Five Louisiana-based nurses recently spoke with nola.com about their careers and shared their best pieces of nursing advice.
1. Kimberly Wilson, RN, University Medical Center (New Orleans).
Ms. Wilson highlighted the importance of educating chronic disease patients about how to properly take care of themselves to prevent readmissions. She encouraged young nurses to treat returning patients with a smile, instead of growing frustrated they're back in the hospital.
"They still need somebody to care, to be able to say 'Hey, don't do this because that's why you're here,'" she told nola.com. "Sometimes they just don't know any better."
2. Kodi Craft, RN, director of critical care services at Touro Infirmary (New Orleans).
Mr. Craft said nursing students must not only focus on their academic studies, but prepare themselves emotionally for the job.
"Sometimes our hard days are much harder than people working in an office," he said. "You could have worked hard to save a life and you didn't do it and that sticks with you."
3. Monica Bologna, BSN, interim CNO at West Jefferson Medical Center (Marrero, La.).
Ms. Bologna highlighted the importance of nurses using soft skills.
"We've become a task doer profession. We need to rehumanize it," she told nola.com. "Stop, make eye contact, smile, have a discussion, sit down when you're talking to a patient. That makes all the difference in the world."
4. Brian Hooper, RN, Ochsner Medical Center–Jefferson (La.) Highway.
Mr. Hooper recalled a nurse mentor he worked with who taught him a valuable lesson in staying calm.
"No matter what the situation was she was so calm," he said. "That's the thing, you can't let them see you sweat. You can't freak out."
5. Ahnyel Jones-Burkes, RN, MSN, nurse program coordinator at Ochsner Health System (New Orleans).
Ms. Jones-Burkes encouraged nurses to always remember how important their job is.
"Every day you wake up and you get out of bed and you know you're going to help at least 10 people today," she said. "You could possibly be what stands between life and death for them. If that's something you want to take on, it's a calling you have to approach with the utmost respect and compassion."
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