Nurses Call All The Shots! Today there is a real shortage of nurses to staff hospitals, nursing homes, Hospice care, private duty, home health care, and all the many specialized nursing in today's health care field. I am a LPN in a Catholic Hospital in New York State. I work the 3:00 PM to 11:30 PM shift on a busy medical/surgical floor. We have a 35 bed unit treating a range of patients including detoxification, TB isolation, cancer patients, geriatric patients waiting for placement in nursing facilities, COPD, pneumonia, flu, general illnesses and surgeries.

RELEAVING STRESS AND "NURSING BURNOUT

What do you do to relieve stress? Nurses get burned out in today's medical fields. Usually, it is because there is a shortage of nurses available to fill all the nursing positions available. Stress is the #1 culprit for nursing burnout.

I work on a busy medical floor in a hospital, and we do get a lot of stress. I manage my stress level by going bowling. I really love to bowl and I bowl 3 times a week. I look forward to spending time with my family and friends bowling at our local bowling center. Soon you forget all about your stress at work and have fun. I bowl with a 14# ER Trauma (fitting for a nurse) Storm bowling ball. Try going bowling on your weekend off with a bunch of your friends or family and see if you don't forget your troubles and have fun. If you need a bowling ball, shoes, or bowling bags, you can find what you need that will fit your needs and your pocketbook. Let me know what you do to relieve stress?

I am 4 1/2 years Cancer free. I had the rare form of Ovarian Cancer. I went through Chemotherapy and have Chemo Induced Neuropathy of the toes and feet. I feel that I am a great help to my cancer patients in having someone to talk to about their cancer by sharing my experiences with cancer with them. I know first hand how it feels when a doctor tells you, "You have Cancer." It is also a help to the first time Chemo patient to have someone who has had Chemo explain to them exactly what to expect and what the side effects are that they could experience. I know that I have had cancer patients thank me for sharing my experiences with cancer and always being there to just listen. That is the best reward for being a nurse. My daughter and I are 2 generation of nurses. We both graduated from BOCES Nursing School in Horseheads, NY, Holly in 2000 and myself in 2002. I am a LPN in a hospital in New York State and my daughter, Holly, is a LPN in a long term care facility in Wisconsin and we both love taking care of people and being nurses.

I am a newly diagnosed Type II diabetic. I try to watch my diet and exercise as much as possible. If you are not always eating a balanced diet, you my need to find a supplement that will provide the nutrients that you may be missing. You should find a health supplement that provides essential nutrients that may be lacking due to the strain diabetes can often put on the body's health. A supplement made especially for diabetics should provide a complete, full potency formulation of vitamins, minerals and Alpha Lipoic Acid in each serving.

Nurses call all the shots and I love being a nurse!