The Story of Mr. Smith: Part II
He said, “You’re annoyingly persistent, aren’t you?” I was just ready to give my most elaborate apology when he said, “This is my second...
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Off the Chart
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Jul 93 min read
The Story of Mr. Smith: Part I
Nursing is a profession where you encounter people from all walks of life. Our patients are usually assigned to us; we don't get to...
7 views
Jul 22 min read
Fourth of July Tales from the E.R.
Here are some Independence Day mishaps that really happened in the emergency room .... Firecrackers and cake. Some years ago, a Fourth of...
17 views
Jun 192 min read
Coach's Story
For many of us, some of those who come into our lives make an impression that never leaves. The coach was one of those. He touched the...
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Jun 122 min read
Why Dads Make Great Nurses
Male nurses, particularly fathers, bring unique and invaluable contributions to the nursing field. Their nurturing instincts, ability to...
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Jun 62 min read
David's Story
In my tenth year of professional chaplaincy, I moved to a sister hospital to assume responsibility for spiritual care and ethical liaison...
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May 303 min read
The Story of Advocating for Fernanda
This is a glimpse into one of the most compelling stories from my book. There were so many remarkable home health stories to share that I...
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May 242 min read
Clara Barton: A Memorial Day Story
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day honors all soldiers who died during service to our nation. According to the U.S....
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May 164 min read
Eleanor's Story - Making a Difference
"Friday you go in for a fight ... then it happens ..." It had been a horrible week. Wednesday the patient who refused her TED hose...
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May 72 min read
"The Incredible Connection Between Motherhood and Nursing: Unveiling the Real Reason Why Moms Make Great Nurses"
Ever wonder why Nurses Week and Mother's Day fall in the same week? Yeah, me too, it's like there was a reason for it. While nursing is a...
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Apr 292 min read
The Story of Mischievous Mucho
A lot like the story in my book about the big scary resident at Camarillo State Hospital who playfully helped himself to my prized white...
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Apr 233 min read
Diane's Story
Grab a tissue - because it's a good one! Diane titled her story, "Riding off into the Sunrise." The story was first published in the June...
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Apr 162 min read
Jaime's Story
When I think of my favorite memory, I can't help but think of 105-year-old Olga. She was a very large-boned, strong-accented, and very...
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Apr 82 min read
Johanna's Story
One of my favorite memories of working in healthcare happened more than twenty years ago when I was a CNA doing home care. I think I was...
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Apr 22 min read
Cheryl's Story
One of the main reasons I became a nurse in the first place was the OB nurse who worked the 3-11 shift at the hospital where I gave birth...
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Mar 252 min read
A Story About Faith
As an oncology nurse, I've cared for hundreds of patients. Although they came from different backgrounds, some male, some female, some...
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Mar 202 min read
Sharon's Story About Hope
For some time, I worked with patients who suffered from chronic kidney disease. These were the patients whose kidneys had failed and...
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Mar 153 min read
St. Patrick's Day Fun!
John's Story: As an ER nurse for the past twenty years, the emergency room is a festive place on St. Patrick's Day, because of the...
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Mar 72 min read
Richard's Story
“The Day I Saved a Life" I work in a chief of surgery practice where I take care of patients pre-operatively and post-operatively....
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Feb 264 min read
Marcy's Story
As a new RN in a large midwestern hospital, I started on the 8-hour night shift of a busy MedSurg telemetry floor. Inexperience led me to...
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Feb 196 min read
Liz's Story
Everyone needs a friendly reminder now and then of why we do what we do - here's mine. After carefully reading the printed handwriting on...
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Feb 132 min read
Happy Valentine's Day
Love is in the air, but I'll admit there were many Valentine's Days when I wanted nothing more than to shoot Cupid with his own arrow....
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Feb 72 min read
Most Talked About Super Bowl Injury
It is believed to be one of the most extreme cases of bad luck on the football field. The incident occurred in 2015 when Seattle Seahawks...
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Jan 303 min read
The Many Faces of Home Health
Throughout our healthcare career, we cross paths with so many different lives. There's such a diverse collection of culture, and...
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Jan 253 min read
The Day that AIDs Became Personal
by Katy Hoover RN I was an LVN working staff relief. It was the beginning of what would eventually be categorized as the AIDS pandemic....
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Jan 162 min read
Home Health Care & The Story of Millie Biddle
Here is a shortened version of a story from my book: Off the Chart A Nurse's Journey of Heart and Humor. When I wrote the book, there...
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Jan 82 min read
Kelly's Story - An Off-the-Chart Story of Caring and Compassion.
One of my favorite moments in my career occurred during my pediatric rotation in nursing school. I was assigned to a newborn with an...
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Dec 28, 20231 min read
New Year's Tales From the ER
Bear Suit Gone Wrong! Dr. Rob Gunther, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, said one of his most memorable New...
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Dec 20, 20233 min read
Dorothy's Christmas Story
This is a story that I went back and forth on whether or not to include in my book. It's a most remarkable story, a Christmas miracle....
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Dec 14, 20232 min read
Trauma in the night -Linda's Story
I was on call for the OR one night when the phone rang at 2:47 am. There was a trauma case; a gunshot wound to the head had just come...
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Dec 5, 20233 min read
Joaquin's Story
There's a special trust between a patient and the Home Health nurse. Here's a favorite story from my book, Off the Chart A Nurse's...
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Nov 27, 20231 min read
Andrea's Story
Here's a story I'll never forget... I was working in the ICU and caring for a young woman with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The young woman...
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Nov 20, 20232 min read
Embracing Gratitude: A Thankful Welcome to the Thanksgiving Season
With Thanksgiving just days away, it's so easy to get swept up in the hectic hustle of planning, shopping, and preparing a feast. But...
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Nov 14, 20233 min read
How Can Therapeutic Use of Self Improve the Quality of Patient Care?
The Stories of Shelly, Amy and Nate by Chris Ouderkirk O.T. First, what does Therapeutic Use of Self even mean? Simply put, it’s...
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Nov 6, 20231 min read
Carolyn's ICU Story
My favorite story is when the ICU night shift nurses advocated for a twenty-five-year-old woman with cardiomyopathy. Her heart was so...
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Oct 31, 20231 min read
Halloween Series - Part III
This one is my favorite — a trick gone wrong! Happy Halloween! Brandon's Story At my old hospital, one of our older EM docs, Dr. Lang was...
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Oct 30, 20232 min read
Halloween Stories - Part II
This one from an ICU nurse is the spookiest of them all. Thanks a lot Truman! (I may have to sleep with the light on tonight.) Truman's...
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Oct 29, 20232 min read
Halloween Stories - Part I
The spookiest night of the year is nearly upon us, and although I don't do spooky (not well anyway), I'll admit some weird stuff happens...
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Oct 19, 20232 min read
Annette's Story
For those of you that have not yet had a chance to read my book, Off the Chart A Nurse's Journey of Heart and Humor, here's a story from...
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Oct 3, 20233 min read
Beverly's Dialysis Story: Panic at Sea
We started off our day with a drive from Santa Maria, California to Long Beach, California to board the cruise ship sailing to Cabo San...
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Sep 11, 20233 min read
Brenda's Story
I know we're told not to get too close to our patients, but there are some we just have a special connection with. Val was a favorite...
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Aug 17, 20233 min read
The Story of Flynn
Just recently, I was talking to someone who told me, "Before I read your book, I had no idea just how serious diabetes is!" And I...
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Aug 7, 20232 min read
A Duty to Care for Others
When Holly Corbin, a 42-year-old registered nurse, was on her way to her job at the Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital in New York...
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Jul 25, 20235 min read
A Part of the Journey
Probably the hardest thing we face as healthcare providers is losing a patient. As I said in my book, we're not even allowed the time to...
19 views
Jul 14, 20233 min read
The Story of Adam's Worst Shift
When it comes to Off the Chart stories of Heart and Humor - this one's pretty funny! This is the story of my worst shift on a Med Surg...
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Jul 4, 20232 min read
4th of July Tales from the E.R. / part 2
More Independence Day mishaps as told by E.R. staff. ENJOY and have a FUN and SAFE 4th! Firecrackers and cake. Some years ago, a Fourth...
10 views
Jul 3, 20232 min read
4th of July Tales from the E.R. / part 1
If you've heard the tales from those that have worked the E.R. on the 4th, you just might agree that it's probably best to leave the...
13 views
May 9, 20231 min read
Angie's Story-Camaraderie Amongst Nurses
Nurses come together in times of disaster.
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Mar 17, 20232 min read
St. Patrick's Day in the ER
The emergency room can be a festive place on St. Patrick's Day Despite the known alcohol-related injuries on St. Patrick's Day, they are...
8 views
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