''The first month of a job is the worst and you basically have that for a whole year.'' And that is how my friend described this next year of my life. November began the clinical year of PA school for me and she's not too far wrong in observing the first month at anything involves a learning curve -- like that of the horrors of Algebra I (the ...

When a friend calls to me from the road　And slows his horse to a meaning walk,　I don't stand still and look around　On all the hills I haven't hoed,　And shout from where I am, What is it?　No, not as there is a time to talk.　I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,　Blade-end up and five feet tall,　And plod: I go up to the stone wall　For a friendly ...

Terry Clarke, student nurse here. I am in an accelerated nurse practitioner program at UMASS Worcester. We just finished our year-long RN BSN equivalency. I've been feeling like a hand-stamped 18-year-old at a bar, able to join the conversations but not order a beer. As my NCLEX draws nigh, I finally feel competent to write about this experience. ...

This blog is brought to you by ADVANCE and DNA.  Editor's note: This post was written by Kimberly A. Carlson, RN, MSN, ANP-C, DCNP, who practices at Arrowhead Dermatology in Arizona. Remember those great tidbits you learned at the Dermatology Nurses' Association national conference in February? I will admit that if I haven't ...

In discussion with a colleague, we came to an impasse. Both of our viewpoints were opinion based; neither of us was willing to sway. She ended our exchange by saying, ''This is why you are going to die old and alone.'' I know this to be a joke of affection, but also a reference to one of the things we, as a culture, fear most. What brings this ...

Last semester was rough. For the first time in my life, I feared not passing a class. I believed I was sure to be devastated.  I did not do well on one test, which seemed to shake my test-taking confidence to the core for the entire rest of the semester. So it seems I have lost my test taking mojo. I tried to find it all semester, and there ...

Doctor: ''Nurse, the diabetic patient in room 8 is waiting for his insulin shot.'' Nurse: ''What diabetic patient? Bed 1 or 2?'' Doctor: ''Umm...the bed by the window. I'm blanking on the name right now. John? No, Tom. I think. To be honest, I'm not quite sure. Check the chart. He is the cellulitis patient who is been here for 2 ...

Every student nurse knows that clinical rotations are a hit or miss experience. There are so many factors that cannot be controlled on a hospital floor - the patient assignment, the nurse you are shadowing. You can go a whole day with nothing much happening. Yet, there are still a smug few who always have some riveting story to tell at post ...

Privet (hello in Russian), my name is Olga. Yes, it is a typical Russian name, but my story does not unfold how most people expect it to. I was born in Moscow, Russia, but I spent most of my childhood years on the other side of the world - in the evergreen, banana-exporting country of Ecuador. I speak and write Russian but do not consider myself ...

As the seasons change, we begin to see an influx of xerosis, dermatitis and eczema cases. Far too often these patients receive topical cortisone creams and kenalog shots visit after visit. Prolonged, excessive usage of steroids in the treatment of eczema can create a chronic dermatitis by producing vasodilation. These photos show a 26-year-old ...