. Also fear of judgment from partner
How can women and men increase their libido or sexual drive?
Men are focused on having peak testosterone levels and lots of times take supplements to promote it or even go on TRT.
Always good to check in with your doctor about hormone levels for both men and women if they’re experiencing a lack of desire, erectile issues, vaginal dryness, pain with sex.
Is there anything you recommend for men and women to increase their sex drive? Supplements, sleep, exercise?
The basics of taking care of yourself, sleep, eating right, exercise, and if that is as good as it’s going to get then prioritizing and finding what it is you’re really looking for (touch, attention, etc.)
Can working the night shift affect it?
Absolutely, if partners are two ships passing in the night then their mindset will be in opposite places. Other than that, working the night shift people often lack sleep, sun, socialization with friends and all of these things can affect how sexy we feel. When we lack sleep our hormones don’t always have time to restore to their proper levels and so it can result in a lack of desire and erectile issues, less lubricating.
How does sex and the perception of sex affect people who have been sexually assaulted?
It looks different for everyone but some common themes are: Have a lot of sex so that they can feel like they are in control of their sex life and their body but what’s going on here is that they have the sex bc of underlying beliefs of lets beat them to the punch. OR they avoid sex, only have sex out of obligation or duty, or dissociate during sex. Or some people are just fine having sex within the context of a safe rx afterwards but they may have triggers pop up from time to time.
What does the healing process look like?
Finding the person’s beliefs about the event, their fault, why it happened, how it has impacted their views of self, others, and the world (can’t trust anybody or questioning higher power) and working through each of those beliefs that are not helping them.
Sex is such a big part of life, how does it affect relationships when someone is unable to have sex or is uncomfortable with it
Partners begin to feel unloved, unattractive, unfulfilled
Have you seen an increase in Non-Monogamy?
Can you explain a non-monogamous relationship?
Yes, there has been an increase in various types of non-monogamy
Swingers: swap sexual partners
Open: sexual contact
Polygamy: marriage with multiple
Pulyamour: romantic relationships with others
Throuple/Triad: a monogamous relationship with more than 2
There has been a phenomenal amount of research that came out over the last few years on the benefits of saunas and cold showers. Most of the benefits come from the physiological changes and adaptations that occur but there are more than physiological positives. There are many hidden mental benefits that most people don’t take into consideration. Besides physically feeling better there are many psychological benefits to the sauna and cold showers.
Hidden Benefits of the Sauna
Most people know about the basic benefits of the sauna such as the ones that come from sweating. Sweating opens up your pours and rids the body of certain toxins. Did you know that beyond sweating the sauna extends your workout, increases stress tolerance, and makes you more open-minded?
Extends your workout
Sauna keeps your workout going by continuing that vasodilation. Our body dilates with heat and constricts with cold, by going to the sauna you’re prolonging the increase of blood going into your muscles and tissues.
If you had a cardio day, the sauna maintains a higher heart rate and you can get a little bit more squeeze out of your workout. If you’re someone that’s 5ft 8in 165lbs you can lose around 100 calories just by sitting in the sauna for 20/30 min more if you hop in right after a workout. Doesnt sound like a lot but it’s more than you’ll lose if you just go home.
Increases stress tolerance
This is the ability to take on pressure without feeling negative or letting it consume you.
The sauna builds stress tolerance because you are putting yourself in an uncomfortable place. It’s hot, you’re sweating, and you want to get out of there. By forcing yourself to be there all while your brain and mind are telling you that you can just simply step out and be more comfortable.
You forcing yourself to stay in the uncomfortable translates to life outside of the sauna. It makes doing the uncomfortable things a little easier because you are subconsciously showing that you can get through tough challenges by focusing on what you want to do and not so much on your body.
Makes you more open-minded
I’ve had some of the best conversations in the sauna. There’s something about suffering and suffering in a group makes people more open. I noticed that some of the most intellectual or groundbreaking conversations I’ve had were in the sauna. Everyone is miserable and that allows some people to put their guard down.
By having a conversation with people of all races, backgrounds, and ages it gives you a broader perspective of the world. People have been through different circumstances and offer a lot of knowledge on how they got out or how they felt. Some people have been in the exact same situation as you but in turn, did all the right things and some did the exact opposite.
Cold Showers
I’ve been doing cold showers on and off for the last 5 years. I used to do ice baths regularly when I lived in San Diego and had access to them, but overall I have been doing cold showers for a long time and can speak to its effects.
The research behind cold showers
Do cold showers really do anything? At the surface taking a cold shower might seem like it would have some benefits because you are going from warm temperatures to cold temperatures but remember that the average shower doesn’t take a long time. So the question is do cold showers have any benefit when taken for the average time and at what temperature?
We know the colder the better and the longer the better.
Most research studies use temperatures between 20-25 degrees Celsius which is about 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Illinois shower water. Overall studies show that ice baths are superior to a cold showers but that doesn’t mean cold showers don’t have any benefits.
Basic Physiologic Affects
When the body comes into contact with cold water, the initial cold sensation stimulates the skin’s surface vessels, causing them to narrow and redirect blood flow to preserve heat.
The brain and vital organs receive a fresh supply of oxygen and nutrients from the blood.
Unlike warm receptors, cold receptors are abundant on the skin surface, ranging from 3 to 30 times more numerous. This abundance explains why the body feels invigorated by the sudden contact with cold water, as it promotes vasoconstriction and applies pressure to these receptors, resulting in heightened brain activity.
Physical benefits
Cold exposure offers numerous benefits for human health, encompassing both physical and psychological aspects. Regarding physical well-being, cold exposure can potentially aid in body
Fat reduction:
Cold temperatures stimulate increased energy expenditure and metabolism. Additionally, exposure to cold prompts the activation of brown adipose tissue (brown fat), which utilizes stored body fat as fuel. Consequently, cold exposure holds promise as a means to facilitate body fat loss.
Nonetheless, further research is necessary to establish conclusive evidence. Realistically you won’t lose fat from cold showers this was seen to be more effective with ice baths and really cold temperatures. A shower won’t stress your body enough for you to start using your fat as fuel.
Improved cardiovascular health.
Initially, cold exposure raises heart rate and blood pressure, leading to enhanced circulation. Blood is redirected from the skin towards vital organs, necessitating increased effort from the heart to pump blood effectively to these organs.
Regular brief cold exposure over time can enhance heart efficiency and improve blood flow. Enhanced circulation yields various health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved cognitive function, and enhanced metabolism.
Immune system:
Contrary to common misconceptions (e.g., the belief that exposure to cold weather causes illness). Brief cold exposure actually increases the number of white blood cells and natural killer cells in the body, effectively bolstering the immune system.
However, it is crucial to note that brief cold exposure is beneficial, whereas prolonged cold showers or extended periods in cold weather may not yield the same effects and could even be detrimental.
Alleviate pain and reduce inflammation:
The reduced blood flow during cold exposure helps minimize swelling and other inflammation-related factors.
Additionally, the release of endorphins during cold exposure activates opiate receptors in the brain, diminishing sensations of pain. This aligns with the common practice of using ice packs or cold therapies to alleviate inflammation, injuries, or pain in specific body areas. Similarly, cold showers can reduce systemic inflammation, soreness, and overall pain, making them an efficient and potent pain-relieving strategy.
Cold shower as an analgesic
One interesting theory about cold showers and cold therapy, in general, is its potential to act as an analgesic. There is a basis for how cold showers and cold therapy can improve mental function. There are 2 interesting theories, cold showers and therapy as a battle against depression and psychosis.
Cold showers and psychosis
With respect to cold stress, an adapted cold shower could work as a mild form of electroshock applied bilaterally to the sensory cortex, and cold showers appear to have an anti-depressive rather than a sedative effect. Since electroshock therapy is known to have beneficial effects on psychotic symptoms of patients with schizophrenia, it is possible that adapted cold showers might have a similar antipsychotic effect. In addition, cold hydrotherapy is known to cause analgesia, suggesting that it may act through the mechanism of stress-induced analgesia involving the mesolimbic pathway and thus could have the effect of “crowding out” psychosis in that region of the brain similar.
This idea is referred to as hormesis, our body’s response to a low amount of stress or toxin which causes a beneficial response. Over time the threshold increases and the effect of the toxic or stressor is decreased.
Exposure to cold temperatures leads to greater blood flow toward the brain, resulting in the simultaneous increase of endorphin production. These endorphins activate opiate receptors, which can contribute to an improved mood.
Additionally, cold exposure enhances the transmission of electrical impulses in the brain and potentially raises dopamine levels. The combined effect of increased blood flow, endorphins, dopamine, and enhanced electrical activity can have potent anti-depressive effects. Notably, the boosted electrical activity resembles the mechanism employed in electroconvulsive therapy for depression, but without the associated potential side effects.
Therefore, incorporating cold showers into one’s routine can serve as a simple approach to alleviate depression or low moods, while acknowledging that depression encompasses more severe symptoms beyond a mere transient low or bad mood.
Nurse-on-nurse violence is a serious issue that’s happening all over the world. An average of two nurses every hour experience being abused in their workplace. And many don’t even file reports about it.
When we say violence, the first thing that comes to our mind is physical assault but that’s not the only form of violence. In fact, violence also happens in the place of work. OSHA or Occupational Safety Health Administration defines workplace violence as
“Any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers, and visitors. ”
In the United States, acts of violence and other injuries are the third-leading causes of fatal occupational injuries. And for nurses, this is sometimes the reality that we face.
How can we avoid this? How can we stop nurse-on-nurse violence? And what can we do in case acts of violence occur in our workplace?
Our Guest
In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Phil La Duke. Phil is currently employed as a writer, and board member on over ten medical research oversight boards.
The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We often go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Looking forward to our conversation!
These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.
Share with us your background and experience.
Working with worker safety, what are the most common safety issues or injuries?
Where are all the fallouts that cause these to happen?
What made you get into safety?
What are the biggest safety issues in hospitals or in healthcare facilities?
A survey from Beckers Hospital revealed that 92% of healthcare workers have experienced or witnessed violence from a patient or their caregiver.
How can we combat that?
What does it mean to be part of a medical research board?
What made you start writing books?
ENDING QUESTIONS
Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests.
If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be & why?
Do you want to know how we can resolve nurse-on-nurse violence? Click here for the full episode 👇👇👇
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction 01:21 About Phil La Duke 05:09 How Phil started working in healthcare 07:44 The Just Culture 09:50 Risk-taking decisions 11:26 How Phil came about to workplace violence 16:47 The weird life of Phil La Duke 21:17 Common workplace violence in a hospital 38:00 Interventions to avoid workplace violence 59:31 How to Deescalate 01:17:54 Wrapping up the show
7 Foods That Help Nurses Gain Energy During a 12-hour Shift
Our diet plays a big role in keeping our bodies in shape. As nurses, we owe our bodies healthy and nutritious food. When we eat a well-balanced diet, we have more energy to do our job.
It is why it’s best to know the 7 foods that help nurses gain energy during a 12-hour shift. Eating the right food will give you the best energy and avoid the stress that a 12-hour shift can give.
In this episode, we will talk about the 7 best foods you can eat to keep up with your long shifts. We also had the chance to talk to Alandra Segoviano.
She is a writer for wellandgood.com and is interested in the lifestyle of a nurse. She is curious about what foods we eat on shift and why. So if you are as curious as her, then this episode is for you.
Diet vs. Lifestyle
Temporary Diets don’t work. You must find the food you like to eat and eliminate all the processed stuff.
People see the results of diets because they just end up eliminating calories. Any diet will work if you just decrease the number of calories; everyone will find success in that.
Intermittent fasting is beneficial, especially on nights.
Working all night doesn’t mean you have to eat all night.
16-8 is the one we usually do. We stop eating at midnight.
Different associations with food. It becomes more of a fuel
Benefits of Intermittent fasting:
Increases metabolism
In intermittent fasting, your metabolism does not decrease because fasting is short-term.
The way intermittent fasting indirectly boosts your metabolism is through norepinephrine. During acute starvation and short-term calorie negligence, your body increases norepinephrine levels. Norepinephrine causes an increase in the release of glucose.
2. Immune function
Autophagy is the process of programmed cell death. It is also the ability to find damaged cells and destroy them.
On the immunological level, it is also breaking down white blood cells for resources to rebuild. White blood cells are a general term to associate all our immune cells. Our body naturally breaks down damaged cells and uses those components to create new mature white blood cells for the future.
Decreases oxidative stress and inflammation. Long-term effects of oxidation and inflammation increase the risks of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. A decrease in chronic disease, in turn, helps decrease the immune system’s workload.
3. Brain function
You take the work and time needed to consume food and put that effort into brain function and mental processing.
Increase a hormone called BDNF. Studies show that The chemical Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in depression and other brain issues. An increase in BDNF can make you feel better on a neurological level.
Builds self-control
4. Liquids
You need to drink more water. This especially helps with hunger and craving.
Food
Meat, including seafood – is simple, protein that keeps you fuller for longer. It’s the building block of life.
Meat protein vs Plant-based
Research shows that meat protein
Meat resulted in a more significant gain in whole-body net protein balance above baseline than the ounce equivalents of plant-based protein food sources. The improvement in whole-body net protein balance was due to increased protein synthesis with all the animal protein sources. In contrast, the egg and pork groups also suppressed protein breakdown compared to plant protein sources [1].
Steak, chicken, beef, pork, salmon, and shrimp.
Fruits
Berries
Taste the best. Lower in calories and lower in carbs
Antioxidants
Help keep free radicals under control and helps decrease inflammation.
Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries have the highest antioxidant activity of commonly consumed fruits, next to pomegranates.
High in fiber
High nutrition content
Vitamins like C, minerals, Magnesium
Vegetables
The consistent vegetables we eat are mushrooms, potatoes (sweet and regular), onions, swiss chard, and greens.
Explore different vegetables and find ones you can consistently eat.
Basic building blocks for life.
The primary source of all major vitamins and minerals for our body to function and present inflammation.
Greek yogurt and peanut butter
Unsweetened Greek yogurt with some fruits and granola
Great for gut support
Probiotics. Make sure it says Live and Active Cultures (LAC)
Bone and muscle health
Protein, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal with milk and butter, not water.
Good source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants.
Beta-glucans
Beta-glucans have been tested to lower blood glucose concentrations and decrease hyperlipidemia and hypertension [2].
It might prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol from food. They might also stimulate the immune system by increasing chemicals that prevent infections.
Essentially helps neutrophils travel to the site of infection faster and improves their potential to eliminate the bacteria they find there.
RX Bars
3 eggwhites
6 almonds
4 cashews
2 Dates
Recently – easy-to-eat salads with meat, romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, sprouts, avocado, and red onion.
Primal Kitchen dressings – Cleanest dressing, based on olive and avocado oils. All are healthy foods that help nurses last their 12-hour shifts.
Learn what foods you can eat during your long shifts by watching the full episode here 👇
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction 01:44 Peters nightshift nurse life 03:42 Night shift eating pattern 06:44 What veggies and fruits for a nursing shift 10:09 Best protein powders 12:01 Water Intake as a nurse 16:21 Truth about dieting 17:34 Matt’s daily diet 19:55 Easy nursing snacks for nurses 24:05 How to prevent carb crashes and feeling tired 28:17 4 main food categories for good health 29:25 Avoid sugary foods at work 30:46 Caffeinate properly as a nurse 32:49 When do you get used to night shift?
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