As nurse practitioners, we are: -Sick and tired of being sick and tired -Overworked and undervalued -Exasperated with our work-life imbalance -Ultimately, we are so burned-out, we are ready to leave healthcare- forever. Charting is a time consuming, tedious, overwhelming, yet necessary task that we do every single day. It is creating this work-life imbalance that is contributing to the burnout. But it doesn't have to be this way! There are so many things that can be implemented to help you save time with charting! Such as... Tricks within the EMR (i.e. creating templates) Better management of ..read more

This time saving tip may be difficult to implement when you have a waiting room full of patients. But giving this one a try will save you so much time and free you from mental fatigue! Here are three benefits and why you need to make this a habit! 1. It takes less time. When you finish a note right after the encounter, the information is fresh in your mind. You can remember the patient’s symptoms. The physical exam is easier to recall. The treatment plan or prescriptions are readily available. If you tend to wait until the end of the day to document, you spend a lot of extra time. What did tha ..read more

Due to the rise of nurse practitioner burnout related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am offering $100 off Burnout Bootcamp for Nurse Practitioners. ​ ​ This self-paced course was designed with you, the busy, stressed-out, read-to-leave healthcare NP in mind. ​ Burnout Bootcamp will help you create work-life balance and conquer the burnout FOR GOOD, even if you work full time! ​ Featuring My Work-life Balanced Method Work: Learn to set boundaries, deal with difficult administration, and manage your time in clinic. ​ Life: Discover how you can prioritize your time, create healthy habits, a ..read more

We’re almost 2 years into the pandemic and I’m feeling it. Two years ago, I was scared. I was fearful of getting COVID-19. Scared of my family getting sick from the virus. There were so many unknowns. So many things to worry about. I can still remember the fear. Almost two years later, there is a different kind of fear and uncertainty. When. Will. This. End? As nurse practitioners, we know COVID-19 is not going anywhere. We know we will be testing and immunizing for the rest of our careers. My question is, when will the overwhelm end? I am not burned out from healthcare. I have been burned out ..read more

How many of you have heard the phrase “leave your personal issues at the door” as you walk into work? I agree with this advice. We should not let our personal drama and problems interfere with our work as a nurse practitioner. We should be able to focus on seeing patients without being distracted by what is going on at home. But, the opposite is also true. We should be leaving our work issues at the door as well. We should be able to relax and recharge when we are at home. We should have time and energy to focus on our spouse, our kids, ourselves. We should have better control of work-life bal ..read more

I recently forgot my computer mouse and felt lost all day! It seriously took extra, valuable minutes to use the mouse pad on my laptop. (I know, I know, there are much bigger problems in the world). I didn’t realize how much of a difference using a mouse would make! My computer mouse problem inspired me to write this post. Time management in the clinic includes multiple different factors. When we can make small changes, it will add up to a huge impact! Here are a few ways to set yourself up for success. 1. Office environment. Organize your office to help you manage your time. Set up your work ..read more

Do you struggle with insecurities and negative thoughts? Do you second guess your clinical decisions and stress about formulating the perfect treatment plan? Do you wish you could avoid the feelings of self-disgust after hearing negative comments from others? Do you feel inadequate and inferior compared to your colleagues? Do you struggle with imposter syndrome? Introducing…. Control the Imposter Syndrome Learn to stop doubting yourself, control the crippling negative thoughts, and feel confident as a nurse practitioner. This instant access, online, self-study course was designed to help yo ..read more

I’m experiencing imposter syndrome while writing a post about imposter syndrome. It’s scary to be real and vulnerable, but I know I am not alone in this. Soooo here it goes. My thoughts about writing this post about imposter syndrome as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner: People are going to think I'm a fraud. NPs are going to judge me for not having it all together. Who am I to help other NPs with burnout? Am I capable of making a difference in APRNs lives? I am not good enough to be writing this post. I am silencing these thoughts by writing this post anyways. I have struggled with imposter s ..read more

Have you ever given tough love to your best friend? Have you ever been painfully honest, instead of nicely agreeing with that close friend? Have you ever told them exactly what they needed to hear? You should leave that toxic marriage You should stand up for yourself against that hurtful family member You should quit that pernicious job that is burning you out For some reason, we have complete clarity for the difficult situations our friends are experiencing. But why don’t we have the same recommendations for ourselves? We give ourselves some slack because it's too painful to be honest. We a ..read more

This saying comes from my high school principal. I’m actually not sure if he made it up or if I should be crediting someone else for its origin. But, I remember sitting in class during the first period. My principal would come on the loudspeaker and give the daily announcements. He ended the broadcast with “You have the power to make it a great day or not. The choice is yours.” As high school students, we would just roll our eyes and think yeah okkkk. But the saying has stuck with me after all these years. The older and more mature I have become, has made me realize the accuracy of this saying ..read more