Nursing is an incredibly challenging profession
that requires huge amounts of personal fortitude. Surviving your first 21-hour
day will be a test. Arriving home, most of you will collapse on your bed or
couch, with only a few short moments before sleep takes you away. But, some of
you, maybe only a handful, will retire to your laptops, for something far more
rewarding then a Facebook check-in.
Blog writing has become a serious instrument
for nursing discourse. It gives health practitioners a medium to share their
work-related stories with a wide audience. It gives them a forum to ask
questions, receive feedback and discuss proper care methods. And it also allows
them to vent.
Some writers use their humour to share their
thoughts on the profession, while others are much more dry. Some blogs writers
publish once every four months, while other sit down four times a week.
Whatever the design or frequency of the writing, the important point to
understand is that this tool is available.
If you are looking for a new forum to discuss
nursing topics, outside of your inner-circle of nursing professionals, try
paging through a number of the nursing blogs available online. To get you
started, PRIMED has created a list of our top ten healthcare blogs:
10. Digital Doorway
-Nurse Keith is the author of this blog that
coaches nurses through the difficult times. Keith's expertise lies in career
management, burnout prevention and networking for career security and
advancement. http://digitaldoorway.blogspot.ca/
9. The Gypsy Nurse
8. Scrubs Magazine
-More of an online periodical, this site has
tons of resources for nurses and nursing students. http://scrubsmag.com
7. The Nerdy Nurse
-One of the more popular tech blogs for nurses
is "The Nerdy Nurse." Written by Brittney Wilson, a self-described
'patient, nurse and technology advocate', Nerdy Nurse offers a plethora of
resources for nurses looking to combine their nursing passion with informatics.
Example of a recent blog: "Stress and Technology for Nurses: How to Take
Your Computer Less Seriously." http://thenerdynurse.com
6. ThirtyEightFive
The title of this blog comes from the Celsius
measurement for a brewing fever. The author of this blog concentrates the
majority of her writing on maintaining a healthy living, something that many
nurses struggle with due to their unique working schedules. A great light read
for all those nurse foodies out there. http://thenerdynurse.com
5. Not Nurse Ratched
-This is more of a 'dear diary' blog that has
garnered a lot of attention. The author includes many details about her
personal life, while offering useful advice for nurses in the field. A recent
article, written in November, focuses on the ability to write a good patient
report. http://notratched.net/
4. The Nursing Ethics Blog
-Pretty self-explanatory. This no nonsense blog
tackles the issues of ethics in the healthcare field. This blog is written by
two Canadians working at Ryerson University. http://nursingethicsblog.com/
3. Nurse Eye Roll
-An excellent blog for nurses just entering the
field. This blog concentrates on all those little things they don't teach you
in nursing school. And as the title suggests, the posts are punctuated with a
unique offering of humour that will keep you smiling through the hardest days. http://www.nurseeyeroll.com
2. At Your Cervix
-One of the longest running nursing blogs is
"At Your Cervix." This blog is written by a nurse midwife. Like the
'eye roll' blog, the posts on this blog are incredibly entertaining, with lots
of laughs and personal stories. http://atyourcervix.blogspot.ca/
1. NCLEX Prep
-The number one blog for information regarding
Canada's NCLEX testing for prospective RNs. This blog gives you all the facts
and issues surrounding the new testing format for nursing students in Canada.
Written by PRIMED Educational Associates, this blog provides nurses with the
information they need to properly prepare for the NCLEX exam. http://nclexprepcanada.blogspot.ca/
