Day 3 of Nurses Week is a good one.
You can win Nabee compression socks!
I have 4 pairs of these beauties and they are amazing! You can read my review of them here.

Enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Anna
Day 3 of Nurses Week is a good one.
You can win Nabee compression socks!
I have 4 pairs of these beauties and they are amazing! You can read my review of them here.
Enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Anna
On the second day of Nurses Week, I give to you TWO WhiteCoat Clipboards from MDpocket!
I just did a product review for this company (read that post here) and in collaborating with them, they offered to give away 2 of their nursing clipboards! I have a white one and a silver one (I had to go generic since this prize could go to anybody!)
Also! Use the code NURWK14 for 25% off your purchase! You will have to FIRST be logged in onto an MDpocket user profile for the code to verify. This code expires 5/12/14.
If you procrastinate (no judging), I have another code that is good through 5/14/14: AMONW14 will get you 15% off at checkout. Again, you’ll need a user profile before the code will work.
Good luck on the job hunt, all you new grads!
by Anna
I’m starting off my Nurses Week giveaways with one of my newest favorites: CharMED’s stethoscope charms! I’ve purchased this product for myself, given them as gifts, and NOW I’m going to give some to one lucky reader!
Here’s what I love about them: it’s a way to identify your stethoscope among all the others (especially if you use the monogram charm). It’s a way to add a little something extra to your otherwise standard and occasionally boring uniform. They’re easy to clean with alcohol wipes (more cleaning and care info here). And you can buy different ones to support a cause that’s special to you!
I have this one on my stethoscope:
CharMED is offering an incredibly generous promotion code during Nurses Week! If you use the code “SPRING30” you’ll get 30% off your entire order!
by Anna
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Nurses Week!
This year, I’ve got several of my favorite nursey things to give away! Check the blog every day and enter to win!
Nurses Week 2014 Round Up of Promotions/Deals/Giveaways:
by Anna
If I haven’t convinced you of the wonders of this clipboard, perhaps this video will:
by Anna
Nurses Week is an event that I recognize on my blog annually.
by Anna
Did you learn something new? Link up with Paige and I below!
ps. April’s topic is all about finding a nursing job! This is for the especially for the nursing students who are about to graduate!!
by Anna
March 19!
It’s National Certified Nurses Day!
A day to recognize and honor “the important achievement of nursing specialty and sub-specialty certification.” That’s what the website says.
If you follow me on Instagram (@anna_the_nurse), you’ll have noticed I recently joined the ranks of certified nurses:
So, in honor of Certified Nurses Day, I thought I’d do a little Question/Answer post to help you learn more about becoming a certified nurse. And since I’m a member of the AACN and my certification was through them, a lot of this will be about my experience with them.
Keep in mind, there are a BUNCH of nationally recognized professional organizations who offer certifications. Some of these include: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA), Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ), and Oncology Nurses Association (ONA).
Q. Don’t you just take the NCLEX and become an RN? What is this nursing certification thing?
A. “Certification affirms advanced knowledge, skill, and practice to meet the challenges of modern nursing.” (source) So, you won’t lose your job if you fail a certification test, but it’s an extra something you can add to your registered nurse status. It’s a milestone that not all nurses choose to pursue, but it does recognize personal excellence in a particular area.
Q. Why should I become certified?
A. There are a bunch of reasons! You can test your knowledge and be a more confidant nurse in the area you work. If you’re not ready or wanting to go back to school, this gives you something to work towards. It looks great on a resume. The hospital I work for gives a bonus to nurses who become certified, which is awesome. I can sign my name Anna, RN, BSN, PCCN (if I wanted). My hospital also has a ladder system where nurses can level up and having a certification gives you points to go up the ladder. And then you can have celebratory fro-yo after you pass the test.
Q. How should I prepare to for the certification test?
A. Remember the NCLEX? Sort of like that.
-Get study materials. I used the AACN’s PCCN review course online and the audio from David Woodruff’s PCCN review (a friend hooked me up with downloads of his review). I studied for about 3 months. I listened to the review in the car between home and work. I spent a few hours each week reviewing material. I spent the last couple weeks taking practice questions/tests.
-Form a study group. While I did not have a study group for my PCCN certification, I DO plan on having one for the CCRN certification! If you do well learning in a group environment where you can talk through ideas and ask questions, it’s smart to do it. If you’re looking for a study group/review course, check with your hospital and with AACN. They have chapters scattered throughout the nation and they will sometimes organize group reviews for certification. This website will help you find an AACN chapter if you’re interested.
-Use ALL your resources. Google the certification and see what’s out there. I read through some nursing forums that had suggestions of how people studied and other helpful tips. Youtube the certification. The PCCN, for example, had several videos posted of people doing reviews for the certification and there were questions on the actual test that I got correct BECAUSE I watched those youtube videos! Ask other certified nurses about what they did to study and what they’d recommend to someone preparing to take their test.
-Take practice tests! Just like NCLEX. You need to get into the groove of how they ask questions and what they are looking for.
-Be confidant. Believe in yourself and believe that you will pass. It helps.
-Test day. Know where the testing center is. Don’t be late. Most of the places offer ear plugs, which is nice. I tested at a H&R Block in March, so even though I was in a separate room with the computer, you could still hear customers coming in and talking. Ear plugs made a difference! Also, you find out the SAME day if you pass or fail! That’s something I actually appreciated. Last time I took a test like this, it took 3 days to hear the results. These certification tests can be re-taken. If you don’t pass, they’ll let you know what to do next.
Q. Okay, I’m certified. Now what?
A. You will have to maintain said certification. For example, mine is renewed every 3 years. I have to maintain my RN license and work so many hours in the area that I’m certified in. Then I need to either take the exam OR complete a certain amount of continuing education recognition points (CERPs). Not so bad, right?
I hope this helped a little bit! As a new nurse, I didn’t know much about certification and I probably could have taken this test years ago if I knew more. If you have other questions, leave them in the comments! If you’re on the journey to become certified, good luck!
Thank you to all you certified nurses out there!
by Anna
Here are the answers to this post:
(*keep in mind, these are my interpretations and because they are neither real or on ekg paper, my answers might not be the same answer that another person might get)
1. Normal sinus rhythm. All of you got this one right! Jill nailed it with the MOST correct answer of “normal sinus beat” because it doesn’t show how much space there is between complexes.
2. Indeed, it is ST elevation. Harder to frost on a cookie than it looks.
3. Atrially paced. With 100% capture, as Drew helpfully identified.
4. Atrially paced with a failure to capture.
5. Atrial flutter. I attempted to represent a 3:1 conduction, but ya know, with frosting… it’s hard. Atrial fibrillation is also acceptable.
6. Accelerated junctional is what I was TRYING to do here, but forgot my t waves. So I guess this one and #8 are up to interpretation. It’s too narrow of a QRS to originate in the ventricle but there’s no p-waves to make it SVT… so I think I just made up a rhythm.If this were an actual heart rhythm, check on the patient, get an EKG and call the doctor.
7. Sinus rhythm converting into ventricular tachycardia.
8. See #6. (putting this one in twice was not intentional. I had planned on using this one:
This is what happens when I write a post at 6 am before work.
9. Ventricular fibrillation. Just like NSR, everyone identified vfib! Excellent work!
So, I brought these cookies to work on Valentine’s Day and by the afternoon, there were a bunch of vfibs, asystole, and vtach cookies left… none of the nurses wanted to eat those ones and get jinxed! Goes to shoe how superstitious we nurses are.
Drew, Jill, and Stormy, you three win for the most correct answers!
I’m shooting you all emails and I’ll send you a prize in the mail.
by Anna
February is ending and it’s time for another nurse link up with Paige and any of you lovely nurse bloggers out there who’d like to join us!
Speaking of buckets…
What do YOU want to do with your nursing career?
Let me know, I’m curious!
ps. last chance to guess these heart rhythms! I’m choosing a winner next week when I’m back in town!