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PatMac,RN
Nursing is a paradox of art and science.
BSN In 10?
Dec 22

Dec 22 BSN In 10?

Patrick McMurray
What’s on a Badge? Nursing Badge gadgets and goodies!
Dec 21

Dec 21 What’s on a Badge? Nursing Badge gadgets and goodies!

Patrick McMurray
shift success, Helpful hints, nursing
What's in my nursing work bag?
Dec 8

Dec 8 What's in my nursing work bag?

Patrick McMurray
nursing, stories, learning from others, shift success
What’s the real deal with Travel Nursing?
Dec 8

Dec 8 What’s the real deal with Travel Nursing?

Patrick McMurray
nursing, working conditions, travel nursing, a day in the life

Dec 8
Dec 8 What are you looking for?

Patrick McMurray
nursing, Fact vs Fiction, a day in the life
 

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1/2: A nurse at a funeral: Dealing with death as a nurse. ⠀ ⠀ Pictured above is a tour I took in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the beautiful Garden District of New Orleans, Louisiana. There are few places where the death and the dead are as honored as in the cemeteries of New Orleans. I’ve always disliked funerals. As I’m sure most people do. It’s not because they are a time of grief, because they are, but it’s because of all the politics and drama that so often surrounds them. I’ve always said my attitude towards funerals would have probably been different had I grown up going to funerals in New Orleans, with the 2nd lines and dancing. ⠀ ⠀ The fact that I’m a nurse, has only increased the aversion I’ve always had for funerals. Every time I step up to casket, I am face to face humankind’s oldest adversary, death. I look down at the body and think of how death has won, this time. But I also look down with the knowledge that I’ve beaten death before. I’ve stared it in the face and dragged others from its clutches and told him “you can’t have this one! Not now”. However, funerals are a humble reminder of the mortality we all have. A reminder that all over the world, every few seconds, someone loses in their fight against death. ⠀ ⠀ In many ways, going to funerals and confronting death is like seeing an old acquaintance, one with whom you share no love, yet you have an obligatory respect for anyway.⠀ ⠀ I say I have respect for death because I know, at least in some cases, that with death comes peace. No more struggling to breath and no more tube sand needles be shoved into your body. Death means no more pain, no more stressing over overdue bills and debts. No more disappointment when the medications and treatments haven’t worked. ⠀ ⠀ Death is but the end of one chapter, with the hope for another. There is no easy way to handle death as a nurse. Sometimes we are just bystanders for the inevitable as much a ferryman to the unknown as Charon was the Styx ferryman for the dying in Greek mythology. Cont..... #NOLA #NewOrleans #Citiesofthedead #secondline #lafayettecemetery #gardendistrict #nurse #rn #dealingwithdeath #death #healthcare
Let’s talk about wishes and dreams today. ⠀ ⠀ You don’t know how many dandelions I blew on and stars I whispered wishes to when I was young. Wishing for miracles and asking for understanding. ⠀ ⠀ It was only when I got older that I realized the power to make a wish or a dream come true didn’t lie within the seeds of a flower or the space between my words and the stars. I grew up and realized that I could grant wishes just as good as any genie. I discovered that I could make my own dreams come true, if only I was willing to put in some hard work and be creative.⠀ ⠀ Today I was this dandelion and I remembered the faith I had, the faith we all had, in wishes made on these common weeds. It’s amazing how we have such powerful faith and hope when we are young, yet so many of us struggle with those things as adults. Adulthood often comes with so many doubts and many disappointments. ⠀ ⠀ The trick of adulthood, I’m finding out, is to not let the disappointments and doubts diminish our dreams. ⠀ ⠀ I say we take back the faith from our childhood. Let’s return to the child that believed that anything was possible if you believed hard enough and worked in harmony with that belief. Your dreams are not as far off as you’ve imagined them. Have faith. Have tenacity. Grant your own wishes. Be your own dandelion and your own wishing star. ⠀ ⠀ #wishes #dreams #nursing #RN #LPN #Nurse #BSN #GradSchool #Gradstudent #MSN #MSNStudent #TeamWGU #WGU
It’s #nationallibraryweek and I wanted to take a moment to show my love and support for the institution of the library, especially the public library system! 3 of my favorite @pbs / @pbskids shows from childhood helped teach me to love and respect libraries, Reading Rainbow 🌈 (hosted by @levar.burton ), Arthur and Between the Lions. ⠀ ⠀ I am from a rural town where many people rarely venture outside of the state or the states that border our own. We have high rates of adult illiteracy and high rates of people who read a level that is grossly below the average for their age-range. ⠀ ⠀ I grew up seeing people at home immersed in books. My family wasn’t destitute but we weren’t even close to being considered “well off”. My family made efforts to help me see as much as the world as they could. One of the most monumental ways they did that was by regularly taking me to the local library and fostering my love of reading. ⠀ ⠀ Libraries were the cradle of my creativity, my imagination, and my dreams of what I could be. My local library was no where near as grand as the famous New York Public Library @nypl , pictured above, but my little country library was just as precious to me .To this day, I walk into the library and feel some of that same sense of awe you get when you walk into a well-decorated room or a sanctuary. ⠀ ⠀ Libraries have been my havens, my fortresses, my home away from home. They have open my eyes to the world in ways that would have never been possible for a little boy from a nowhere town in the coastal plains of NC. ⠀ So this week, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Visit and support your local library! Remember what it is to read books for more than just information or for school, but just for the fun of it. Happy reading! ⠀ ⠀ #library #ReadingRainbow #PBSkids #PBS #WhenInDoubtGototheLibrary #reading #publiclibrary #bibliophile #bibliotèchque #explore #betweenthelions #patmacrn #librarynerd #librarygeek
Supposed to be back to the grind tomorrow. But if this pollen don’t chill, that’s going to be a hard pass. 😂 ⠀ ⠀ I refuse to go to work and be miserable for 12 hours, but I hate missing work. I also hate that the culture of healthcare makes us feel so guilty about taking time for ourselves, even when we really need it. I very rarely call out, and still feel guilty at times, though I’m⠀ Learning not to. ⠀ ⠀ Why do you guys think this is the case? Why does the healthcare world not encourage its own to care for themselves? This can’t just be because some people “abuse the system”. ⠀ ⠀ #RN #Nurse #NightShift #NightshiftNurse #bsn #msn #msnstudenr #gradschool #gradstudent #grinddontstop #selfcare #patmacrn #nursesofinstagram
Let’s talk about kindness and healthcare. ⠀ ⠀ You would think that kindness is something that comes natural to caregivers, but kindness, true kindness, is a constant effort. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Something I used to ask myself is “Is there a difference in being kind and being nice?” Younger me would have said, “they are the same thing”. Older and more mature me now knows that they are not the same. ⠀ ⠀ Being “nice” can mean different things to different people. Niceness is isolated to a particular moment or situation. A villain can be nice to their favorite pet, but not be a nice person. ⠀ ⠀ Kindness, however, is a state of being. It is a way of life and it manifests in a number of ways. Working in healthcare, be need to known as kind rather than nice. Because sometimes being kind means helping save a person from themselves. Sometimes kindness will lead you to have to advocate for yourself or your patient, vigorously, when you might not see eye to eye with others. Kindness motivates us to do what is right, even if sometimes that means going against the grain and the status quo. ⠀ ⠀ I am so in love with this 🐝 Bee Kind short I got from @wholesomeculture I’ve told you guys I’ve always wanted to be a beekeeper. Fun fact, I’ve never been stung by anything before. My grandma used to say I was a bee charmer, because I wasn’t afraid of them when I was younger. ⠀ ⠀ The best thing about this shirt is that by purchasing one, you are helping animal rescue and environmental organizations! You also help promote awareness about the benefits of a plant-based diet, which is a goal I have been actively working towards! ⠀ ⠀ Happy Monday guys!!! Bee Kind this week! ⠀ ⠀ #beekind #wholesomeculture #savetheplanet #ethically #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #health #patmacrn #nursesfortheearth #earthday #earthday2019 #oneplanet #thereisnoplanetb #RN #Nurse #Gradstudent #Gradschool #teamwgu #WGUNurse #BSN #MSN #Nursesofinstagram #Quote #kind #kindess #monday #mondaymotivation ⠀
Today is day 7 of #nationalpoetrymonth and this another original for you guys! ⠀ ⠀ “Come, and let me show how to fall apart. Because I’ve been a broken thing before. ⠀ Then I’ll teach to see through lies. Because even broken things can be mended and made anew. ⠀ ⠀ Let me show you how to face armies on your own. Show you how to make the lashes across your back into works art. Let me teach you how to love your scars”.⠀ ⠀ #poetry #amateurpoetry #quotestoliveby #quotes #canva #scars #amwriting #writersofinstagram #igpoetry #instagrampoets #instagrampoetry #patmacrn
#nationalpoetrymonth day 3: Today’s poem is an original by yours truly. Its about overcoming adversity and misery. ⠀ ⠀ III. Dragonkin⠀ ⠀ When I was 12 years old, I became a dragon, I swear it’s true. ⠀ It happened while I was standing outside the choking trap I was forced to call a home. I had on no shoes and one sock on and another off. ⠀ ⠀ I felt it as my bones began to grind and pop. Because to become a dragon, I had to break a few times. I felt the cool earth beneath me, the damp dirt gritty in between my bare toes. ⠀ ⠀ I sprouted wings in my mind, so that I could fly away from my misery and all those who ever made me feel anything less than ferocious and fierce. I flew wherever my heart desired. For no one could tell me what to think and how to feel in the open skies of my mind. ⠀ ⠀ I grew a hide tougher than anything any dragon slayer could throw my way. A hide so thick that the words and actions of others could never truly harm me again. ⠀ ⠀ I began to harness the rage inside and learned to breathe the most intense fires, purifying my pain. Incinerating the chains that my captors try to tie around my neck. Forging something good out of the heat that was building in my chest. ⠀ ⠀ I learned to be cunning and clever. I became the riddle that no one could ponder. I learned to bide my time and make plans in the dark. ⠀ ⠀ I learned to guard my heart as fiercely as any other dragon guards their hoard of treasures. ⠀ ⠀ I learned to roar and use my voice to demand the respect I had always deserved. ⠀ ⠀ When I was 12 years old, I became a dragon, I swear it’s true. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #poetry #poet #amwriting #writing #dragons #dragonkin #adversity #PatMacRN
1/2: This Nurse’s Guide to not feeling like complete crap during #allergyseason : (Disclaimer: This is content is not meant to act as medical advice. You should always follow an allergy treatment plan developed with your personal healthcare provider.) ⠀ ⠀ It’s allergy season and this is the Arsenal I’ve curated and concocted over the years to combat my horrible seasonal allergies. ⠀ ⠀ The following list includes what I PERSONALLY use during allergy season for fall and spring. ⠀ ⠀ 1. A Saline Nasal spray to help keep the nasal mucosa moist and evacuated of allergens. Can help prevent nose bleeds associated with drying nasal passages and frequent nose blowing. ⠀ ⠀ 2. Natural inhaler: Blend of essential oils that you use to refresh your nasal passages, especially after sneezing up a bunch funk or having a nose bleed. Lifesaver for me. ⠀ ⠀ 3. Lip balm for dry and cracked lips and nares. ⠀ ⠀ 4. Medicated Nasal spray: There are a plethora of over the counter options, but over the counter (OTC) Flonase gives me the best results. Actually moistens the nasal passages and delivers medication to decrease allergy symptoms, fairly quickly (always consult with your healthcare provider as necessary or per medication labeling instruction). ⠀ ⠀ 5. Antihistamine: I took Zyrtec (Cetirizine) for years as a kid and teen (before it was available OTC) and it just isn’t as effective for me. For the last few years @allegra has been the Real MVP! Lasts for 24 hours and the gel caps work very quickly and doesn’t make me drowsy (don’t forget to consult with your healthcare provider as necessary or instructed on medication labeling). I always keep a little Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) in hand for when I need a boost or if I run out of Allegra, although it makes me moderately sleepy so I can’t take it if working or driving. #nurse #nursestipsandtricks #tipsandtricks #allergies #RN #NurseApproved #RNApproved #Spring #Springtime #allergyseasonishere #instanursing #instamedicine #secrets #PatMacRN
Can’t believe I almost forgot to shares its National Poetry Month! As some of you may know! I love poetry! I’ll be sharing some poetry by my favorite big name and little known poets this month. I’ll even share some more of my own writing. I’d love to hear what poets and poetry you enjoy! Let me know in the comments! #nationalpoetrymonth2019 #nationalpoetrymonth #poetry #instagrampoetry #poem #writing #amwriting #quotes #quotable
I was born on a Sunday. The day named in honor of the star that gives us warmth, light, and life. Maybe that’s one of the many reasons I feel so at home and relaxed on Sundays. ⠀ ⠀ Today I got to be a boy running wild in the woods again, just like when I was 8 years and pretended to hunt Dragons 🐉 and Trolls (I was tempted, but resisted doing that today 😝). It’s funny how the woods can act like a kind of time machine, allowing you to relive moments of wonder and awe from your youth. ⠀ ⠀ One of the many things that convinced me there was an intelligent creator is the feeling I get when I’m surrounded by nature. The feeling like something bigger is at work. It’s not a feeling of smallness, yet more of a heightened awareness of the world. ⠀ ⠀ Get out into nature more everyone. It’s refreshing. In nature we can find so many parallels that can help us work through situations in our life. Witness the circle of life in action and you’ll be surprised how much other things can be put into perspective. ⠀ ⠀ Happy Sunday! ⠀ ⠀ #PatMacRN #SundayFunday #Sunday #Nature #woods #Intothewoods #YellowRainCoat #BoyintheYellowRainCoat #adventure #explore #GetOutside #Visitthewoods #wonder #quotable #writing #quote ⠀