“Self-consciousness is the enemy of accomplishment”. While I first heard this statement in a TED Talk by Philip K. Howard discussing legal system reform for my Healthcare Policy course this summer, it has stuck with me ever since. Because it’s true. So, so, painfully, glaringly true. I’ve shared in previous posts that I like to …
Author Archives: izzy.stj
Enough is Enough
Over the years, nurses have been told to do more, to be more.Work more hours, care for more patients, do more training modules, chart more data, be on more committees, attend more meetings, have more roles, do MORE be MORE… More. MORE. MORE. At some point, when you distort something, when you add more to …
Back to School
Those 3 little words…that get me all tingly from head to toe…BACK. TO. SCHOOL. Yeah, I get it…most people probably feel horror-movie chills as opposed to a buzz of excitement when hearing that phrase, but what can I say? Back to School Season GIVES. ME. LIFE. Don’t get me wrong, after graduating nursing school I …
Make Every Day Your Masterpiece
Environment. Atmosphere. Ambiance. Wherever I exist at any given moment, the feel of a space matters to me. I feel like I’ve always been very sensitive to moods…my own mood, others’ moods, and the mood of the space I’m in and the day I’m living. For years now I’ve become very intentional about finding “inspired” …
When We Grow Up
“Staring…at the blank page before you..” Here we are friends: staring a brand new year in the face. It’s that time when fresh starts, big dreams, and a rejuvenated sense of motivation take center stage. Call me Type A, but I find it to be rather comforting to create a map of sorts at the …
The Second Year
I’ve worn the letters “RN” behind my name for a little over two years now. And as of October 7th, I’ve spent one whole year serving the small patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Wisconsin. We care for patients ranging from a few hours old to those on the verge of young …
Make it Through the Night
I have worked in two very different areas of nursing now, but both with a surgical emphasis. And I’ve felt in both areas that caring for your first post-operative patient who just underwent surgery that day is almost like a universal “rite of passage”. I currently work in the world of pediatric cardiac critical care, …
The Art of Nursing
***This essay was selected as the first place finalist in the 2020 Dr. Mary E. Wurzbach Nursing Essay Competition, put on by Eta Pi, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and has now been published online HERE: https://hekint.org/2020/07/28/the-art-of-nursing/ *** When discussing her 1991 suspension installation …
On Success and Failure
With a new year comes the desire to debut a ~new mood~. We haul out our metaphorical (or sometimes real) vision boards and prepare to concoct the recipe for “the best year yet”. But what does this actually mean? It seems as though our subconscious mindset is that 365 days of nonstop success and accomplishment …
Never Stop Learning
“Never stop learning”. It’s more than just an eye-catching, Instagram-worthy statement mural. It’s something that I, as a nurse, take to heart. This fall I’ve started a new position, transitioning into a new nursing niche. It’s always been my dream to pursue a career in pediatrics, and now that dream is a reality! I’m officially …
The Wordy Nurse 