Author: Megan Weaver Culbertson, BSN, RN

Self Care: A necessity to preventing burn out

If I’m honest, I don’t really care for the word burn out. I have experienced burn out many times over my career- but I feel the term puts a lot of the blame on us as nurses and not enough of the blame on the extremely broken system we work in. I do think by just the nature of healthcare, burnout will happen. However, if we had a system that truly supported us, I think it would happen a lot less and it would be a lot less severe.

You may read the title and think “well you just said we aren’t to blame but the title says we need self care.” HUMANS need self care and self compassion to lead healthier and happier lives. I don’t think yoga is going to make it so a broken health system doesn’t effect you, but I do think as nurses we do not do a good enough job of caring for ourselves. Women don’t do a good enough job of caring for ourselves. Mothers don’t do a good enough job of caring for themselves. HUMANS don’t do a good enough job… You get the point. I am not here with some toxic positivity to tell you if you take a bubble bath after work all the systemic issues will go away. I am here to say you- as a human- deserve to treat yourself with love and compassion.

Finding the Self Care for You

One type of self care isn’t right for everyone. As I have become more serious about my healing journey, I have learned that I needed to be more intentional about how, when, and what type of self care I need to do. Things that I felt I would never be able to enjoy- like meditation or yoga- I am now starting to explore. Have an open mind when deciding on practices you will incorporate to help with your stress- both at your job and at home.

Time in Nature

Time in nature is by far one of my favorite forms of self care! There is a variety of ways to use nature to help with stress reduction, improve quality of sleep, and lower anxiety and depression. Some of my favorite things include kayaking, hiking, camping, and spending time at the beach. The Nature Nurse wrote a great guest blog post: 4 Simple Nature Practices to Heal the Weary Nurse: Guest Blog Post.

Boundaries

One of the best forms of self care is one that is far outside of a face mask, bubble bath, or a walk in the woods. Boundaries. In order to take care of yourself- you have to have boundaries. I lacked boundaries for a large part of my life and career- and when I started learning about boundaries and how important they are, life and my career got better. One of my favorite former charge nurses who is still a very good friend of mine taught me the phrase “I’m sorry, I can’t.” That’s it. That’s the phrase you need. You don’t owe anyone an explanation as to why you can’t join a committee, pick up an extra shift, volunteer at a function, go out to dinner, etc. You have to protect yourself and your time in order to life a happier, healthier life.

Join the NSN News Letter

The Nurses Supporting Nurses newsletter is a monthly email to help you find new ways to practice self care. It includes journal prompts, self care activities, and more! It is free and I would love for you to sign up here!

What self care would you like to commit to this weekend? I planned to see a good friend and spend sometime outside with my dog and husband.

 

 

Past Blog Posts for Nursing Students!

Hello! If you are reading this and you are a nursing student- Congratulations! Started nursing school is a HUGE accomplishment! While it wasn’t perfect, I really enjoyed nursing school. Today I went through the archive of Nursing School posts and chose a few to share here with you! These are from back when I was a baby blogger- a mix of advice and my experience navigating nursing school.

A little about me and my nursing school journey. I first completed an LPN program from 2011-2012. I then worked as a LPN before returning to school in 2014 to obtain my Associate in Science and then my Associate Degree in Nursing (LPN to RN). In 2018 I returned to Medical University of South Carolina and received my Bachelors of Science in Nursing! I have been a nurse for 10 years this fall and love supporting nursing students and new to practice nurses on their journey! Follow me on Instagram for more tips & tricks for nursing students! I would love to connect!

Nursing School Prep

OB Clinical Rotation

Difficult Nurses in Clinical: How To Deal!

Success in Clinical

Tips for Surviving Nursing School

Good luck with this semester! I hope it goes well and you learn a lot! Drop any questions you have for me about nursing school below!

 

 

From Nursing to Web? A nurses journey to a new career.

Covid life changes

I mentioned in a recent life update post  that I was now working with my husband’s business- HypedUp Studios a web agency that does everything from web design to SEO to marketing. This is totally outside the realm of what I thought I would ever be doing- especially considering I have my Bachelors in Nursing. However, Covid brought a lot of struggle into my life. I was diagnosed with PTSD after 2 years of working on Covid units. Then, I tested positive for Covid in January- and ended up with long haul symptoms. Between these two diagnsois- I was unable to return to work on the floor. My husband and I (and my doctors) decided it was best I take more time away from nursing to work on healing both my physical and mental health. You can read more about my long haul symptoms here. I have started medication, been seeing a therapist, and now I am working on getting back into some light, modified exercise and eating better.

Exploring something new

During my time off- I started to help a little with my husbands business (he works from home). I downloaded Canva and started learning about graphic design. I began watching YouTube and reading articles. My husband began to teach me some things he knows (he has a degree in computer programing and graphic design). I always had a little interest in the web design and content creating world- I have had this blog since 2016 and built most of it myself! However, I started getting really interested in the full business side of a web agency.

I took over the business social media accounts and started doing some marketing. I helped build/design a website. Quickly, I realized how much I was loving the “work” I was doing and that it really didn’t even feel like “work” (most of the time!) So I started taking on more tasks, learning more, and now- I would say that my husband and I are running HypedUp together. There is a lot he does that I can’t do, but I am starting to learning some VERY basic coding. I do web design, content writing, social media management, logo and branding, and marketing. If you told me a year ago I would have been part of Bradley’s business- I NEVER would have believed you. But I am loving it, and while I’m still quite new, I think I am growing and learning everyday.

Growing on my own

I have my own clients for social media management and have brought in my own clients for web design as well! I never imagined marketing to be a strength or something I enjoy- but it is! I’m also working to learn the office side of things- invoices, keeping books, etc. May sound silly, but it’s nothing I have ever done! Thankfully my mom has a business degree and has been helpful. I’m thankful my husband was so open to me helping and he is patient with teaching me. Working with a spouse is a whole other blog post, ha! But I am thankful we are a great team and it has in way made our marriage and life even better!

Still a Nurse

I still have an active nursing license- and I still consider myself to be working as a nurse (although it took some therapy to realize this) Nurses Supporting Nurses is an organization I started and we host weekly support group for nurses, CNAs, and new to practice nurses. We also have free resources like a report course and self care newsletter for nurses. I have a lot in the works for this and I consider mentorship and facilitating support groups to be a form of nursing! I also use my nursing skills and knowledge in new ways with HypedUp. One being working with nurse entrepreneurs! We are able to offer a unique offering by having a nurse to work with on the web part of your business. I’m able to “interpret” nurse language to developer language and I think it makes me a good point of contact for our nurse clients. I have also been looking at PRN (as needed) nursing jobs and if the right one comes along- I will consider taking that as well.

I’m going to end with a shameless plug- If you have any web needs- email campaign, SEO, logo and branding, responsive web design- send HypedUp a message! Mention this blog post and get 10% off one service! We would love to work with you!

We also offer a nurse appreciation discount on all our services! And a unique offer is you will be working with a nurse who will understand your business from a nurse’s perspective and can help translate things to the web developer (my husband) who may not otherwise understand your unique language and needs!

What is you current (or former career)? Have you made a change/are you considering a change?

“Pet E-Therapy” August 2022

Hello & Happy Friday! Welcome to “Pet E-Therapy!” A blog post which is basically an excuse to share cute pictures of my pets! One of my favorite parts of working in the hospital was when the therapy dogs came to visit- especially when they would bring them to visit staff! I felt like the vibe of the unit instantly shifted. Nurses and CNAs could take a deep breath and become calmer. So, this is my way of giving a little bit of that on the internet every month.

Annabelle & Declan napping together- my fur mom heart can’t take how cute they are!

Our dog who is over the rainbow bridge now, ready to go on a camping trip. That pack was a little big but he loved it.

 

Molly (front) and Sadie when I went on a girls trip to Southport this summer- so cute!

Declan passed out after our long drive to Greenville.

Annabelle being Annabelle 🙂

I hope these photos brought a little joy to your day! Feel free to share some pet photos over on Instagram.

 

The Less Glamorous Side of Travel Nursing

Last week- I shared the reason I loved being a traveling nurse and five reasons you should be one too. Today, in the name of transparency, I’m talking about the less glamorous side of travel nursing.

Floating

The nursing nemesis, floating. Now, with the right mindset, this doesn’t have to be the worst thing in the world. I wrote a post about floating and my tips for floating as a nurse. My first 2 contracts I was a float pool nurse for 13 different units. I honestly had never really floated in my staff job and then all of a sudden I was finding out what unit I was on from a post it note on the time clock! It was a change, but I ended up really liking it and found mindset had a lot to do with that. My last job- I could be floated to three other hospitals. And I did float to them. It could be stressful, but it wasn’t terrible. If you travel, just expect to float, it’s part of the job. And thankfully, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Away from Friends/Family

My sister visiting us in Washington D.C.

I would be lying if I said you were never going to get lonely while you travel. I miss my family and friends. Thankfully, I loved the adventure, and I had my little family with me (Bradley- my husband, Declan- our dog, Annabelle- our cat) which definitely helped. Also, technology now is great! You can FaceTime easily with family and friends and text are a way to stay connected! You also can always have people come visit and get to explore a new area with you! We had a blast when my family and one of our friends came to Washington D.C. and people definitely love coming to visit in Florida, lol!

Applications & Interviews 

You will be submitting, interviewing and onboarding every 13 weeks, maybe more, maybe less. Many times you can extend at a job, so you do have an option to stay longer and not have to do the whole process again. You will have to be in contact with your recruiter (they submit you for the job), available for phone interviews (this can suck on night shift) and do those TERRIBLE modules, skills test, rhythm tests, etc every new facility you go to. It’s definitely not a deal breaker, but it is something to keep in mind.

Orientation

Working the Covid Unit

Orientation sucks as a travel nurse- no other way to say it. You typically get two days max orientation. Two days. To learn the unit, why to find policies, how to chart, etc. My last assignment I got one day orientation then was on my own. You typically do have a classroom orientation for one or two days- but that’s honestly not to helpful. I thought I would never be able to survive a short orientation like that but I did! Expect your first week to be rough, but you can do it!

Overall- I still would recommend travel nursing to anyone who wants to try it! It’s a great experience, better money, and if you don’t like it- you can go back to a staff job after 3 short months! I really loved traveling and I got to experience and learn a lot.

Have you been a travel nurse before? If so, do you have any pros or cons to add? Also- drop any questions you have below!

Other Travel Nursing Post you may be interested in:

One Year as a Travel Nurse

My First Travel Nurse Contract: My thoughts and experiences

Our Jack & Jill Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

I’m taking a little trip down memory lane today and sharing our decision to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party 3 years ago! I can’t believe it’s been that long!

Why have a party together?

A lot of people were surprised and confused as to why we wanted to combine our parties. This choice is obviously not for everyone! But for us, Bradley and I love to hang out together. And the wedding was about us coming together- so we wanted most the celebrations to involve both of us! We also have a lot of the same friends, and the ones that weren’t we wanted them to be able to meet.

Another thing that a lot of people still comment on- the wedding party all got to know each other before the weekend of the wedding! I have been in weddings where the bridesmaids and groomsmen really dont know each other at all! It was so fun to have the whole wedding party get to hang out and become friends before wedding day. It made wedding day feel even more special and like a big party!

Weekend in the Mountains

One of my fav pics- my best friend/bridesmaid Raven and Maid of Honor/Sister Mackenzie

We chose to rent a house in the mountains of Boone, NC. We originally were planning a beach trip, but Bradley and I also love the mountains! A house where we could all hang out and have plenty of space just felt right. Highly recommend considering renting a house (with a hot tub!) as part of your wedding celebrations.

Girls Day Out

Just because you have a jack and Jill party doesn’t mean you can’t have time with your girls! We planned one day where the girls dressed up and we hired a van to drive us around for the day. We went to brunch, a winery, a roof top bar downtown, and ended at the bar of a local BBQ joint! I got to have quality time with my bridesmaids and the guys got to go on a hike. It was so perfect and I felt added a nice balance to the weekend.

 

Tubing Down the River

The whole wedding party- went tubing! So much fun. And yes, I wore my sash and veil! lol

Honestly, I think one of the BEST parts of the whole weekend was tubing. If you have never been tubing in the mountains, it’s where you intertube 3-4 miles down a river. It was SO much fun having everyone together. We got to chill, have some drinks, chat, and just have a blast in the water. I highly recommend planning a tubing day with your friends or family- whether your getting married or not!

A few more photos…

Because I’m having such a fun time looking at these photos and remembering these sweet memories- a few more photos from one of the best weekends ever.

My husband Bradley and sister in law Stephanie!

Roof Top Bar in Boone, NC with the Bride Tribe!

The Best Decision For Us

Overall, this was the best decision for us! It is still one of my favorite memories not just for the wedding, but of my life! Just because you have a combined party, doesn’t mean you still can’t have your fun girl things or guy things too! Bradley and I are totally not stripper people (it’s fine if YOU are, but it was a no for both of us) and we had no desire to have the raunchy bachelorette/bachelor decor (it was the only stipulation I gave my bridesmaids, ha!) And if we were planning a wedding celebration of this proportion, we each wanted our most favorite person to be there- each other! So a joint party just worked for us. Getting to celebrate marrying the love of your life with all your close friends and family, despite gender, was just the best. I would happily do the whole party all over again!

If you are considering a Jack and Jill party (this is a heteronormative term I know- but we are a straight cis couple so the name worked for us. Any couple should consider having their party together, despite gender!) I HIGHLY recommend doing it, and not caring what other people think. It’s your day, and you deserve to celebrate in the way that works for you and your love!

Drop any questions you have below! Did you do a bachelor or bachelorette party? What did you do? I love to hear all things wedding below!

Five Reasons to Become a Travel Nurse

I am not currently working as a travel nurse (or bedside nurse) but I did travel nursing for two years and have spent years reading various blogs and following other travel nurses to learn more. I think if the pandemic had not hit (and I had not contracted long haul Covid) I would probably still be traveling as a nurse. I may go back eventually, but right now I’m working on healing my mental health and my long haul covid symptoms.

Anywho, I still have a lot to share about travel nursing! Today I’m sharing 5 reasons you should consider becoming a travel nurse!

Travel

Camping in Shenandoah National Park

I feel like one of the things that has been pushed to the wayside about traveling nursing is the travel part! During the pandemic, it seems like SO much emphasis was put on money. Especially with crisis assignments where you could barely even leave your hotel. Now, this money was life changing for people and I’m not doubting that. If you look ahead you will see I added money to this list as well. I am NOT against making money! However, the opportunity to travel and experience new parts of the country is a big draw to travel nursing!

If you want to do local travel nursing- you still can have more opportunity to travel! Time between assignments is a great way to travel and have more time off than you would with a staff job.

Flexibility

So, it’s a give and take with flexibility as a travel nurse. Often, during assignments, you have less flexibility than you would as a staff nurse. You are there to fill holes in the schedule, so you may not always have the ideal schedule. However, you have the ability to take time off in between assignment that often is a lot longer than it would be as a staff nurse. I also was able to take the month of December off the last two years and spend Christmas with my family, which is another luxury you almost never get as a staff bedside nurse. This is even more important when your family lives in a different state than you.

Less Workplace Politics

Workplace politics.. one of the worst parts of working in the hospital in my opinion. If you want to climb the ladder of a hospital and advance- that’s great! But I never had a desire to be in admin or management- I didn’t even want to be a charge nurse. It didn’t fit my lifestyle or personality. I wanted to work my 3 12s and then be done with the hospital until my next shift. I didn’t even realize how involved in workplace drama and politics I was until I started traveling and discovered what it was like to be completely uninvolved with it. It was a breath of fresh air and it was SO NICE to not hear anything about the hospital on my days off, and not hear any complaints (other than general staff talking) during my shift.

Learning Opportunities

Overall, nursing/medicine is similar everywhere. However, every hospital (and state) has a variation in scope of practice and policies. I learned how to do something new at every hospital! You also have the opportunity to learn from new people with various experiences. And this isn’t strictly related to nursing and medicine- I have worked with a variety of nurses from different parts of the world and was able to learn about their culture! It was so interesting and I appreciate the opportunity so much.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Money

Can’t write about travel nursing without mentioning money, right? I made over double what I made my last year as a staff nurse (working over time every month) in 9 months as a travel nurse last year (and only work 2 over time shifts all year.) And I am so thankful for that money (and miss making it lol). Keep in mind to take tax free stipends you have to duplicate expenses- so you will be paying for a place in your tax home state plus where every you are traveling. Or you can choose to have all your money taxed. But even duplicating expenses, you can make and save money, even during non crisis rate times.

Kayaking- Cocoa Beach, FL

Overall, I definitely recommend travel nursing to those who are interested. Ensure you leave your current job on good terms so you can return if and when you need/want too. Check back next week where I will share the not so bright and shiny side of travel nursing- we have to be transparent and honest, right?

Are you a travel nurse or have you been a travel nurse? Is it a goal for the future? Tell me below!

Check my other posts on travel nursing:

One Year as a Travel Nurse

My First Travel Nurse Contract: My thoughts and experiences

Travel Nurse Contract #2: Washington, D.C.

 

 

Journal Prompts August 2022

July got a little busy and time got away from me, so I’m getting the August journal prompts out early! Every month I will share some journal prompts to help you on your journey.

Some benefits of journaling include:

  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Find inspiration
  • Track progress and growth
  • Make connections between thoughts

The One Line a Day Reflection Journal is a journal I published to help those who are new to journaling or have struggled with consistency in the past. It is a simple one line reflection every day. Weekly, you have a guided reflection. And each week, you get a quote to help encourage and support you. One of my best friends, Katy Sewell, did the cover art. It’s really a beautiful reflection of both of our mental health journeys. The proceeds help to support Nurses Supporting Nurses, an organization I founded that provides free and low cost support groups to nurses and CNAs. If you are interested in joining a support group, visit https://nursessupportingnurses.com

To purchase the One Line a Day journal on Amazon, click here.

Life Update: August 2022

Hey friends! I hope you are all doing well. I thought I would do a quick life update since we haven’t had the chance to connect the past few weeks. It’s been a summer full of up and downs over here.

Covid Healing- Round 2

If you read my recent post, Contracting C-19 is not a Moral Failing, you know that Bradley and I both contracted Covid the first week of July. He tested positive on Monday and I tested positive on Saturday. Luckily, we were able to take care of each other during the hardest parts of our illness since we weren’t sick at the exact same time. I’m so thankful to Bradley’s brother in law and his girlfriend who dropped off a care package and food for us. As well as my parents who got medications and groceries for us. I also had a lot of family and friends checking on us and offering to have anything we need delivered. I’m so thankful for these amazing people and their kindness.

Bradley was pretty sick and had to get an antibiotic for a secondary respiratory infection. I had fever, chills, body aches, congestion, sinus pain, and fatigue. I already had long haul, so I’m still dealing with some brain fog and fatigue. Thankfully I was already on my heart meds so heart racing and dizziness wasn’t as big of an issue this time.

Nurses Supporting Nurses

Nurses Supporting Nurses is an organization I founded about 5 months ago. It started as a weekly support group for nurses and CNAs, and now I am working to grow it into a business that will help nurses & CNAs in a variety of ways. We recently started our support group for new to practice nurses. If you are a nurse with less than 2 years of experience, I would love to have you join for a place of support and community! We have a lot of things in the works for nurses & CNAs so please consider following along and subscribing to the self care newsletter for monthly self care and to keep up with all our new offerings!

New Career..ish?

I still am a nurse and will always be a nurse in someway I believe, but PTSD and long haul Covid have really changed my perspective as well as my physical abilities the past 8 months. This time away has given me time to try new things. I think this deserves it’s own blog post in the future but I am now working with my husband in the business he owns, Hyped Up Studios. It is a web development and marketing agency. I am doing social media management, web design, dabbling in learning some code, and marketing! I’m loving the change of pace and having a job that allows me to use some more creativity. I never would have believed I would enjoy working in the tech world but so far, I am!

Travel

We are back in Greenville SC for the next couple months. We are excited to be able to see family and friends here and spend some time hiking and in the mountains!

Mental Health Healing

I’m still on my mental health journey and honestly, overall health journey. I really feel like the past 2 years has put a strain on a lot of areas of my life and it’s really going to take some time before I am back to where I want to be. However, I am slowly feeling better and gaining energy. Long haul covid is a battle especially when there isn’t much known about it yet.

Thank you for being here on the blog! I can’t wait to share more things going on BTS at both NSN and PLN! What is new for you? Share something below, I love to connect with you!

New to Practice Nurse Support Group

Hello! I hope your week is off to a good start! I am excited to announce the newest offering from Nurses Supporting Nurses. If you don’t know, NSN is an organization I founded to provides support groups and other mental health resources to nurse and CNAs of all specialties.

I have been facilitating a support group every Wednesday for 5 months now (it’s hard to believe it’s been that long) and I have identified a need for a space just for new to practice nurses. “Covid era nurses” have their own unique set of needs and stories to share, and I want to provide the space for them to find community. The New to Practice Support Group will be open to nurses with less than 2 years experience. We will meet biweekly or weekly (I want to see the response before I decide which) to share stories and empower you through active listening and community. We also will discuss topics important to new to practice nurses, including (but not limited to):

  • Confidence building
  • Setting boundaries
  • Anxiety
  • Coping skills
  • Death & Dying

Our first meeting will be Monday August 1, 8pm-9pm EST via Google Meet. I am asking a small investment of $10/session with this group to help support NSN and allow us to grow and offer more to help nurses and CNAs. The Google Meet link will be emailed to you the day of the group session.

If you are a nurse with less than 2 years of practice, I would love for you to join our group! If you know a new to practice nurse- please share this blog post with them! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or comment below.

Sign up for the New to Practice Support Group: Sign Up Here

Thank you for being here and supporting the blog and NSN!