Nursing Archives - The Zinn Diaries

Daily Life of a Travel Nurse: The Commute

April 28, 2023 No Comments

Fun fact: Not all travel nurses pack up all their belongings and move across the country! Many nurses have spouses and children that they care for and don’t want to be too far from their families. There is one clear solution: don’t go far away! Travel contracts are available all over the country, so lots of nurses choose locations that are within a few hours of their homes. Being able to drive home on off stretches can relieve homesickness and support family members left behind.

My Weekly Travel Nurse Commute

I am finishing a contract in St. Louis, Missouri, which isn’t far from my hometown. “Not far” meaning almost three hours away! My husband has an active social life and is a passionate guitar player, so it made sense for him to stay home during this contract. I chose to work my three 12-hour shifts each week and commute home when I had more than one day off at a time. Unfortunately, my shifts are not always together and I frequently have to drive back/forth twice per week. I also accumulate a lot of stuff that I have to take home!

Travel nurse commute: taking all my stuff home

After a full year of commuting, this girl is TIRED! Colton tries his best to come to visit me during long work stretches, but he can’t help me entertain myself during dull drives through the Midwest countryside. In this post, we take a look at my struggle bus (get it, vehicle joke?) and hopefully you’ll find some tips for your own traveler commute!

1. Problem: I get sleepy in moving vehicles.

I’m a baby, I swear! Planes, trains, automobiles, it doesn’t matter; if it rocks back and forth, I need a nap. Some of my traveler friends commute to St Louis from cities in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and they complain of the same problem. If you’re usually on night shift like me, staying awake during a daytime drive can be difficult and even dangerous.

My action plan: Talk to people on the phone. Music and podcasts are fabulous, but they still put me to sleep! I have an emergency list of family members and friends who know that I drive frequently and are willing to talk to me on the phone.

For example, my mom works early hours, so she expects a phone call from me every day when I leave work. My best friend is free mid-mornings because she is a stay-at-home mom, and my husband is happy to chitchat during the afternoons. I’m blessed to have multiple siblings and close family members who fill in the gaps!

Perk: This can help busy travel nurses stay in touch with their loved ones. You have to drive and they want to talk to you!

2. Problem: I get bored and crave snacks.

Drive-thru, anyone? I get the uncontrollable urge to munch while I’m driving, and McDonald’s filet-o-fish sandwich and a Coke always tempt me as I leave the city. Not only are drive-thrus usually unhealthy, but they also get expensive. In the month of April, my husband and I spent a cumulative $600 on gas because we drive so often. We can’t afford to eat out every time we get in the car!

To combat this weight-gaining habit, I’ve started bringing small snacks with me in the car. Honey-roasted peanuts mixed with raisins is my go-to snack right now! Any high-protein and/or low-calorie food that you like to eat at work would also be a good option. I’m all for saving money, so if you can bulk purchase your snacks, I say go for it.

Coke from McDonalds travel nurse commute

3. Pro: I have time to listen to podcasts!

Okay, I actually look forward to my driving time for this reason! I alternate between Coffee Break Spanish’s language learning podcast lessons and numerous nursing education podcasts. For the full list of nursing resources that I personally love, including podcasts, read My Favorite ICU Nurse Resources!

A key part of listening to podcasts (or music) is to alternate what you’re doing. A constant influx of the same information is more likely to put you to sleep or make you dread your long drive. I like to listen to a podcast episode, switch to music for a little while, call a friend, and repeat! If you’re learning a language or a new skill, as I am with Coffee Break Spanish, a travel nurse commute gives you dedicated time to practice.

What podcasts or music do you like to listen to on your nursing commute? Any suggestions for me? Leave it in the comments below or message me! 😊

Articles you might be interested in:

Nursing, Nursing Education, Travel Nursing

How I Survive Night Shifts in the ICU

April 14, 2023 1 Comment

Working during the day is pretty standard, but learning to survive night shifts can be rough. After a few years of experimentation, I’ve landed on a few key tips for making the night shift more enjoyable!

1. Caffeine

I still haven’t found a way around this. I used to drink endless bottles of Mt Dew until it finally hit me that I was sugar-crashing HARD by 4:00 am. Anyone who has worked a night shift is intimately familiar with that 4:00 am slump that hits hard and tempts you to sleep at the desk under a warm blanket. I HATE feeling sleepy but being forced to stay awake, so I chase away that feeling with liquid caffeine additives in my water bottles! Adding a little flavored caffeine to a water bottle allows me to consume the same amount of caffeine without added sugar. The extra bottle of water is a plus, too!

My favorite kind is Mio Energy, especially the Wicked Blue Citrus and Acai Berry Storm flavors. You can get these (and many more flavors) at Walmart, Shnuck’s, Kroger, etc.

Regardless of which caffeine option you choose, I recommend reading the label to know exactly what you’re consuming! Many energy drinks are TERRIBLE for your heart. If you’re a cardiac nurse, it’s a double whammy. Do your research!

2. Protein

If you’ve made it through nursing school or have dug into nutrition, you already know how important protein is for maintaining sustainable energy. It’s tempting to run straight out of the house with a single banana or a handful of Cheez-Its, but I always regret it when I’m exhausted when the 9:00 pm med pass rolls around.

I have much better luck eating a full meal (often a frozen steamer bowl) before work and bringing a high-protein snack to carry me through charting. Maintaining a steady amount of protein early in my shift keeps the 4:00 am slump at bay and prevents me from getting grumpy! Here are a few frozen meals that don’t break the bank but help me survive night shifts! Their protein levels vary, and some have more carbs than I’d prefer, but I’ve settled on these after the past few years. I alternate each week so eating lunch doesn’t get boring!

Whole & Simple: Southwestern Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl – 16g protein, from ALDI
*For a great thorough review of the Southwestern Style Bowl, check out this blog post from The ALDI Reviewer!
Whole & Simple: Mediterranean Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl – 17g protein, from ALDI
Healthy Choice Café Steamer: Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan – 21g protein, from Walmart/Schnuck’s/Kroger
Healthy Choice Power Bowls: Basil Pesto Chicken – 20g protein, low carb, from Walmart/Schnuck’s/Kroger
Healthy Choice Power Bowls: Chicken Marinara – 19g protein, low carb, from Walmart/Schnuck’s/Kroger
Healthy Choice Simply Steamers: Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo – 28g protein, from Walmart/Schnuck’s/Kroger
Park Street Deli Snack Selects: Pepper Jack Cheese, Raisins, and Honey Roasted Peanuts – 8g protein, from ALDI!
*There are multiple flavors of the Snack Selects with different types of cheese and nuts.

I didn’t notice before now that I buy a LOT of Healthy Choice brand options, but the ones listed really are delicious! 🙂

3. Bring something to do at 4:00am

Shhh, don’t tell the dayshifters that we have downtime! When you’re lucky enough to have stable sleeping patients overnight, and no trainwreck admissions are lurking in the ED, it’s very easy to get tired at the desk. You can only talk to coworkers for so long, and if you don’t actually like them (we keep it honest here), then you don’t want to be sitting around.

Depending on your hospital’s policies, you can bring simple activities to keep yourself occupied. I like bringing books to read because it allows me to listen for my patients, keep an eye on their alarms, and reading can be stopped immediately if crap hits the fan. Some people listen to TV shows and music with Bluetooth headphones, but be wary of these: many hospitals ban their use because it could impede your ability to hear critical alarms, overhead pages, and cries for help from patients or staff members. I’ve seen nurses bring mandala coloring books, small crochet projects, and homework! This month I’ve been reading Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series, learning to crochet a rainbow dinosaur through a company called Woobles, and building my Spanish skills on Duolingo. There are endless options, so find something that interests you to help you stay awake!

However, patient safety comes first; always follow your hospital’s policies and use the critical thinking skills you spent so long in nursing school to grow! 😊

To keep reading, click here for my thoughts on ongoing nursing education and my BEST ICU resources for studying!

If you’d rather read about travel nursing, I don’t blame you. Click here 🙂

Nursing, Nursing Education

Why Nurses Should Never Stop Learning – My Favorite ICU Resources!

November 25, 2022 No Comments

I am passionate about education in ALL forms, regardless of your profession or lifestyle. Excellent nursing demands constant learning, and it’s essential for the ICU. After about a year of nursing, I noticed that I hit a lull; I was still learning something every shift, but the constant stream of information that I was used to had started to slow. This girl was hungry for knowledge and eager to do anything it took to build my nursing confidence! Over the next few years, I began working through every resource I could get my hands on. I’ve compiled my favorite ICU nurse resources for your browsing pleasure! Check out the detailed list below!

#1: Straight A Nursing

The Straight A Nursing podcast is designed to cover an extensive range of nursing subjects, from OB to ER to ICU. It discusses specific diagnoses (using the author’s original LATTE method), current events in the nursing world, tips for studying for the NCLEX and managing your first year as a new grad. This podcast is a great resource regardless of nursing specialty and remains a good review even as an experienced nurse!

Created by “Nurse Mo,” the Straight A Nursing website also has a blog, online review courses, and study guides for new grads. She’s even in the process of creating a study app for nursing students! Mo has her master’s degree in nursing education and has years of experience in the ICU setting. Even experienced nurses will benefit from her website and podcast. I enjoy listening to her podcasts while folding laundry, commuting between travel assignments, etc. Mo has organized her podcasts into playlists to help you find the episodes that are most relevant for your nursing experience. Her podcast is my FAVORITE resource, hands down!

You can listen to her podcast for free on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Sticher. She has 265 podcast episodes uploaded on Apple Podcasts, and I’ve listened to 241 of them!

Note: Straight A Nursing’s paid products are currently 20% off for Black Friday 2022!

My top 5 favorite Straight A Nursing episodes:

#2: FreshRN

Another incredible podcast is FreshRN by Kati Kleber, an award-winning nurse educator and experienced critical care nurse. Kati designed her podcast for new grad nurses, especially in their first year, but any ICU nurse looking to grow their knowledge could benefit from FreshRN. Kati specialized in neuro ICU, so lots of her episodes reflect that knowledge. The FreshRN podcasts provide fantastic well-rounded tips for new grad ICU nurses in their first year. Kati also teaches various online courses via her website; options include “Charge Nurse Jumpstart,” “ICU Drips for Beginners,” “ECG Mastery,” and more! She has written five books (available on her website here).

You can find her podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio. She has 88 episodes uploaded, and her full list can be viewed here!

My top 3 recommended FreshRN episodes:

Tips for New Grads in the ICU
Intensive Care Devices (Part One and Part Two)
How to Study for the CCRN

#3: ICU Advantage

Originally started as a YouTube channel, the ICU Advantage website is the brainchild of Eddie Watson, a 10-year RN and Army veteran. His YouTube channel has over 14 million views and is a treasure trove of professional lectures that dive deep into critical care nursing, respiratory care, and pharmacology. ICU Advantage’s videos are designed specifically for ICU practitioners, so experienced nurses can easily find new information in his playlists.

Eddie teaches viewers about pulmonary artery catheters (Swan-Ganz), intraabdominal pressure monitoring, vent modes, CRRT, and more! You can find information about almost any ICU device on his channel, no matter how specialized. His lessons on hemodynamics and shock were vital to my success on the CCRN exam! If you are an experienced ICU nurse or find the previous podcasts too easy, the ICU Advantage channel is the place to go. His ICU nurse resources are unmatched. Click the images below to check out some of Eddie’s lessons!

#4 Core IM Podcast

The Core IM podcast focuses on putting complex internal medicine topics into digestible formats. It is run by doctors and medical students across the country, and they take turns teaching on topics that they are interested in! These podcast episodes are VERY thorough and require a certain level of medical knowledge beforehand. Personally, I find them most helpful to listen to after I had a shift with a similar patient diagnosis. If I had a patient in HIT (heparin-induced thrombocytopenia), I might listen to Core IM’s podcast lesson on my way home!

Their podcasts are organized by series on the website. They have categories such as 5 Pearls, At The Bedside, Hoofbeats, and Mind The Gap! The 5 Pearls category is my favorite because it breaks a diagnosis down into 5 clinical “pearls” that you should remember. The creators intentionally slow down during difficult sections, use purposeful repetition for emphasis, and offer quiz questions throughout each podcast. Each episode has show notes with helpful images and a written breakdown of the lecture!

Note: The Core IM podcast is designed for medical residents, NOT primarily nurses. However, nurses at an advanced level or who have worked through the above resources would find value in this content. ICU nurses might find this resource more helpful than other specialties. Some of the episodes are too challenging for my level, so I attached my favorites below! I listen to their podcasts on iTunes and Spotify.

If you want more ICU nurse resources, check out my article, “3 Practical Ways to Care for Yourself as a Travel Nurse!”

Nursing, Travel Nursing

4 Worst Ways to Fail as a New Travel Nurse

November 14, 2022 No Comments

What makes a good or bad travel nurse? I cannot count how many travel nurses have complained to me, “Why did my contract not get extended?” Despite other travelers being extended and the unit being on fire every shift, some travelers get dropped like hot potatoes after their contract is complete. Below are some travel nurse tips to avoid losing or hating your job!

1. Laziness

Teamwork is the backbone of the nursing profession, and we all need to work together to keep our patients safe. Nursing is hard enough without dealing with lazy coworkers, especially travelers. Some staff nurses negatively perceive travel nurses, and laziness is a big reason. Just because you’re experienced and (hopefully well-paid) does not mean you are above a staff nurse! Being lazy is a great way to have your coworkers hate you.

My tip: Work hard with a good attitude even when it sucks. No one is ever thrilled to help change a soiled bed or grab endless items for unprepared coworkers, but a strong work ethic will get you far! Check on your fellow nurses, offer to help with turns, and be kind no matter what; these are the same people you’ll depend on when you get a new admission! 😉

Sometimes laziness is simply a symptom of burnout. Nursing is hard, and travel nursing comes with unique difficulties. As a new travel nurse, learning what self-care looks like in your new career is important!

For help with this, try my specific article, “3 Practical Ways to Care for Yourself as a Travel Nurse”.

2. Inflexibility

Hospitals hire travel nurses because they are short-staffed and need experienced, flexible nurses to help with a shortage. Travel nurses should be able to function with minimal orientation to a new unit and serve as an asset, NOT a burden. Expect to float often, have your patient assignment changed on a dime, or have an inconvenient schedule. Nurses that complain about everything quickly annoy their coworkers, which is a HUGE reason travelers don’t get extended! This is not an encouragement to accept poor or unfair working conditions but a call to fulfill what we’re hired for: to be a temporary staffing solution.

My tip: Be aware that your skill set is likely more diverse than many other nurses on your unit. You are better equipped to float to a new unit because jumping straight in is what we do! Be willing to change patient assignments if you need to, as long as the new assignment is safe for you to care for. Show kindness towards stressed charge nurses and agree to float with grace. For very specific ways to remain adaptable, click here.

3. Refusal to Learn

EVERY hospital is going to be different from where you came from! Each facility will have individual policies, practices, and unit cultures, even if it is in the same system and only a block down the street. There are many IV pumps, ventilators, arterial line setups, bed functions, tube feeding, and monitor setups. Refusal to learn new machines and follow new policies will destroy your ability to continue travel nursing! Charting systems can be challenging to learn, and well-seasoned travel nurses definitely have personal preferences, but not following hospital policy with your charting will get you fired quickly.

Equipment room at STL — So many machines to get to learn!

I remember a travel nurse named Michael (name changed for privacy) that I worked with frequently when he first started at my assignment. He was always missing when our patients were crashing and NEVER offered to help a single person during his shift. Even weeks after arriving, he had been labeled a “terrible traveler,” and everyone avoided working with him.

One night I was helping Michael with his patient, and he confided in me that he’d never used our charting system before. This grown man was terrified that someone would ask him to do something he didn’t know how to do, so he avoided everyone and everything!

Unfortunately, his contract was not extended, and most staff members were relieved that he was gone. If Michael had proactively asked for help with the charting system and admitted that he needed help, we would’ve been happy to teach him!

My tip: Ask people to teach you how to use unfamiliar devices. Explaining that you’ve never used something before and proactively looking for education will earn you some lenience with your coworkers! Traveling is a great time to build your skills and learn machines, systems, and procedures that you haven’t seen before. Don’t be a Michael!

4. Flaunting the Perks

This one is hard. Travel nursing isn’t easy, but it can be a dream come true for many of us! I’m happy to avoid the drama and logistics of being staff. I’m thrilled to see my hefty paycheck every Friday morning. I’m grateful for the scheduling flexibility that travel nursing offers me, and I can’t imagine returning staff somewhere! However, flaunting the perks of travel nursing is a great way to lose favor with your unit managers. If someone asks me specific questions about travel nursing, I’m happy to oblige, but raving about why everyone should be a travel nurse isn’t helpful in most scenarios.

My tip: Just be humble, stay out of drama, and collect that paycheck every week!

If you’re looking for more information, check out my article, “Five Interesting Lessons Travel Nursing Has Taught Me!”