NIGHT LIGHTS — Shining the light on AMAZING SHIFT WORKERS doing OTHER AMAZING THINGS… what they do when they're not doing a shift work job -- maybe they volunteer, teach, write books, organize, go on Amazing Race, The Voice... it could be anything. If you want to be featured or know a Shift Worker who should be, just let us know.
Susan Dupont (the bossrn) and Patrick McMurray (patmacrn) are both Nurses with a purpose. They’re working together this summer on “Matters of the Heart” a once weekly series about the heart – what it is, what it does, and what you need to know about it from both a Nursing and general public perspective.
We asked them both the same 3 questions we ask all of our amazing Night Lights Shift Workers. Here are their answers:
Shift Worker’s Guide: Why do you do what you do?
Susan: I am a nurse because I have an inner drive to be a fixer. I enjoy my job and derive a lot of pride and joy from nursing. I also love teaching. I precept and write nursing educational material. I had a difficult time in nursing school and was told that, "That is just the way things are." But I know this isn't true and want others to be encouraged rather than discouraged like I was. I am partnering with other like-minded nurses like PatMacRN to bring knowledge and encouragement to the nursing profession.
Patrick: Nursing is both and art and a science for me. As much as I appreciate the connection with my patients, my connection with other nurses is just as important. Nursing is very fraternal and community oriented. By helping the nurses around me be better clinicians and people, I help myself and my patients. So, as a way of contributing to my profession, I've teamed up with other nurses who have a social media presence to influence and encourage nurses at various stages of their careers. One such nurse is my friend, Susan (also known as theBossRN), whom I am working with on a Cardiovascular Nursing series called, Matters of the Heart.
We asked them both the same 3 questions we ask all of our amazing Night Lights Shift Workers. Here are their answers:
Shift Worker’s Guide: Why do you do what you do?
Susan: I am a nurse because I have an inner drive to be a fixer. I enjoy my job and derive a lot of pride and joy from nursing. I also love teaching. I precept and write nursing educational material. I had a difficult time in nursing school and was told that, "That is just the way things are." But I know this isn't true and want others to be encouraged rather than discouraged like I was. I am partnering with other like-minded nurses like PatMacRN to bring knowledge and encouragement to the nursing profession.
Patrick: Nursing is both and art and a science for me. As much as I appreciate the connection with my patients, my connection with other nurses is just as important. Nursing is very fraternal and community oriented. By helping the nurses around me be better clinicians and people, I help myself and my patients. So, as a way of contributing to my profession, I've teamed up with other nurses who have a social media presence to influence and encourage nurses at various stages of their careers. One such nurse is my friend, Susan (also known as theBossRN), whom I am working with on a Cardiovascular Nursing series called, Matters of the Heart.
SWG: How do you fit it all into your shift work job?
Susan: When I am at work, (I work in a level one trauma ER), I am always learning and honing my skills. If I find I need to know more about a patient’s condition, medication or any aspect of my job, I will research the topic and write about it to share what I learned. Pharmacology was a weak spot for me and I often find myself wondering about the pharmacodynamics involved with medications so I have written often about that topic. I also find the heart intimidating and wanted to make sure I knew the intricate details of even the simplest cardiac knowledge. Patrick and I decided to take the journey together making a blog post series about the heart called, "Matters of the Heart" where we post a new cardiac related topic every Monday for Summer 2018. I have enjoyed going back to basics on some things and expanding my knowledge on others, especially the conversations I get to have with my co-workers when I am trying to understand a new concept.
Patrick: I work primarily night shift, which creates an environment more conducive to learning and research, although we can be just as busy as dayshift. The great thing about my job is that it helps me write content for my blog and for the Matters of the Heart series, that Susan and I are rolling out each Monday. Sometimes, when I have downtime, I like to review any significant events of my shift and quickly write a summary of how I could take what was done, in real life, and explain it to others in a way that makes the concept "click". This is a way I come up with ideas for content for my blog. Like Susan, I also appreciate being able to bounce topic ideas and wording off of my coworkers.
SWG: It's an after night shift breakfast, what do you eat, where, and with who?
Susan: I attend Kegs and Eggs with my trusty pod partners (my team that worked together in an area for the night), and we go to a couple of places that serve breakfast brews such as Zingerman's Roadhouse or Guy Hollerin's. I usually get bacon stuffed waffles but have been known to also get macaroni and eggs.
Patrick: Sometimes I stop by the 24/7 Full Service Starbucks we have at my job (yes, it's as awesome as it sounds) and I'll get coffee and a muffin to eat on my 40-minute drive home. Other times, my co-worker and I will go out for omelettes, Mimosas and/or Bellini's at a local Brunch place.
Patrick is a Float Pool Nurse with 5 years of experience, primarily in cardiovascular critical and intermediate care. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and watching movies. Patrick is the creator and content developer of www.PatMacRN.com . You can contact him thru Insta @patmacrn, FB @patmacrn, Twitter @nursepatmacrn
Susan is a nurse and believes that all nurses are incredible. She wants to help them all feel confident, be knowledgeable, and be as bossy as heck. But not in a bully boss like way, “I mean that when you enter your patients room, you will be so fabulous and on your game that people defer to you because they want to make sure they got it right. I mean bossy, as in people count on you, they use you as a resource, they want to know your opinion, they say, “(Insert your name) knows the answer.”” You can contact Susan thru Insta @thebossrn, FB @thebossrn1, Twitter @thebossrn1, or at www.bossrn.com
Susan: When I am at work, (I work in a level one trauma ER), I am always learning and honing my skills. If I find I need to know more about a patient’s condition, medication or any aspect of my job, I will research the topic and write about it to share what I learned. Pharmacology was a weak spot for me and I often find myself wondering about the pharmacodynamics involved with medications so I have written often about that topic. I also find the heart intimidating and wanted to make sure I knew the intricate details of even the simplest cardiac knowledge. Patrick and I decided to take the journey together making a blog post series about the heart called, "Matters of the Heart" where we post a new cardiac related topic every Monday for Summer 2018. I have enjoyed going back to basics on some things and expanding my knowledge on others, especially the conversations I get to have with my co-workers when I am trying to understand a new concept.
Patrick: I work primarily night shift, which creates an environment more conducive to learning and research, although we can be just as busy as dayshift. The great thing about my job is that it helps me write content for my blog and for the Matters of the Heart series, that Susan and I are rolling out each Monday. Sometimes, when I have downtime, I like to review any significant events of my shift and quickly write a summary of how I could take what was done, in real life, and explain it to others in a way that makes the concept "click". This is a way I come up with ideas for content for my blog. Like Susan, I also appreciate being able to bounce topic ideas and wording off of my coworkers.
SWG: It's an after night shift breakfast, what do you eat, where, and with who?
Susan: I attend Kegs and Eggs with my trusty pod partners (my team that worked together in an area for the night), and we go to a couple of places that serve breakfast brews such as Zingerman's Roadhouse or Guy Hollerin's. I usually get bacon stuffed waffles but have been known to also get macaroni and eggs.
Patrick: Sometimes I stop by the 24/7 Full Service Starbucks we have at my job (yes, it's as awesome as it sounds) and I'll get coffee and a muffin to eat on my 40-minute drive home. Other times, my co-worker and I will go out for omelettes, Mimosas and/or Bellini's at a local Brunch place.
Patrick is a Float Pool Nurse with 5 years of experience, primarily in cardiovascular critical and intermediate care. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and watching movies. Patrick is the creator and content developer of www.PatMacRN.com . You can contact him thru Insta @patmacrn, FB @patmacrn, Twitter @nursepatmacrn
Susan is a nurse and believes that all nurses are incredible. She wants to help them all feel confident, be knowledgeable, and be as bossy as heck. But not in a bully boss like way, “I mean that when you enter your patients room, you will be so fabulous and on your game that people defer to you because they want to make sure they got it right. I mean bossy, as in people count on you, they use you as a resource, they want to know your opinion, they say, “(Insert your name) knows the answer.”” You can contact Susan thru Insta @thebossrn, FB @thebossrn1, Twitter @thebossrn1, or at www.bossrn.com
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