Nursing is a world of stories. Every shift, every patient, every challenge is a thread in a vast tapestry of human experience. But what if you could weave those threads into something more? What if your words could heal, inspire, and educate beyond the bedside? Beginning as a nurse writer is not just a career shift; it is a journey into the heart of storytelling, where clinical knowledge meets the art of expression. Embracing the Journey: Beginning as a Nurse Writer Starting

At first, the body compensates. Then it adapts. And finally—it begins to fail.

I didn’t write it because I had it all figured out. I wrote it because I was falling apart—and wanted to stop.

This isn’t a single-unit labor dispute. It’s pharmacists, respiratory therapists, midwives, hospital aides, lab techs, and housekeepers—all united in a collective message: the system is broken, and it’s breaking us.

A headline rolled through my feed this week: a nurse who’d been honored for extraordinary bedside care is now out of a job after allegedly telling officers during a DWI stop, “I’ll let you die” — and warning the public not to go to her hospital. The messy truth behind the scrub top The video goes like this: Crystal Tadlock, an ICU nurse at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights, gets pulled over for speeding after a concert. The officer reports slurred speech, glassy eyes, and the

Writing is more than a hobby for these nurses. It is a lifeline, a way to process the emotional weight of their work and to connect with others who share their passion. Through words, they give voice to the unseen struggles and victories of healthcare. Their stories invite us to see nursing not just as a job, but as a deeply human endeavor.

Quick Summary Night work elevates type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk through circadian misalignment, sleep loss, melatonin suppression, and mistimed eating. Biggest levers:  light timing, sleep anchors, meal timing, movement snacks, and workplace design. Use the 6-Week Shift-Safe Protocol  below to test what moves your numbers. 1) The Core Problem: Why Nights Hurt Glucose Your body runs on clocks. A master clock in the brain syncs with light, while peripheral clocks in the liver, pa

Nurses—responsible for critical decisions under fatigue—are among the most affected.

Source: van der Grinten, T., van de Langenberg, D., van Kerkhof, L., Harding, B. N., Garde, A. H., Laurell, C., Vermeulen, R., Peters, S., & Vlaanderen, J. (2025). Detailed assessment of night shift work aspects and potential mediators of its health effects: the contribution of field studies. Frontiers in public health , 13 , 1578128. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1578128 Night shift work disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to potential health risks. This review identif

Shift workers often face challenges like poor sleep quality and fatigue, which dietary supplements (DSs) may help alleviate. This systematic review and meta-analysis explore the efficacy of DSs in improving sleep quality and daytime function among shift workers, offering insights into their potential benefits and safety profile.

Shift work—especially night shifts—is essential in healthcare and emergency services. Yet it also represents a serious occupational hazard. Beyond fatigue, shift work disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and increased risk for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases such as GERD, IBS, and ulcers.

As someone who’s lived nights and written about them in The Shift Worker’s Paradox, I believe this is the future of occupational wellness — real data meeting real lives.

Source:  Navruz Varlı, S., & Mortaş, H. (2024). The Effect of 24 h Shift Work on the Nutritional Status of Healthcare Workers: An Observational Follow-Up Study from Türkiye.   Nutrients, 16(13), 2088.   DOI link Why This Study Matters As a nurse and shift-work researcher, I’ve seen firsthand how long hours reshape not just our sleep and stress—but our nutrition. This new study from Türkiye provides critical insight into how 24-hour shifts  affect healthcare workers’ nutrient

Sometimes I read my work and think, Did I write this? —equal parts awe and dread, like the words are mine and yet not mine at all. Writing is a dance between the conscious and the subconscious. It’s a journey that can be both exhilarating and terrifying. The Power of Reflection In this space, I want to explore the intricacies of writing as a nurse. We often juggle demanding shifts, emotional labor, and the weight of responsibility. Yet, within this chaos, there lies an opport

As a clinician and shift worker, I’ve witnessed how biological misalignment manifests not only in fatigue but also in mood changes, immune dysfunction, and decision fatigue. Sleep optimization isn’t just a personal habit — it’s an occupational safety strategy.

Traditional “one-size-fits-all” sleep advice rarely works here. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) presumes a consistent bedtime—an impossibility for rotating rosters that flip from days to nights in a single week.

Meanwhile, day workers—matched for job type and environmental exposures—showed more stable numbers. They slept longer, moved more, and reported better sleep quality.

At 8:17 a.m. on Highway 9 in Forsyth County, Georgia, the collision was already physics in motion.