We all experience negative thoughts from time to time, and many of those thoughts are likely to be automatic thoughts that we’ve been thinking for our entire lives. How we think affects how we feel and, in turn, how we behave.

In today’s episode, Jane is talking about the power of positive thinking. Jane shares how to be aware of the triggers that provoke your negative thoughts, how to reprogram your brain with positive input, and examples of positive self-talk that influence positive thinking. 

As nurses, we spend a lot of our time taking care of others. But are we also taking care of ourselves? In order to support others in our work, we have to take care of ourselves first. And that’s not limited to physical health. It’s important to prioritize mental and emotional health as well.

What’s in this episode:

• A few updates from our break
• Why contact hours are no longer offered with this podcast and how we can potentially bring them back
• An exercise in what’s happening with your thoughts and how to turn around your negative thoughts in the moment
• The feeling, thinking, and behaving triangle (Melnyk and Howling)
• How learning to become more aware of your triggers can help turn your negative thoughts into positive ones
• Why it’s important to reprogram your brain with positive input (words, books, people)
• The ABCs of cognitive behavioral therapy
• 10 examples of cognitive distortions (automatic thoughts)
• How positive self-talk influences positive thinking (use “I” statements)
• How creating an environment of positivity can influence those around you
• What’s coming up in future episodes

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare.

We want to hear from you! We’d like to offer clinical information for bedside nurses. What topics would you like for us to discuss? Go to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and share with us what you’d like to hear. This could result in us being able to offer discounted contact hours.

When you work with a patient, there’s a certain emotional distance you have to create in order to do your job. But what happens when your patient is also your child? For Jennifer, her son’s autism diagnosis forced her to see the patient relationship from the other side, and it forever changed how she navigates her work.

In this episode, we’re talking with Jennifer Keller, a DNP and certified pediatric nurse practitioner who is also the mother of a child with autism. Jennifer shares her experience receiving her son’s diagnosis and how she handled it as someone in the medical field. Plus, she explains how her experience as a parent has changed the way she works with her patients and their parents.

What’s in this episode:

• How Jennifer has navigated her life as a pediatric nurse and the mother of a child with autism
• Finding your own way to work through a tough diagnosis as a parent
• Where to turn for support and encouragement 
• Jennifer’s experience waiting for her son’s diagnosis and treatment
• What to expect when your child is diagnosed with autism
• Why it’s important to stay diligent and bring your concerns to your primary care provider
• Navigating an autism diagnosis as a family
• How Jennifer’s experience as a parent has changed the way she works with her patients

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Even the most ingenious project can’t succeed if the people on the ground aren’t willing to implement it. That’s why it’s so important to find stakeholders, fellow nurses, and other staff members in the clinic setting who truly believe in your project. These on-site champions are the key to a successful, impactful project.

In this episode, we’re talking with Brandi Peachey, Penn State pediatric ICU nurse and undergraduate nursing instructor. She’s sharing her experience working with adolescents to detect early signs of substance abuse. Plus, she’s explaining why it’s so important to find an on-site champion to ensure the success of your project.

What’s in this episode:

• How to use the CRAFT screening method when working with adolescents
• The value of getting stakeholder and staff support for your projects
• How Brandi worked with on-site nurses to keep her project going during COVID
• Why it’s so important to identify possible substance abuse risks early
• Why having an on-site practice champion is key to a successful project
• How meeting one-on-one with adolescent patients inspires openness and honesty
• How to find balance between busy work and home lives

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Chances are, you already know that the environment can have an impact on your health. But your environment goes far beyond fresh air and sunshine; it also includes your workplace, the people you work with, and your digital surroundings. All these factors impact your health and general sense of fulfillment in life. 

In this episode, we’re talking with Dustin Zettle, a Program Specialist in the Office of Outreach and Professional Development at Penn State’s College of Nursing. He’s sharing with us the ways that our environment–at work, at home, and on our planet at large–affects our mental and physical wellbeing. Plus, he’s sharing tips for disconnecting from work and reconnecting with the things we’re passionate about.

What’s in this episode:

• How your environment affects your physical and mental wellness
• How time outdoors can improve your mental health
• The role your work environment plays in the quality of your work
• Why we should all spend time disconnecting from our devices
• How to disconnect in small ways during your workday
• How to create a “sustainable environment” at work and at home
• How taking care of the environment can create a positive impact on your daily life

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

What have the last two-plus years been like for pediatric nurses? Listen as Jodie Stabinski, a pediatric nurse practitioner who specializes in pediatric pulmonary discusses managing pediatric pulmonary patients during the time of COVID.

In this episode, Jodie shares her story of how she got into pediatric pulmonary nursing and what her typical days are like in this profession. You’ll hear about what she thinks of telehealth, especially from the lens of pulmonary patients. 

Jodie shares a wealth of knowledge on how children are being treated with COVID and other respiratory-related illnesses. She also talks about how being a parent herself shapes her perspective of how she cares for her patients and advises their caretakers. 

What’s in this episode:

• How Jodie got into pediatric nursing
• Her focus area of pulmonary pediatric nursing
• What her days are like as a pediatric nurse, especially after COVID
• Her thoughts on telehealth for pediatric patients 
• The recommendations for treating children COVID patients
• Her aim to help parents from her perspective as a parent herself
• How neurology changes impact patients
• Her advice for parents and nurses to protect themselves and their families from COVID

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

In today’s episode, Dr. Hoying gives us insight into the MINDSTRONG/MINDBODYSTRONG program and how it helps to foster stress reduction among clinicians. She gives details into how the program can support nurses facing burnout and improve clinicians’ overall mental health, behaviors and job satisfaction.

She also shares impactful wisdom on cultivating self-compassion, prioritizing self-care and treating yourself the same way you would treat a dear friend and loved one.

What’s in this episode:

• How Dr. Hoying got to this place in her career
• What evidence-based practice is
• What the MINDSTRONG/MINDBODYSTRONG program is
• How you can implement the MINDSTRONG/MINDBODYSTRONG program into your facility or organization
• How the program helps support you in nursing
• What nurse burnout is and how their program can support those in burnout
• Her advice on self-care and supporting yourself
• How to get programs like MINDSTRONG/MINDBODYSTRONG in hospitals
• How Dr. Hoying achieves personal wellness

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Burnout in the healthcare industry is at an all-time high. This week, we’re continuing our conversation around burnout for nurses. I was joined by Holly Hertlein and Katie Shields to get a more in-depth look at what burnout looks like for ER nurses, specifically right now in more rural areas of the country.

In today’s episode, Holly and Katie give us a glimpse into their own experience with burnout and how nurses can find more joy in their work. They discuss the importance of taking downtime as a nurse and being your patients’ best advocate in the emergency room setting.

You’ll learn best practices for juggling documentation and patient care as well as the best ways to combat burnout and prevent it in the future. 

What’s in this episode:

• Holly and Katie’s background in nursing
• Their perspective on what nurse burnout is and how it looks
• How to help nurses find joy within their work
• Why you need downtime as a nurse
• The travel nursing industry and how it’s taken off during the pandemic
• Remembering your “why” and becoming your patients’ best advocate
• Why you have to take care of yourself as much as you care for your patients
• How to juggle documentation and patient care
• Their tips for personal wellness and combating burnout
• The best ways to prevent nurse burnout

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Burnout can sneak up on you. It happens in subtle, yet harmful, ways that present as both physical and behavioral symptoms (e.g. exhaustion, headaches, anger, loss of joy). And it’s especially common to hear about nurses being unhappy in fast-paced areas such an ER, ICU, and L&D. Burnout, if not addressed, often leads to frequent turnover—nurses looking to go to another hospital or to leave the field entirely.

In today’s episode, Dr. Michele Lee talks with us about why this happens, and how to prevent it. When nurses don’t feel supported, when they don’t feel prepared, when they are thrown to the wolves, when no one is checking in on them … This is when burnout leads to intent to leave. The most important thing that a hospital can do is provide a nurturing environment for growth, support, training, and celebration of achievements. 

Investing in nurses and their quality of life, both professionally and personally, leads to higher retention rates and happier employees. Dr. Lee is going to share how she achieves this at Sentara Healthcare and tips for how other hospitals can do the same.

What’s in this episode:

• Dr. Lee’s findings from her research on nurse burnout and how it affects intent to leave
• What burnout looks like (and why managers and leaders should know the signs)
• How high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization drive nurses away
• How unhappy employees and high turnover leads to time and money spent on retraining and reestablishing relationships
• The ways that a strong orientation program drive success for both the employer and employees
• The characteristics of a strong orientation program (take notes!)
• The importance of growing leaders
• Finding what works for you to maintain your physical, mental, and emotional wellness

For more resources, head to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare. If you are an RN, you can receive Nursing Professional Development (NCPD) credits by going to www.wellnesswarriors.healthcare and click “Receive NCPD credit”.

The Mentor-Facilitated Training Award Dissemination Project was funded by NIDA CTN DI in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).