Cheers to another “Pandemic Edition” of the blog. As a direct result of the complete upheaval of day to day life in a post-COVID-19 world, I’m late on this post. My four year anniversary of becoming a Registered Nurse was actually in July. It’s now October and I’m using the better-late-than-never clause as my excuse.

Disclaimers and Updates from NU Headquarters

I think there are a few things to say first, disclaimers, I suppose. I live in Iowa, a state which has done a piss-poor job of responding to this global crisis, and for a while now, Iowa City has been a global hot spot for the virus. Many of my friends and family have gotten back to normal in a lot of ways, but I just can’t live that loose and fast when I see how sick and long-lasting this virus is for the patients I’m still being assigned. So for Doug and I, lockdown never stopped.

Sure we jog, bike, and play tennis. We both go to work in masks (Doug was recently called back to the library after a 6-month furlough of boredom and frustration). That’s where our list ends.

We aren’t seeing friends in person, we get drive-up grocery service and have no plans to stop. We aren’t eating out at all, not even delivery. And we are not letting anyone into our modestly-sized apartment unless it’s an emergency.

Sound crazy? We don’t think so.

Not when we still see new admissions to our ICU for this virus, and not when I’m suctioning the trachs of the “recovered” patients on my unit. I’m not living in fear or anxiety, but I refuse to let go of the simple precautions that can keep us safe through the coming flu season in the United States.

OK…so that’s the state of my union. Keep that in mind as I lay out this list that is very different from the last few I’ve made.

The Master Goal List

Focus on Personal Well-Being.
For many of us, quarantine has made us less-active, thicker around the middle, and less motivated - even depressed. Maybe that’s just me. I’m trying to minimize the bad habits, do more of the good ones, and not beat myself up when I slip up.

I remind myself that not only is self-care very individual, but it needs to change and grow as I do. The things that brought me comfort and health last spring aren’t necessarily the things that are going to do it for me this winter.

I’m presently making a plan for how I’m going to battle seasonal depression, isolation, and boredom this winter since social distancing still remains important where I live.
Distance Myself from Work. This technically could fall under Goal #1. I love my job and I love “extra-curriculars” like committees and projects, but the post-COVID world has changed this for me. For now, I have pulled back commitments to physically keep me out of the hospital and reduce my risk of getting sick. This reduction in responsibility, both in-person and online, also helps my mental health and frees me up to focus on the things and people that need my attention right now.

I don’t plan on keeping this attitude permanently, but I also can’t say when I’ll resume my “extra” roles since we have no idea what this pandemic will bring in the next few months. People at work have asked me why I decided to retreat from some of these roles, and all they need to know is that this is what is best for me at this time and that I genuinely appreciate their concern.
Focus on strengthening clinical knowledge. This for me includes a lot of self-guided studying on the couch. Unlike my days as a new nurse studying any and everything I came across, this is more of a focused study regarding mostly pulmonary, neuromuscular, and palliative care disciplines since these are the patient populations I treat. This is generally not typical studying with open books and the desire to memorize details. It’s more of a nuanced refresher of conditions or medications I see often at work.
I study with the use of all the things I used in nursing school - the books I have leftover from my program, YouTube videos, podcasts, and other internet resources. I “study” things like EKG interpretation a few times a year. Those damn heart blocks just don’t come naturally to this nurse. I also consider tutoring and precepting students as ways to study - it causes me to look things up and re-learn them well enough to teach them.
Grow my “Empire” from my home office. What the hell does this mean? Well, I want to continue to build the podcast and welcome a variety of guests to speak on all. the. topics. While some money-making would be nice, that’s not my driving factor. I have an ever-growing list of podcast-related goals: topics, desired guests, written, audio and video content, downloadable content, merch, and who knows what else. I have some plans for the future, but these plans are still really under baked. I’ll chat more when things are getting off the ground.
Grow as Student and New Nurse Preceptor. This goal includes goal #3 plus some other skills. Learning and teaching are two very different skills. You can be a great nurse and a fast learner - doesn’t mean you’re a good teacher. While I’ve been told I’m a natural teacher, I also recognize that good teachers only become great teachers when they work on their skills.

My biggest challenge so far has been letting go of control and stepping back when my students are ready to fly. Teaching isn’t about showing them what I know and can do - it’s about showing them what THEY know and are capable of in their new role as a nurse.
I’ve been listening to experienced preceptors on my unit as well as looking to my internet nursing mentors - Kati Kleber and Sean Dent have both created content that I listen to periodically - mostly just before taking on a new learner. I highly recommend the following videos for new preceptors and clinical instructors.

6. Begin to explore online Master’s programs. My partner and I have a deal where we each take turns leveling up our education. He finished his Bachelor’s first, then I finished mine. Now he’s in grad school, so I have a little time to explore my options while he finishes up. We feel this is one sign of a strong partnership - we are working together to enable each other’s growth. The person not in school takes a bit more of the financial weight knowing that we both benefit in the long run.

While I feel far from settling on a program, I do know that I love teaching and I love directly impacting patient outcomes. So I mark this the official beginning of my research. I want to explore some degree programs that I’ve never considered before alongside the things I think I would enjoy. I plan to do my usual rounds for research, school websites, accreditation and licensing exam pass rates, student reviews, and whatever else I stumble upon along the way.

But make no mistake, I will not be signing up for any email lists yet or asking for them to send me packets. Once I open that flood gate I’m going to get 700 emails a day and 1400 flyers in my mailbox. I’ll wait until I’ve narrowed down the list of possibilities first.

Right now the world is full of uncertainty and many of us in nursing are just keeping our heads above water. And that’s ok. We need to look out for ourselves first, not as a selfish act, but in the same way flight attendants tell you to put on your oxygen mask first before helping the person beside you. You are better positioned to help those around you in tough times when you are running on a charged battery.

I worry about the coming winter a lot more than I’d like to admit. I worry about virus transmission spikes in the community, short staffing getting progressively worse, how the election will affect us all, and isolation from those we love due to social distancing and cold weather keeping us indoors.

But I’m also optimistic that we’re learning some lessons as individuals and a society. If I keep myself in good mental and physical health, I can do more to support others whether that be virtually, or through the layers of PPE I wear religiously. And I always remind myself that

PREPARATION PREVENTS PANIC.

So I encourage you to take this outlook for yourself (if you haven’t already) and think about what the coming months are going to look like for you. Do you have a plan for health and happiness? A plan for what happens if you should become ill, or struggle with mental health?

I challenge you to sketch this out - grab a post-it, a napkin, a notebook, whatever is nearby and start thinking about your goals for the months ahead and the steps it takes to make them happen…from health and wellness to hobbies and how you’re staying connected with those who matter to you.

I wish you well and I’d love to hear about your goals and how you intend to reach them in the comments or an email.

Goal setting helps us create the markers and milestones along the way toward seeing our dreams come true. Goals give us momentum to push through the adversit...

Featured