Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

I’m of the opinion that everyone is entitled to an opinion. Blogging gives everyone an opportunity to voice that opinion to an audience with near limitless potential for reach. Nurses, especially staff level, often have frustrations, ideas, and passionate opinions about many issues that aren’t always acknowledged by our employers. Even though we advocate for our patients we often are unable to advocate for ourselves. Many of us are job-scared and do our very best to provide excellent care for our patients, do our best to speak up for ourselves, but still there are times when we just need to get on a soapbox.

And that is where blogging comes along. Someone somewhere is facing the same joy or turmoil that you are in your life or career and they want to share it with you. They google various phrases such as “what do nurses really do?”. “What v/s to monitor while on a cardizem drip?” or “How do we stop nurses from bullying?” Some of them find the answers, read, possible comment, and feel a connection. Others decide they need to make their voice be heard, dust off that old soapbox in their garage, stand up and start a blog.

This is my tribute to 5 of my favorite, and decidedly fabulous, Nurse Bloggers, in no particular order. Thank you for speaking up and making me feel more deeply connected to my role as a nurse.

5 Fabulous Nurse Bloggers

Not Nurse Ratched

My sister from another mother. If she weren’t an ER nurse I would swear she was my subconscious blogging on its own. And although I wouldn’t put anything past the dark recessions of my odd little mind, her witty look at nursing and her lover for all things Apple and geekdom, are always an entertaining escape to… well, really not an escape at all, since I often feel like she takes thoughts out of my brain and scribbles them on twitter and the blogosphere.

Those Emergency Blues

Insiteful and comedic. Reminding me of why I am not an ER nurse, yet intriguing me at the same time. Constantly has me thinking about Canadian healthcare verse the U.S. healthcare. Writing about nursing issues with a passionate tone that is never boring. A source I turn too when I am interested in a good read about the art of nursing.

Nursetopia

The embodiment of caring online. Nursetopia often makes me think and reminds me that talented writing does not always require comedy. She talks about issues and matters of caring. She even reviews nursing articles! Talking about going above and beyond the call of nurse blogger duty. It’s hard enough to add links sometimes, but she actually reads and reviews scholarly journals. A reminder of something we all need to do as professionals – continue to learn and grow.

 

NurseXY

Truthfully, the first few times I saw the name “nursexy” all I read was the “SEXY” part… I should have probably made the correlation with male nurse, almost immediately, but sometimes I’m a little dense. However, this blog gives a great prospective on what it’s like to be a male taking the challenges of nursing school, and now working as a new grad.is Occasional profanities dot this blog, but are overlooked for the passion he has for nursing and skill he presents in his writing.

Weird Nursing Tales

This blog is exactly what it states “Weird Nursing Tales”. Always a good place to find a tidbit of humor and observations that, Tex, a 19 year veteran nurse witnesses in his nursing life. Just wish he’d update his musing a little more often!

While this in no way even begins to touch on the collection of nurse bloggery. Who are your favorites? And if you are a nurse blogger, then you need to kindly point us towards your blog!

Honorary Nurse Blogger

Even though he is not technically a nurse, and I should have totally included him originally (especially since his entire blog is devoted to making nurses more wealthy!), Dr. Dean Burke deserves the title of Honorary Nurse Blogger, and all around cool guy. He’s married to a nurse (for 30 years! Loves her more today than ever, too!), and his blog is a celebration of nurses. He often does round ups of what’s happening in the nursing blogosphere realm, and is an excellent financial resource for nurses wishing to grow their personal wealth and lead a prosperous life. So The Millionaire Nurse Blog definitely blog, and it’s curator Dr. Dean Burke, definitely are deserving of the title honorary Nurse Blogger!

Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.