Best Blogs for New Nurses....

50 Best Blogs for New Nurses

For new nurses, the world of healthcare, hospitals, and more can be overwhelming. And a degree, certification, and license can only do so much. This is why getting advice from someone with experience can be a life saver.

With that in mind, below are the 50 best blogs for new nurses. Whether looking locally or overseas, from a man or woman, or looking to work in a specific area of medicine, they can help immensely.

Best American Blogs For New Nurses

These top nurse bloggers come from across all 50 states and have tons to say.

1. Head Nurse : This blog is especially useful for new nurses in that Jo has just finished her internship. See how she did it, get tips, and follow her on her career without training wheels. You can also get some off topic posts.

2. Nurse Ratched’s Place : Mother Jones is an RN with a no nonsense approach to the craft. Often a top blogger choice, she is never at a loss for something to say about the healthcare field. A recent post was on New Year’s resolutions.

3. NP Place : Visit here for a blog by a Family Nurse Practitioner and a mother of four. A variety of topics are covered from medicine to patient interaction. A recent entry was on how to deal with a patient’s family.

4. Nursing Research : A group of nurses at the St. Joseph Hospital in California blog on their researching activities. Topics include classes, research, announcement, and the blog serves as an open forum for nurses interested in evidence based nursing.One of their nurses recently had an article published, which they link to.

5. Code Blog : With eleven years of experience, this blogging nurse works in Intensive Care. She welcomes entries from anyone, including new nurses. Categories include medical happenings, public service announcements, and tales from the ICU.

6. About a Nurse : Get both nursing and health news with a visit to this blog. Must read entries include what to say to the parents of special needs children and patient safety. There are also useful entries for nursing students.

7.PixelRN : This nurse works part time and is a mother full time. Classic blog posts include “What it Takes to be a Good Nurse” and “Twitter for Nurses.” She recently got her H1N1 shot and tells why.

8. Nurse Connect : Finally, if you are a new nurse who wants to start a blog and not just read, visit here. This nursing community has many blogs for you to sift through before starting your own. They also have resources for helping you find a job, education, and more.

Best International Blogs For New Nurses

Get a look at the nursing world from the point of view of another person in another system.

9. ImpactEDnurse : Ian is a registered nurse with nearly 23 years experience working in the Emergency Department of a major teaching hospital in Canberra, Australia. His impressive blog looks more like a fancy edition of an online newspaper. You can read the lead story, one of the features, or get the free eBook trilogy.

10. Philippine Nurse : This blog is specifically for nurses and other health professionals in this country. There are also useful resources on schools, hospitals, and more. Blog posts are often on the latest news.

11. St. Vincent’s Hospital Darlinghurst : Peter McCartney blogs from this hospital in Australia. He has worked as an RN in the midwife, emergency, and other departments. Posts are on health and anything else that interests him.

12. Angry Nurse : A.N. is a nurse practicing in Canada. A standout blog for discussing “things that one should not in polite company.” The latest post was on a knee jerk reaction.

13. Intensive Art : This male nurse works as an ICU nurse in Canada. See how the Canadian system works, along with how he feels about it. Posts are sparse but worth the read.

14. Licensed To Ill : LTI is a nurse who just moved to Los Angeles from the Northwest. He recently wrote on a poll that showed how trusted nurses where. Beware of graphic language and topics.

15. Nursing Around : NA spent the last twelve years working a variety of nursing jobs in both Britain and New Zealand. A good read for those who want to know what a male nurse thinks of the gynecology ward. There are also posts on the psych ward, emergency room, and more.

Best Specialty Blog For New Nurses

These nurses specialize in a particular field and tell new nurses all about it.

16. Women’s Health : If you are a new nurse and a woman, this blog is a double must read. Jane is an RN, RNP, and also known as the “Pelvis Queen.” Topics discussed include everything from HPV to irregular periods to PMS to fibroids.

17. Barb’s Daily Dose : Barb Dehn is a practicing Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, award winning author, and a nationally recognized health expert. She has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and others. Her blog is full of straight forward advice from a nurse who understands her patients.

18. On Your Meds : Barbara is an RN who completed a fellowship with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. She blogs on improving medication and patient safety and has an engineer’s mind. She also has another blog on patient safety primer, and there are tons of other medical blogs to choose from on Medscape.

19. At Your Cervix : Visit here for a blog by a nurse in a large teaching hospital who works in the labor and delivery unit. She also writes about her gastric bypass surgery and the happenings that followed it. Blog posts are on anything from New Year’s resolutions to guest posts.

20. Madness: Tales of an Emergency Room Nurse : Get the diary of a veteran nurse in an inner city ER with a stop here. Blog posts are often on adventures in the ER. However, she sometimes posts more than once a day on other health related topics.

21. Night Time Nursing : Tracey is a 32 year old critical care RN who works the twelve hour night shift as a critical care resource nurse. She started this blog as a way to deal with the stress that nursing has dealt her. Stories range from the humorous to the heart breaking.

22. Emergiblog : Kim has been an ER nurse in the San Francisco area for 28 years. Her blog is full of ER stories, thoughts, and the popular Change of Shift.

23. Thoughts From the Night Shift : Stop here for another blog written by a nurse from the ER. This one focuses particularly on trauma cases. You can also get a few personal posts as well.

24. Highway Hypodermics : Epi is a travel nurse and published author who goes wherever the nursing shortage takes her. Her blog was created in effort to assist nurses out with their journey down the highway of travel nursing. Get tips, info on where she is now, and more.

Best Blogs For New Student Nurses

If you are not quite finished in your studies to become a new nurse, give these blogs a read.

25. Nurse Review : This blog helps nurses all over the world keep in touch with each other. They also provide an interactive environment where nurses can share their experience, ask questions regarding issues, and provide assistance. Popular blog entries include the NCLEX, NLE Board Exams, and anatomy videos.

26. The Nursing Site Blog : Stop here for a blog about nurses, students, and those who want to become nurses. Kathy is an RN who knows just what it was like to be a student. Posts are often tips on how to get through your nursing education.
27. Diversity in Education : You don’t have to be a new nurse at the Mayo Clinic to get a behind the scenes look. Simply check out this blog by various students. Posts are on research, medicine, and more.

28. Student Nurse Jack : This mother of two just finished an accelerated RN/MSN program. Check out the blog to see how she did it. There are also tips for those on the job hunt.

29. What School Doesn’t Teach About Being a Nurse Practitioner : If you are a new nurse interested in becoming an NP, check out this blog. It is written for those who wan the real information on life as a new nurse practitioner. Stories from behind the scenes and tips are included.

30. The Makings of a Nurse : Teeny decided to be a nurse at 17. However, life’s complications prevented that. Now with a goal of an MSN by 2012, you can follow the journey via blog.

31. Not Another Nursing Student Blog : CD is a mental health nursing student, who blogs all about it. She also works at a psychiatric unit, making her blog truly stand out. A recent post criticized the mistakes of her fellow students.

32. Becoming A Nurse : Although the goal was accomplished in 2008, this blog is still worth a look. Especially useful for those in midlife who want to become nurses. Essential reading includes posts on the first steps and why you should do it.

Best Blogs For New Male Nurses

If you are a male nurse, or just a new nurse wanting to learn more, check out these blogs by male nurses.

33. Gotham Nurse : Matt was formerly known as Canuck nurse. After three years of nursing in Canada, he moved to Manhattan to nurse there. He is currently working towards a Masters in Forensic Nursing and blogs all about it.

34. Digital Doorway : Keith is a nurse, writer, Laughter Yoga Leader, and Health and Wellness Coach. With he and his wife experiencing health problems of their own, the blog makes for interesting reading. Posts are often on nursing or reflections on life.

35. RNSpeak! : This nurse has been practicing for over 25 years and just finished a Masters in Nursing. He is also a critical care and teaching nurse. He just recently decided to return to school to earn his PhD.

36. Ask Conrad : He is a travel nurse who encourages readers to do just that. Categories include therapist travel, places, side trips, and more. He recently answered a question on if a new graduate could travel nurse.

37. Life of a Male Student Nurse : Rick is a CNA who is still is open to his future nursing specialty. Blog posts are often answers to interesting nursing questions. He recently explained why it’s best to be a Certified Nursing Assistant before becoming an RN.

38. Naughty Mursing : Nick is a nursing student, amateur boxing trainer, and would be writer. Read his adventures trying to survive nursing school by checking out his blog. The last entry reflected on the journey so far.

39. A Nurse Practitioner’s View : Stephen is a FNP practicing in New York. His blog focuses on current issues, trends, and policies affecting the healthcare system. A recent entry was on gift cards for health costs.

40. Call Bells Make Me Nervous : Maha is a fresh nurse just beginning his first job in the emergency department. His blog focuses on treating the diverse and perverse. A recent post reflected on the last ten years of his life.

41. New Nurse Insanity : ShrtsStormTrooper is 24, loves Jesus, and has no verbal filter. His nursing job also takes him to the ER and he finds it strange to no longer be a student. His blog is dedicated to moving beyond theory to knowing how to not kill a patient to actually not killing them.

Best Blogs For New Nurses on Conditions

If you are a new nurse who needs more help understanding a specific condition or disease, check out these blogs devoted to them.

42. Diabetes Mine : Amy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2003. Visit her blog for years worth of research, advice, and more. Her blog also contains personal stories, product reviews, and health 2.0.

43. Heart Disease : Although it is in the archived state, the blog was good enough to make the cut with the experts at WebMD. Laurie Anderson is an RN, FNP, and MSN who blogged exclusively on the topic. Many specialty diets and other areas of heart health are discussed.

44. Pain Management and Migraine Relief : Another archived blog from WebMD, this one focused on one of the most difficult areas of medicine: pain. Indie Cooper-Guzman is an RN who discussed the topic at length. The site also offers a Pain Management Center and message boards.

45. oncRN : Follow the adventures of an oncology nurse in this blog. It is a difficult career and the nurse uses the blog as an outlet. Patient stories are often blogged on.

46. America’s Tutor : Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. She is also a regular blogger for the FOX News Health Blog, along with many other medical professionals. Weekly posts are on homework, patience, techniques, and much more.

47. Clinical Cases and Images : A former Cleveland Clinic assistant professor shares his case work and images of many medical conditions. Both the common and uncommon are featured. You can search by organ, condition, or even test type.

48. Mental Nurse : A team of nurses blog on mental health and the issues surrounding it. They recently started a Slapheads series that can be read via the blog. There are also polls and other fun.

49. RehabRN : The world of helping addicts recover can be difficult for new nurses. Learn the ups and downs with the help of this blog by a BSN who works in a rehab hospital. A new post discussed nuggets for 2010.

50. Diethack : Get realistic, not fancy, tips on getting or staying healthy. This med student shares real world advice on how to do so. Popular entries include calorie counter, 11 food statements demystified, and optimize your diet for an effective workout.

Whether you are a new nurse, have years of experience, or are still studying, be sure to consult your educators or doctors before following any of the advice or recommendations of the above 50 best blogs for new nurses. Although they can be helpful, they are not patient specific.