Navigating Social Media as a Nurse: Building a Professional Presence Without Losing Yourself or Your Job

September 09, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

With a smartphone in every pocket, everyone can now be a content creator. As nurses, we have to take special precautions in what we post and share online. Nursing has always been a public-facing profession, but "public" used to mean the unit, the hospital, or the community you served in person. Today it also means LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and whatever social media platform comes next. For nurses, that shift brings real opportunity, and real risk, in roughly equal measure.

Why This Conversation Matters Now

Nurses are rated the most trusted professionals in the United States year after year. When a nurse posts about patient care, life on the floor, or health topics, people listen differently than they do to almost any other voice online. That's a powerful platform for advocacy, education, and career growth.

It can also be a liability if handled carelessly. A single post, even one meant as a joke, a vent, or a "harmless" story, can violate patient privacy, damage a nurse's or employer's reputation, and unfortunately, has the potential to end a career. Boards of nursing have disciplined nurses for social media conduct, and HIPAA doesn't take a break just because something feels anonymous enough in your head.

So the goal isn't to avoid social media. It's to use it intentionally.

What Professional Social Media Use Actually Looks Like

1. Treat every post as public and permanent.

Privacy settings help, but screenshots exist. Before posting, a useful gut check: would you be comfortable with your nurse manager, a patient's family, or your state board seeing this? If the answer is no, do not proceed.

2. Know your employer's policy before you need it.

Most healthcare organizations have explicit social media or professional conduct guidelines. Read yours. Some restrict posting photos in uniform, with the company logo, or on hospital grounds; others require disclaimers on health-related content (ex: "Views are my own"). Knowing the policy in advance protects you far better than apologizing after the fact.

3. Separate your clinical voice from your personal one.

Many nurses maintain a professional presence sharing evidence-based health information, career insights, or advocacy topics separately from personal accounts where friends and family follow. This isn't about hiding who you are; it's about giving your audience clarity on what they're getting from you.

4. Never identify a patient, even indirectly.

This is bigger than names and photos. Room numbers, diagnoses, unusual circumstances, timing details, or even an inside joke about "that patient today" can be enough to identify someone in a small community or a specific unit. The safest rule is the simplest one: don't post about patients, full stop. If you want to reflect on a hard shift, talk about your own experience and emotions, not the clinical details.

5. Use platforms to build your career, not just your following.

LinkedIn in particular rewards nurses who share genuine expertise: professional lessons learned, a perspective on a policy change, a resource for new grads. This kind of content builds credibility, opens doors to networking, different roles, or leadership tracks. It is far more reliably than a viral moment.

The Upside Is Real

Nurses who engage thoughtfully online are shaping public understanding of the profession in ways that matter. During public health crises, nurse voices online have corrected misinformation and provided reassurance. Nurse creators have demystified the profession for people considering a nursing career. Nurses have used LinkedIn to advocate for appropriate staffing and healthy working conditions, reaching leaders, legislators, and the public alike.

Professional social media use isn't about filtering nurses. It's about making sure the enormous trust placed in this profession translates into a voice that's heard and respected.

More Tips Worth Bookmarking

If you want a deeper dive, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) published a helpful piece on this exact topic:

"Do's and Don'ts of Social Media Use for Nursing Professionals" >> https://www.aacn.org/blog/dos-and-donts-of-social-media-use-for-nursing-professionals

It's a good companion read to this post because it lays out practical tips and strategies rather than just principles. You also might recognize the author.

A few highlights:

Something as small as an unblurred badge or a computer screen visible in the background of a photo has been enough to create a HIPAA problem. The risk isn't always the obvious overshare: it's the incidental detail you didn't think to check.
Posting while on shift is one of the more common professional-conduct violations, and it carries extra risk if anything goes wrong clinically at the same timestamped moment you were online.
Connections with patients or their families online deserve real caution, even acknowledging that you're someone's nurse in a public comment thread can cross a confidentiality line.
Content shared online should be treated as though it may one day be reviewed in a courtroom. Once something is posted, it's effectively permanent, regardless of whether it's later deleted.

Worth a full read if you're building or refining your own social media practice or the policy for your unit.

A Few Questions Worth Asking Before You Post

Does this post include any detail, however small, that could identify a patient?
Am I speaking as myself, or could this be read as representing my employer?
Would I be comfortable explaining this post to my nurse manager or state board?
Is this the platform and tone I want associated with my professional reputation?

None of this requires nurses to be silent or sanitized online. It requires the same thing good nursing practice always has: judgment, care, and respect for the people we serve, only extended now to a much larger, much more permanent audience.

What's your take? How does your organization approach social media guidance for healthcare staff, and where do you draw your own personal line?

About the Author:

Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse and NTN Consults to help provide support and guidance to the nursing and healthcare community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Sarah has partnered with Ripple Health AI as a Nurse Advisor and Business Development Lead. The original version of this article appeared on the Ripple Health AI Insights blog.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

What Every Nurse Needs to Know About AI

August 27, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

I write a lot about technology, nursing, and healthcare. For the last year, I have been learning more and more about artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. AI has entered the clinical environment fast. As a nurse, here are tips how to work with it confidently and critically.

Healthcare has seen waves of technology come and go: electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, wearable monitors, virtual nursing are just a few examples. AI feels different, and for good reason. Unlike a new charting system or a “smarter” infusion pump, AI doesn't just assist with a task. It increasingly participates in clinical decision-making. In some cases, it can feel like it is making decisions for you. For nurses and other clinicians, that changes everything.

As a nurse in the AI era, you don't need to become a data scientist. But you do need to understand what AI is doing in your workplace, where it can go wrong, and how your professional judgment remains irreplaceable.

AI in Healthcare Is Already Here

Many nurses are already working alongside AI without realizing it.

Common applications include:

Clinical decision support. Algorithms embedded in EHR systems flag deteriorating patients, suggest sepsis alerts, or highlight potential drug interactions. If your hospital uses an early warning score that updates automatically, that's AI (or at least machine learning) at work.

Diagnostic imaging. Radiology and pathology departments increasingly use AI to complete a first-pass scan on images for anomalies, detecting potential fractures, tumors, or diabetic retinopathy, before a physician reviews them.

Predictive analytics. Some systems forecast which patients are at risk of readmission, pressure injuries, or falls, so care teams can intervene earlier. Predictive analytics are also being used in staff scheduling tools.

Administrative automation. AI is being used to transcribe clinical notes, pre-authorize insurance requests, and draft discharge summaries to potentially free up time that might otherwise be spent on paperwork.

What AI Does Well (and What It Doesn't)

AI excels at pattern recognition across enormous datasets. A model trained on millions of chest X-rays can identify subtle findings that a tired radiologist might miss at 2 a.m. In that narrow task, AI can be genuinely impressive.

But AI has real limitations that every nurse should understand:

It reflects the data it was trained on. If the training data underrepresented certain populations, which has historically been a common issue, the model may perform worse for those patients and worse, perpetuate bias that can increase instead of mitigate health inequities. Tools validated on predominantly white, male, or urban populations may not transfer well to your patient population.

It doesn't know what it doesn't know. AI systems can produce confident-looking outputs even when they're operating outside their reliable range. A model will rarely say "I'm not sure.” It will instead give an answer that it will make the user “happy”. AI is programmed to be agreeable, often prioritizing a user’s “happiness” over objective facts. Checking that answer against your clinical assessment is essential.

It can't account for context the way you can. The algorithm doesn't know that this patient is terrified of hospitals, that their family dynamics are complicated, or that they've been pushing through pain because they're worried about being a burden. You do. You are the essential NURSE in the AI loop.

It can hallucinate. AI language tools, used for note drafting or summarization, can generate plausible-sounding but factually incorrect content. Any AI-generated text that enters the clinical record needs human review and validation before it becomes part of the permanent chart.

Your Professional Accountability Doesn't Change

This is perhaps the most important thing to understand: when an AI tool makes a recommendation and you act on it, the professional and legal accountability still rests with you.

As of this writing, it is generally the rule that the clinician and their license take on the liability of any AI output (created thing) that is validated and acted upon. This may change in the future, but when you agree with clinical AI, you are signing off that you agree with it.

If a sepsis alert fires and you dismiss it without assessment or if you follow an AI recommendation that conflicts with your clinical judgment, you own that decision. "The algorithm told me to" is not a defense in a nursing board hearing or in a court of law.

This isn't meant to frighten you. It's meant to frame AI correctly: as a tool that informs your practice, not one that substitutes for it. The same way you wouldn't blindly follow an MD order without understanding it, you shouldn't blindly follow an AI recommendation without evaluating and validating it.

Practical rule: Do not have AI tell you what to do. Listen to its suggestions and then use critical thinking, clinical judgement, and verified resources to validate the guidance before acting on it.

Remember: Ultimately, it is your license that is on the line.

How to Think Critically About AI in Your Workplace

When a new AI tool is introduced to your unit, ask these questions:

What was it trained on? Has it been validated on data for patients or use cases like yours?
What does it optimize for? Some models optimize for cost reduction, not patient outcomes. Understand the goal and center discussions around patient care first and budget second
Who is accountable when it's wrong? Get clarity on your facility's policies before a problem arises. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of response.
What does a false positive or false negative look like? Every screening tool makes errors. Know what they are, how to report them, and what to do when they come up.
How was staff trained? A good AI tool with poor implementation is a patient safety risk. Advocate for increased educational and training time to set up your patients, your team, and yourself for success.

You don't need to understand the math behind the model to ask these questions. Asking them is itself an act of clinical leadership.

AI and Nursing: A replacement or tool to leverage?

There is a version of the AI conversation that worries nurses about job replacement. That concern deserves honest engagement, not dismissal.

AI will likely automate parts of nursing work, particularly documentation, scheduling, and routine monitoring tasks. Whether that frees nurses to spend more time at the bedside or becomes a justification to reduce staffing is a policy and employer question, not necessarily a technology question. It will depend on how healthcare organizations choose to deploy the tools and adhere to their budgets.

What AI cannot replicate is the relational core of nursing: therapeutic presence, the ability to read a room, the skill of delivering hard news with compassion, the advocacy that happens when a nurse says "something isn't right with my patient." Those capacities are not pattern recognition on historical data. They are embodied, relational, and fundamentally human.

The nurses who will thrive in an AI-enabled environment are those who understand the tools well enough to use them critically, and who continue to develop the distinctly human competencies that no algorithm will replicate.

Practical Steps You Can Take Now

1. Learn your tools. Ask your nurse educator or informatics team to walk you through any AI-powered features in your EHR or monitoring systems. Understanding what they flag — and what they miss — makes you a safer practitioner.

2. Document your clinical reasoning. As AI tools generate more of the data in patient records, your documented reasoning becomes even more important as evidence that a human assessed the whole picture.

3. Speak up about concerns. If an AI alert seems to be firing inappropriately — either too often or not enough — report it. Your frontline observations are how these tools get improved or discontinued.

4. Engage with your professional and advocacy organizations. Groups like the American Nurses Association are developing position statements and guidelines on AI in nursing. Stay connected to those conversations.

5. Be a thoughtful voice in your unit. Not every colleague will have the same level of comfort or skepticism about AI. Being someone who asks good questions — without dismissing the technology or uncritically embracing it — is a form of leadership.

AI is not the future of nursing and healthcare, it is the present. Understanding it well enough to use it wisely, question it appropriately, and advocate for patients and clinicians in its presence, that is the new professional competency. And it is squarely within the tradition of what nurses have always done: meet the moment, with knowledge and compassion, on behalf of their patients, clinicians, and the community at large.

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse and NTN Consults to help provide support and guidance to the nursing and healthcare community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Sarah has partnered with Ripple Health AI as a Nurse Advisor and Business Development Lead. The original version of this article appeared on the Ripple Health AI Insights blog.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

Closing the Communication Gap in Nursing

June 18, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Discover how AI-powered nurse communication training bridges the gap between school and the bedside to reduce medical errors and improve patient satisfaction.

When a breakdown in care occurs, it is rarely due to a lack of clinical knowledge. The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Data Annual Review consistently highlights that hospital adverse events - including falls, treatment delays, and wrong-site surgeries - are overwhelmingly rooted in communication failures during handovers, care transitions, and acute emergencies.

To protect our patients and stabilize our workforce, we must fundamentally reshape how we build and sustain clinical communication. High-fidelity communication training is no longer a "soft skill" luxury; it is a clinical, financial, and educational imperative. To be effective, this training must span the entire developmental continuum: from undergraduate nursing education to formal residency programs for new graduates.

The Ripple Effect

To bridge these academic and clinical gaps, Ripple Health AI delivers tailored solutions designed to support, scale, and standardize this vital work. Recent feedback highlights the tangible, positive practice perceptions experienced by nursing students using our advanced, interactive communication training tools.

In May 2026, pre-licensure students in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at a top-tier university on the West Coast utilized the Ripple Health AI platform. Students completed the specialized course, “Communicating with Patients: The 4 C's of Relational Care for Nurses,” sharing detailed insights on how the training shifted their outlook on clinical readiness.

The evaluation underscored remarkable efficacy across key learning domains, with students heavily praising the course's deep relevance to clinical practice and the overall quality of the curriculum. Furthermore, learners highlighted the timeliness and actionability of the automated feedback, noting that the immediate guidance helped them self-correct and grasp therapeutic communication concepts in real-time.

When analyzing what made the curriculum so impactful, the learner verdict was unanimous: the AI-powered practice simulations were the single most valuable element. Students consistently shared that the scenarios felt remarkably authentic, making them feel as though they were interacting with a real, live patient rather than a software interface.

A Four-Pillar Framework for Transforming the Pipeline

1. Undergraduate Nursing Education: Building the Foundation

When nursing students enter clinical rotations, they are often overwhelmed by technical data. However, translating a clinical spike in blood pressure into a clear, actionable directive to a busy physician requires a completely different cognitive skill set.

Structured communication training acts as an architectural blueprint for high-stress dialogue. Experiential student feedback from the pilot confirmed that practicing in these safe, AI-simulated environments directly targets this gap, leaving students with an immediate boost in therapeutic communication skills and a deeper appreciation for patient-centered care. When students learn how to navigate realistic scenarios early on, they enter our hospitals equipped to cut through clinical noise - mitigating preventable medical errors before they ever reach the bedside.

2. New Graduate Nurse Training: Bridging the Transition into Practice

The transition from student to novice nurse is notoriously jarring. While undergraduate education sets the baseline, the high-stakes reality of independent practice demands targeted, ongoing communication training during the transition to practice (TTP) or nurse residency phase.

New graduates regularly cite multidisciplinary conflict and a lack of psychological safety as primary drivers for leaving the profession within their first two years. Immersive training bridges this divide by directly fostering professional confidence. As students noted in the pilot, interactive practice helped them understand the direct line between therapeutic dialogue and safer clinical outcomes. Teaching new graduates to navigate workplace friction, manage difficult patient interactions, and advocate assertively for safety under real-world pressures dramatically reduces role confusion and stabilizes early-career job satisfaction.

3. Elevating the Patient Experience

Patient satisfaction is intimately tied to how care is delivered across all stages of a nurse's career. Research indicates that patients and caregivers evaluate a nurse's empathy, active listening, and presence just as heavily as their technical competence.

Formal communication interventions help both students and new graduates cultivate emotional intelligence and rapport. Participants in the training remarked that the realistic nature of the AI simulations gave them a clearer vision of how to provide better, more empathetic care in their future clinical placements. By maintaining this training standard through their first year of practice, we accelerate nurse-patient trust, directly improving post-discharge compliance, care quality, and patient satisfaction scores.

4. The Faculty and Mentor Imperative: Leveraging Technology for Success

We cannot expect students or new graduates to master complex professional dialogue if their instructors and clinical preceptors are not explicitly equipped to teach it. Communication training is highly nuanced and requires dedicated institutional support.

Shifting from traditional lecturing or passive monitoring to advanced simulation requires the right tools. Educators and preceptors must leverage specialized technology to complement training, fostering psychological safety, evidence-based feedback, and supportive, zero-risk environments where learners can safely fail, iterate, and grow without the pressure of live clinical stakes.

The Strategic Next Step for Leaders

We can no longer afford to treat communication as an innate trait that clinicians will simply "pick up" on the floor. It is a highly technical, trainable competency that must be built in school, reinforced during onboarding, and evaluated regularly.

Ripple Health AI offers personalized, AI-driven learning experiences that deliver individualized, actionable feedback in real-time. Our scalable technology solutions tailor directly to your institutional specifications, aligning clinical expertise with essential interpersonal skills to ensure the next generation of your nursing workforce is both confident and competent.

As healthcare and academic leaders, investing in robust communication simulation is our clearest path forward. By securing the communicative readiness of our students and new graduates today, we ensure safer clinical outcomes, stronger team retention, and a higher standard of care for tomorrow.

Request a Ripple Health AI Demo

References

Arrogante, O., Ortuño-Soriano, I., & Fernandes-Ribeiro, A. (2025). Attitudinal shifts toward communication skill development in first-year nursing cohorts via high-fidelity simulation: A quasi-experimental analysis. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 101.
Cho, H. and Steege, L.M. (2025). Authentic Leadership, Psychological Safety, Missed Nursing Care, and Intention to Leave Among Hospital Nurses. Int Nurs Rev, 72: e70065. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.70065
Lyu, XC., Huang, SS., Ye, XM. et al. (2024). What influences newly graduated registered nurses’ intention to leave the nursing profession? An integrative review. BMC Nurs 23, 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01685-z
Mercan, N., Coskun, S., & Apaydın Demirci, Z. (2023). Efficacy of a communication skills training for nursing students: a quasi-experimental study. J Psy Nurs, 14(3), 200-209. https://doi.org/10.14744/phd.2023.02438.
The Joint Commission. (2025). Sentinel Event Data 2024 Annual Review. https://digitalassets.jointcommission.org/api/public/content/eac7511986c0442a9c1ae04b1aa02cc0?v=ad34daa0

Sarah has partnered with Ripple Health AI as a Nurse Advisor and Business Development Lead. The original version of this article appeared on the Ripple Health AI Insights blog.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

How Nurses Can Stand Out in a Competitive Job Market

May 30, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Today’s nursing job market can feel shockingly competitive. While healthcare organizations continue to face staffing challenges, many employers are also receiving large volumes of applications for desirable positions. To manage this influx, organizations increasingly rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS) and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software to screen candidates before a human recruiter ever reviews an application.

For nurses, this means that having the right qualifications is only part of the equation. It’s equally important to ensure your application clearly communicates your value in a way that both technology and hiring managers can recognize.

Resumes are KEY

Start by carefully reviewing the job description and incorporating relevant keywords throughout your resume and cover letter. If a position emphasizes patient education, triage, leadership, quality improvement, or electronic health record experience, be sure to include those exact terms when they accurately reflect your experience. ATS software often prioritizes applications that closely align with the language used in the posting.

Next, focus on measurable accomplishments rather than simply listing responsibilities. Instead of stating that you “provided patient care,” highlight outcomes such as improving patient leading a practice change initiative, preempting or mentoring new staff, or participating in committees, councils, and quality improvement projects.

Networking = The Secret Sauce

Networking remains one of the most powerful tools in any job search. Connect with colleagues, attend professional conferences, engage with nursing organizations, and maintain an active LinkedIn presence. Personal connections can help your application get pulled from a sea of digital submissions.

Stand out from the crowd!

Technology may influence the hiring process, but authentic experience, strong professional relationships, and a well-crafted applications remain the keys to standing out as a nursing candidate.

Need help with your resume?

Check out the New Thing Nurse Winning Nurse Resume + Cover Letter Template Series

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

Why New Graduate Nurses Are Struggling to Find Jobs in 2026

May 13, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

For years, nursing students were told that graduation would practically guarantee a job offer. While nursing staffing shortages still exist across the United States, many new graduate nurses in 2026 are discovering that landing a first nursing role is far more complicated than expected.

The stories are all over social.

I am a member of many new graduate nursing groups on social media. Every day, you can see dozens of posts by members expressing emotions ranging from frustration and anger to desperation and defeat while explaining their experiences applying to dozens to hundreds of job applications, sometimes without receiving an invitation for a single interview.

These posts are by new graduate nurses who are months, and sometimes a year or more, out from graduation. They have passed their NCLEX, have a license, and are fully qualified to start their nursing careers, yet they have received only rejection or worse, no response at all from potential employers as to why they are not interested in hiring them.

The Barriers

One major challenge is the growing mismatch between staffing needs and hiring preferences. Hospitals continue to report workforce shortages, but many organizations are prioritizing experienced nurses who require less onboarding and orientation support. Extended nurse residency programs, limited preceptor availability, and budget limitations have made some employers more selective when hiring brand-new graduates.

At the same time, competition has increased significantly in desirable specialties and locations. Acute care specialties like emergency departments, labor and delivery units, pediatrics, critical care, and large urban hospitals in preferred metro areas often receive hundreds to thousands of applications for only a handful of new graduate spots.

Many applicants are also competing against internal candidates such as new graduate nurses who have worked as nursing assistants, externs, or student workers and already have relationships and seniority within the organization.

Further, technology is creating additional barriers. Many healthcare systems now rely on applicant tracking system (ATS) software and AI-assisted screening tools to filter resumes before a recruiter ever lays eyes on them. Qualified candidates may be overlooked if their resumes are poorly formatted, missing keywords from the job description, or not optimized for automated systems.

Read that again.

Qualified new graduate nurses are not considered for jobs because their resume is not formatted to be compatible with ATS and AI-assisted screening tools.

Finally, new graduates are entering a healthcare environment shaped by ongoing burnout from unhealthy and unsafe workplaces, increasing financial concerns, and operational instability. Some hospitals have reduced hiring volumes or enacted complete hiring freezes, delayed residency cohorts, or shifted resources toward retaining current staff instead of expanding onboarding programs.

It is not you. It is the system.

Despite these challenges, new graduate nurses should not interpret a difficult job search as a reflection of their value or future potential.

It is not you.

It is a systems problem.

It is critical to take care of your mental health during this process. Constant rejection can feel personal when it’s not. Remember to care for yourself as you continue your job search journey.

Strategies for Success

There are strategies that support new graduate nurses in landing their first job:

Strategic networking
Flexible job searching
Resumes optimized for HR tech tools
Professional social media
Persistence

For many nurses, the first opportunity may not look exactly as expected, but it can still become the foundation for a long and successful nursing career.

Are you a new grad nurse applying for your first job?

Explore the products and services from New Thing Nurse

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

You Matter: The Worth of an Emergency Nurse

May 08, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Kristen Cline BSN RN CEN CPEN TCRN CFRN CTRN CCRN

I see her in a corner of the Emergency Department. A small figure in scrubs that are too big, with wiry white hair that rejects a brush. She is a fixture in this community hospital, and she is checking the crash cart. She has outlasted her peers and has never worked anywhere else. She teaches full time: ACLS, PALS, NIHSS, all the letters. Her voice is low, but her eyes are sharp.

Those eyes meet mine across the busy ED. I can't stop to talk: I have two new graduate nurse residents with me. One fresh and young, full of confidence and promise who fell in love with the ED when he saw his first open thoracotomy during clinicals.

This is where I want to be.

The other, a nontraditional nursing student who spent much of her adult life in the Pre-Op unit as a CNA. She is a mom who fought for her BSN while raising two children. She knows everyone in the hospital, asks a million questions, and radiates intensity.

This is where I want to be.

I spent almost seventeen years in clinical practice as an ED charge nurse, an ICU nurse, and a flight nurse. Now that I am a clinical educator. Nurses are my patients. These two new nurses are a life-giving source of energy and hope that the whole unit can sense, fresh clean air blowing away the cobwebs. I want them to love their chosen profession, and I arm them as best I can against what’s coming: the understaffing and the moral injury, the violence and the administrative indifference, the slow erosion of conditions forcing good nurses to leave. They remind me that we can be better. We must be.

The seasoned nurse smiles. Maybe she sees in me what I see in my nurse residents. Maybe she sees the crowd of nurses she has trained over the many decades whose names she has forgotten, but who will never forget her. Does she perceive the magnitude of her life? How do we put a value on a lifetime of service? When she looks back at her long career, what does she see? Does she understand the impact she has made?

How does she know she mattered?

You matter: The Worth of an Emergency Nurse

What is the worth of a nurse? One could consider many metrics: some nurses consider the cost of their degree both in time and trials, if not merely the price of their student loans. Society has quantified the lack of nurses and called it a “nursing shortage”. A CFO’s spreadsheet might see nursing as a cost center, FTEs to optimize and eliminate.

What does a single nurse, over a 30-year span of service, contribute to the economy in objective metrics? The cumulative impact of a single bedside nurse across an entire career is scattered through a constellation of published studies. Assembled, it tells a story the spreadsheets have been missing.

The Emergency Nurse: 100,000 Patient Lives Changed

Consider an emergency nurse. Three twelve-hour shifts a week in a mid-volume ED that sees 60,000 visits a year. On a busy shift, they may treat 20 patients or more. On a quiet one, merely 12. They triage and stabilize, teach and advocate. They hold the hand of the trauma patient whose family has not arrived. They bring another back to life with muscle and will. They offer dignity with a shower and a meal to the one with nowhere else to go. 156 shifts a year. Plus overtime. An endless sea of faces who each remember the nurse who got them through the worst day of their lives, even if the name is misremembered.

Over 30 years, that nurse will care for an estimated 100,000 patients. One hundred thousand human beings touched by those hands. Some were dying. Many were afraid. Roughly 12% of them — 12,000 people — arrived with life-threatening or emergent conditions. Some of them were clinically bereft of life. The emergency nurse will participate in an estimated 500 to 1,000 cardiac resuscitations across a career.†

Not every code is a save, and not every save is during a code. Most are quieter than that. The chest pain patient in bed 4 looks gray and diaphoretic: the ED nurse gets a 12-lead before the physician has finished triage. ST elevation in II, III, aVF, an inferior STEMI. The cath lab is activated before the patient fully understands what is happening, but the nurse will talk them through. The nurse who spots the tombstones and makes that call has just bought precious more minutes of life.

Strokes are even faster. During an untreated ischemic stroke, the brain loses 1.9 million neurons every minute starved of oxygen. The ED nurse performs the stroke scale at the bedside, activates the stroke alert, and initiates the chain that gets TNK to the patient before the window closes. Neurons, counted in millions and costing days, saved or lost by the speed of the nurse's hands.

Before any of this happens, every ED visit begins with two minutes at the front door. A nurse looks at you, takes your vitals, asks why you came. They are deciding how sick you are in the time it takes most clinicians to wash their hands. Triage is the highest-stakes two-minute decision in healthcare, made thousands of times a year.

Then there is sepsis. The patient who often looks sick in a way that doesn't match their vitals yet. Tachycardic but not hypotensive. Warm but wrong. Pink and panting. The ED nurse draws the lactate, obtains cultures, gives fluids and pushes the first antibiotic while the workup is still running.

Sepsis is the third leading cause of in-hospital death. Over 30 years, one ED nurse will screen roughly 21,000 patients for serious infection and manage 800 to 3,000 confirmed sepsis cases, each one a race the patient doesn't know they might lose.

More than one in ten American deaths occurs in an emergency department. Over a 30-year career, one ED nurse will be present for roughly 210 of those deaths — about seven a year, one every seven or eight weeks. Some arrive in arrest with life long passed. Some die despite our very best. A few die in ways that stay with us for years, surfacing without warning in the shower or on the drive home.

When death wins, the ED nurse will clean up your loved one. They will change the sheets and put a fresh gown on their still form. They place warm blankets over things no one else should see. They leave a hand out above the sheets, to be held in grief. They turn the lights down low and arrange some chairs, providing coffee and crackers for your family. Someone might be hungry and the cafeteria closed long ago.

Then they call the mortuary, making the arrangements no one can yet bring themselves to contemplate. They give you a few more minutes with your loved one. It’s ok. We don’t need the room for a bit. They give you a few more minutes to pretend this is a bad dream. Once you leave, it becomes terrible and real and now life has an ‘after’.

We let you stay as long as we can.

What is that worth? A 2024 study showed that adding one additional nurse to the busiest ED day shift can shorten stays and avoid $160,000 in lost patient wages per 10,000 visits. That decrease in service times frees up capacity for treating more patients, which may can generate $470,000 in extra net revenues for the facility per 10,000 visits. The authors wrote “investing in nursing will more than pay for itself.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1 through 44, and the third leading cause of death overall. The 2019 economic cost of injury in the United States reached $4.2 trillion, more than half of which fell on working-age adults. Trauma is unique among acute presentations because the physiology is time-dependent in a way nothing else is. The trauma nurse holds the clock at the bedside from arrival through ICU handoff. Every minute they keep is a minute the patient remains salvageable.

That conversion is mechanical. The trauma activation alert pulls the nurse to the bay before the patient arrives. The primary survey runs in parallel with vascular access, large-bore lines, rapid infuser primed, blood at the bedside before it's needed. The nurse expertly executes the massive transfusion protocol when the surgeon calls for it, and increasingly recognizes the indication before the surgeon makes the call. Pooled data show MTP activation reduces overall trauma mortality by approximately 29%. Each minute of delay between ED arrival and operative bleeding control increases hemorrhagic-death odds by 1.8%. Across 79,000 patients in 34 ACS-verified trauma centers, VTE prophylaxis initiated within 24 hours of admission cut venous thromboembolism by more than half compared to delays beyond 48 hours. Each finding maps to a specific bedside action. Each carries a price in lives.

Pediatrics are particularly vulnerable. A national cohort study of 796,937 children treated in 983 emergency departments demonstrated that high pediatric readiness, which includes metrics such as staffing, equipment, policies, quality improvement, cut in-hospital mortality by 60% to 76%, with the benefit persisting at one year. The investigators modeled that if every ED reached the highest-quartile readiness, approximately 1,442 pediatric deaths could be averted annually. A 2024 follow-up across 417 US trauma centers found that changes in pediatric readiness from 2013 to 2021 mapped directly to changes in pediatric mortality: high-readiness EDs corresponded to 643 lives saved, while persistent low readiness corresponded to 729 preventable pediatric deaths. The pediatric emergency care coordinator role, almost always filled by a nurse, is what holds these readiness elements together at the bedside. A national program, the National Pediatric Readiness Project, is being promoted and operationalized by emergency nurses across the country.

Revenue data largely misses the point. The emergency department is America's last remaining social safety net. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires screening and stabilization of every patient who darkens the door, regardless of ability to pay. The ED nurse performs social work, crisis intervention, intimate partner violence screening, and substance use disorder counseling. None of it appears on a hospital bill, all of which holds together what's left of the social contract.

ED often involve a mental health or substance use crisis, with wait times for boarded patients awaiting transfer to a dedicated mental health facility lasting from hours to days. During those hours, the ED nurse is the psychiatric provider: performing risk assessment, managing agitation, sitting with patients in rooms stripped of anything that could cause harm, checking on them every fifteen minutes through the night.

They do this while facing an epidemic of workplace violence: 70% of ED nurses report being physically assaulted at work, often with no repercussions and no laws to protect them. They do it anyway. They’re often told that it is simply "part of the job."

……………..

I think about the nurse with the white hair checking the crash cart. Thirty years in one emergency department. How many patients passed through her hands — fifty thousand? Eighty thousand? How many new nurses learned to read a rhythm strip because she was patient enough to teach them? How many codes ran smoothly because she had checked that cart, again, the way she always has? Steady, consistent; not glamorous but vital. Life preserving.

You matter.

Note:

† The 500–1,000 career resuscitation estimate is an illustrative calculation: roughly 292,000 adult in-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually, with about 10% in emergency departments, plus transported out-of-hospital arrests, distributed across approximately 5,000 US emergency departments.

About the Author: Kristen Cline is a Professional Development Practitioner in the Bay Areaand the founder of Regulation Loop LLC. Her clinical career spans 20 years across emergency, ICU, and flight nursing, including service as a Trauma Program Manager. Her published work appears in Annals of Emergency Medicine, the Journal of Emergency Nursing, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, KevinMD and several major nursing textbooks and serves on the editorial board of Air Medical Journal.

Follow Kristen Cline:

Email: kristen.cline@gmail.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristen-m-cline

SubStack: kristencline1033.substack.com

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

Learn about AI + nurse hiring...

April 29, 2026 by Sarah Wells

AI + Nurse Hiring: Resumes

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly reshaping how nurses get hired, and not always in ways that are obvious to applicants or even hiring managers.

At its core, AI is now embedded in many applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by healthcare organizations. These systems screen resumes, rank candidates, and sometimes even recommend who should move forward in the hiring process. For nurse applicants, this means your resume may be evaluated by an algorithm before a human ever sees it.

The upside?

AI can streamline hiring in a workforce-strained environment. Recruiters can review larger applicant pools faster, identify candidates with specific certifications or experience (like ICU, ED, or specialty credentials), and reduce time-to-hire >> something critical when staffing shortages impact patient care.

But there’s a catch…

AI systems are only as good as the data and rules they’re built on. If poorly designed or unmonitored, they can unintentionally filter out strong candidates. For example, nurses with non-traditional career paths, career gaps, or international experience may be overlooked if their resumes don’t match exact keyword criteria. This creates a real risk of reinforcing bias rather than reducing it.

For nurses, this shift demands a more strategic approach:

Use clear, standard clinical terminology (think: “Emergency Department RN” instead of creative variations)
Mirror keywords from job descriptions
Keep formatting simple and ATS-friendly (e.g. no images, white background, avoid tables)
Highlight measurable outcomes and certifications

AI vs AI

Applicants are trending to using AI to optimize their resumes. This creates an AI-enhanced resume vs the AI-enabled ATS.

If you’re leveraging AI tools to improve your resume, results come down to how you prompt it (AKA what you tell it to do). Vague asks like “fix my resume” lead to generic edits. Strong prompts are specific, strategic, and tied to a real job description.

Start by pairing your resume with the job posting and asking for alignment. This ensures your experience reflects what employers, and ATS systems, are actually scanning for.

Next, identify gaps. Have AI extract keywords, required skills, and preferred qualifications, then compare them to your resume. This step often reveals what’s missing and where to focus.

Refine key sections. Your professional summary should be concise and role-specific. Your experience should emphasize impact, using action verbs and measurable outcomes when possible.

If your background isn’t a direct match, use AI to translate your experience. This is especially helpful for new grads or nurses changing specialties.

Also run an ATS check. Formatting issues, like columns or graphics, can prevent your resume from being read correctly.

Finally, iterate. Ask for feedback from a recruiter’s perspective and refine accordingly.

Used intentionally, AI helps nurses align their experience with hiring expectations and stand out in a competitive market.

Nurse Leaders + Healthcare Organizations

For nurse leaders and organizations, the responsibility is bigger. AI should support, not replace, clinical judgment in hiring. That means regularly auditing hiring tools, ensuring transparency, and involving nurses in the design and evaluation of these systems.

AI isn’t going anywhere. The real question is whether we use it to create faster hiring or fairer hiring. In nursing, where workforce equity and patient outcomes are tightly linked, that distinction matters.

New Thing Nurse is addressing the problem.

Sarah K. Wells, the founder of New Thing Nurse, is serving as a 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Institute Fellow, focusing on AI and equitable staffing. Working with Dr. Adrienne McIntyre and Dr. Sotera Delos Santos, Sarah is conducting a survey that explores how AI tools are used in hiring, staffing, scheduling, and patient assignment decisions across healthcare organizations. Insights will help inform policy recommendations that support responsible AI use, strengthen nursing oversight, and promote equitable workforce practices.

Take the AI and equitable nurse staffing survey here.

Sarah and her colleagues are working to contribute to a framework and policy recommendations that address the use of AI in equitable staffing models, grounded in organizational justice and fairness, and will ultimately co-host a panel discussion with nursing and healthcare leaders to share insights and facilitate conversation on equitable staffing models supported by AI in late 2026.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

When AI Screens Out Care: How Applicant Tracking Systems Undermine Equitable Hiring in Nursing

April 07, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

The Problem with Tech in Hiring

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software—now commonly enhanced with artificial intelligence—was designed to streamline hiring. In nursing, where workforce shortages are real and urgent, that efficiency sounds like a win. But there’s a harder truth: these systems can quietly reinforce inequities and filter out strong, qualified nurse candidates before a human ever reviews their application.

ATS platforms prioritize keyword matching, formatting, and predictive ranking. That means candidates who don’t “speak the algorithm’s language” are less likely to move forward—even if they are clinically excellent. New graduates, internationally educated nurses, first-generation college graduates, and people of color, among other candidate groups with diverse backgrounds, can be especially vulnerable. Their experience may be rich, but if it’s not translated into the exact phrasing the system expects, it can be overlooked.

AI integrations add another layer of concern. These tools are often trained on historical hiring data, which can reflect longstanding biases in healthcare. If past hiring favored certain schools, career paths, or demographics, AI can unintentionally replicate those patterns at scale—under the guise of objectivity.

Digital Literacy

There’s also a digital literacy gap. Not every nurse has equal access to coaching on ATS optimization, professional resume writing, or LinkedIn strategies. Nurses working multiple jobs, those from under-resourced backgrounds, or those re-entering the workforce may be disproportionately disadvantaged by systems that reward polish over potential.

The Impact

The result? A hiring process that can exclude diverse talent at the front door - before interviews, before skills assessments, before human connection.

What is the solution?

Healthcare organizations have a responsibility to examine this. Equitable hiring isn’t just about intention; it’s about process. That means auditing ATS tools for bias, reevaluating rigid keyword filters, incorporating human review earlier in the process, and educating applicants on how to navigate these systems.

Because in a profession built on advocacy and equity, our hiring practices should reflect the same values.

New Thing Nurse is addressing the problem.

Take the AI and equitable nurse staffing survey here.

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

AI & Nursing: What Nurse Leaders Are Learning Now

March 17, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving from a concept discussed in innovation labs to a technology that nurses are encountering in everyday practice. I recently attended the 2nd Annual Nurse Leader’s Summit hosted by ICD Events and ANA-California in La Jolla, California. During nursing leadership discussions and roundtables, one theme was clear: AI is already shaping healthcare, but many organizations—and many nurses—are still figuring out how to use it safely, effectively, and responsibly.

AI Is Already in the Workflow

In many healthcare settings, AI is quietly embedded in existing tools. Ambient documentation systems can listen to clinical conversations and generate notes, predictive analytics can detect patient deterioration earlier, and AI-enabled systems can help analyze staffing needs or chart audits.

These tools have the potential to dramatically reduce administrative burden. Nurses currently spend a significant portion of their shifts documenting care rather than delivering it. AI documentation tools may reduce charting time, allowing nurses to spend more time with patients and families.

AI is also emerging in operational areas such as staffing, scheduling, and workforce planning. Data-driven scheduling tools may help reduce bias, balance workloads, and predict staffing needs based on patient acuity and demand. However, as Dr. Katie Boston-Leary shared, important strategies to support appropriate staffing must be integrated into any AI technology used to support staffing. These include reforming the work environment, valuing the unique contributions of nurses, innovating models of care, improving regulatory efficiency, and establishing staffing standards that ensure quality care.

Competencies for the AI Era

Despite these opportunities, many organizations acknowledge a gap in AI competencies among nurses and nurse leaders. One of the biggest challenges is that many professionals “don’t know what they don’t know” about AI.

Building AI readiness requires structured education and competency development. Key skills for nurses may include:

Understanding how AI systems generate recommendations
Evaluating whether AI outputs are accurate and clinically appropriate
Recognizing bias and data limitations
Protecting patient privacy and maintaining HIPAA compliance
Knowing when AI should not be used

One organization supporting nurses in leading the way with AI is Nurses for AI. Co-founded by Dr. Susan Deane and Dr. Irina Koyfman, Nurses for AI is committed to:

Nurse-led perspectives
Ethical leadership in AI
Transparency and responsible use
Collaboration over competition
Keeping the human at the center of innovation

Meanwhile, some healthcare organizations are beginning to incorporate AI education into simulation, competency frameworks, and just-in-time learning methods such as shift huddles, newsletters, and brief training modules.

Governance, Safety, and Accountability

Another consistent theme across discussions was the need for clear governance structures. Many institutions currently lack formal AI policies, even as AI tools are being introduced into clinical workflows.

Responsible AI implementation requires leadership oversight and structured frameworks that address:

Tool selection and validation
Risk and bias assessment
Data privacy and security
Ongoing monitoring of performance
Reporting systems for unsafe or inaccurate AI outputs

Importantly, clinicians remain responsible for the final clinical decision. AI may assist with documentation or recommendations, but accountability still rests with the licensed professional who signs the record.

Preserving the Human Side of Nursing

While AI promises efficiency, nurse leaders emphasized that the goal is not to replace nursing judgment. As Dr. Sharicca Miller emphasized in her talk, AI should augment clinical insight—not substitute for it.

Nursing remains a relational profession built on empathy, communication, and critical thinking. Many participants noted that the true opportunity of AI is not automation alone, but the possibility of returning time to the most meaningful parts of nursing: listening to patients, supporting families, and coordinating complex care.

The Road Ahead

AI adoption will likely look different across healthcare settings. Large health systems may invest in advanced predictive analytics, while smaller organizations may begin with modest tools for documentation or education.

What is clear, however, is that nursing must remain actively involved in shaping how AI is implemented. When nurses are included in governance, design, and evaluation of AI systems, these tools are far more likely to support safe care, equitable workflows, and sustainable nursing practice.

The future of AI in healthcare will not be defined solely by technology. It will be defined by how well nurses lead its integration.

Want to join the conversation about AI and nurse staffing?

Take the ANA-California Survey on how AI may be impacting nurse staffing at your facility.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Sarah is serving as a 2026 Advocacy Fellow with ANA-California, focusing on AI and equitable nurse staffing. Learn more about the 2026 ANA-California Advocacy Fellowships.

AI & Nursing: Just the beginning

March 05, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become part of the healthcare landscape, and nursing is no exception. While the idea of AI may feel futuristic, many nurses are already interacting with AI-powered tools in their daily work, often without realizing it. From clinical decision support systems to predictive staffing models and ambient listening documentation tools, AI is beginning to shape how care is delivered and how nurses work.

At its best, AI may reduce the administrative burden that has long contributed to nurse burnout. Technologies such as digital scribes and smart documentation tools can assist with charting, allowing nurses to spend more time at the bedside and less time at the computer. AI can also analyze large datasets to identify patterns that may help predict patient deterioration, support triage decisions, or create efficient staffing plans.

However, the growing use of AI in healthcare also raises important questions for the nursing profession. Nurses must be involved in conversations about how these technologies are developed, implemented, and evaluated. Without nursing input, AI tools may fail to reflect the realities of clinical practice or the nuances of patient care.

There are also important considerations around transparency, bias, and equity. If AI systems are trained on incomplete or biased data, they may unintentionally reinforce existing disparities in healthcare. Nurses, as patient advocates, play a critical role in ensuring that technology supports equitable and ethical care.

AI will not replace nurses. Instead, it has the potential to become another tool that supports clinical judgment, strengthens workflows, and enhances patient care - if nurses help lead the way.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Time to make a comment!

February 16, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

The U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) proposed changes to federal graduate student loan funding have raised alarms across higher education - and not just within nursing. While much of the conversation has focused on graduate nursing programs - such as those for nurse practitioners - the reality is that these funding limitations would affect a wide range of graduate disciplines, including social work, public health, education, counseling, and other non-healthcare professional fields.

For nursing, the implications are immediate. Advanced practice nurses are essential to addressing provider shortages, expanding primary care access, and strengthening healthcare systems. Reduced federal loan availability could discourage experienced and historically underrepresented nurses from pursuing graduate education, shrinking the future workforce of clinicians, educators, and leaders.

But the broader concern is structural: when financial barriers to graduate education increase, entire professions feel the impact. Communities rely on highly trained professionals across sectors - from healthcare to education to public service - and limiting access to advanced degrees risks worsening workforce shortages nationwide.

Submitting a public comment is one of the most meaningful advocacy actions professionals - anyone, not just nurses - can take right now:

Leave a comment on the DOE’s website by March 2, 2026

Policymakers need to understand that graduate education funding is not a niche issue; it is a workforce issue, an access issue, and ultimately a societal investment. When pathways to education narrow, the ripple effects extend far beyond a single profession. #strongertogether

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

I am mad at everything. What can I do about it.

January 30, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Even if you have only been minimally paying attention to current events, you may have noticed that a lot of nurses are mad.

I am one of them. I am really mad.

What can you do about it?

Well, in this case, other angry nurses have organized some opportunities for you to share your rage in the form of advocacy:

And there is the good old-fashioned approach:

Contact your elected officials in Congress

Have another way to funnel your rage? Let me know in the comments!

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

A FREE career resource?

January 19, 2026 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Looking for a new job can be stressful. Get organized with New Thing Nurse!

Navigating a nurse job search can feel overwhelming, especially in this rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Whether you’re applying for your first nursing job, transitioning specialties, or pursuing a leadership or advanced practice position, having a clear and structured approach matters. This new resource, the Nurse Job Search Readiness Guide from New Thing Nurse, was created to help nursing professionals move through the job search and application process with confidence, clarity, and intention.

The checklist breaks the journey into practical phases, guiding nurses from role exploration and resume preparation to interviewing, offer evaluation, and onboarding. It also highlights the importance of Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatible application materials, strategic networking, and thoughtful career reflection. Designed to be both practical and empowering, this resource supports nurses in showcasing their skills, leveraging their networks, and making informed career decisions. Whether you are actively applying or simply preparing for your next opportunity, this checklist helps you take control of your career path, one intentional step at a time.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

What does 2026 hold for nursing?

January 14, 2026 by Sarah Wells

New Thing Nurse has been quiet for a while, but now, we’re back - changing as the nursing community’s needs are shifting. #moretocome

Pay Transparency in Nursing

September 12, 2024 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Pay transparency is a growing demand across industries, including healthcare.

Applicants want to know the compensation for a job before applying for a position. Thanks to pay transparency laws, job seekers in 10 states currently see the wage or salary of a role in the job posting.

Why is pay transparency important?

Pay transparency supports pay equity, which is still a big issue in nursing. Becker’s recently highlighted gender pay disparities in nursing, which shocked me. As a former ED nurse, I’m not easy to shock.

No transparency laws in your state? Try this:

Research nurse wages in your area on websites like Glassdoor or search the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Ask someone. Snoop around on social media nursing groups and ask about pay for facilities. Do this anonymously whenever possible to avoid problems with potential employers.
Explore growing platforms like Bluem, where nurses will be able to anonymously report their wages.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

How to Get Hired 101: Effective Communication in Healthcare

August 09, 2024 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

When considering the qualities to highlight during a job interview, it is crucial to emphasize your ability to communicate effectively. Healthcare employers look for nurses with exceptional communication skills for every role.

The importance of effective communication in healthcare:

Patient Safety Relies on Effective Communication:

Optimal communication among healthcare providers and during medical encounters is vital for ensuring patient safety.

Productive Teamwork Depends on Clear Communication:

Clear communication is essential for fostering productive teamwork among the clinical staff.

Digital Communication Skills are Essential:

Strong communication skills are not limited to verbal interactions but also extend to digital formats such as email, EMR documentation, secure texting, and more.

Skilled Communication Promotes Equitable Care:

Inclusive communication contributes to creating equitable care environments for diverse patient populations and staff.

Need help showcasing your communication skills? Reach out to New Thing Nurse, and find out how to SHINE in your next interview!

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Nurses Week Gift Ideas!

May 03, 2024 by Sarah Wells in future nurse, holidays, nurse, nursing

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Nurses Week is May 6-12 - in just a few days!

Professional appreciation is important. This year’s Nurses Week theme is "Nurses Make the Difference.” Whether you are planning celebrations for staff or looking for a cute gift for your nurse friend, check out these resources to make your Nurses Week extra fabulous:

Free Nurses Week Content - Nurses associations have Nurses Week websites to help you plan your week! Check out the offerings from the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Shop Etsy for Nurses Week - I love Etsy for meaningful gifts for friends and colleagues. I can always find fun and unique items to show others that they’re appreciated.
Nurses Week Discounts + Freebies - Businesses are already sharing their Nurses Week freebies and discounts! Don’t miss out on a deal by following the curated list from Nurse.org or this freebies and discounts blog from AACN.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Where is nursing going?

April 02, 2024 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Nursing is constantly changing. Here are a few trends on the horizon for our profession:

Stabilizing the Workforce - Moves to improve staffing and retention will continue to be a priority. Check out recommendations from national nursing organizations to overcome staffing challenges.
Virtual Everywhere - Virtual nursing opportunities will expand. Learn what virtual nursing is and how it could impact your healthcare organization.
Innovation in Nursing - Nurses are leading the way in innovation. Listen to an interview with Dr. Bonnie Clipper, CEO and Founder of Innovation Advantage, discussing revolutionizing how virtual nursing care is delivered in hospitals.
School or No School? - There are now many ways to achieve your career goals in nursing without more school. Learn about non-traditional nursing roles that might interest you

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

Do you love this?

February 11, 2024 by Sarah Wells

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

February is Heart Month. My question: is your heart in your current job?

Here are few prompts to consider when thinking about this question:

Resonating? - Is your job resonating with your professional values and passions? If not, consider why and if that can be changed.
Balanced? - Does your job allow you to have a good work-life balance? Or are you sacrificing one for the other? Are you able to make it better?
Satisfying? - Do you leave work feeling fulfilled or deflated? Is your time at work satisfying you? Professional satisfaction can come in many different forms.
Growth? - Is there opportunity for growth in your position, personally or professionally? Are you progressing towards your career goals?

If your heart isn’t in your job, chat with New Thing Nurse to plan your next career move.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.

How to set 2024 career intentions…

January 02, 2024 by Sarah Wells in future nurse, goals, how to, inspiration, new year, nurse

By: Sarah K. Wells MSN RN CEN CNL

Setting intentions in our careers helps us set goals, focus our behaviors, and begin to create a path forward to achieve them.

How do I set 2024 career intentions?

What is #mywhy? – Spend some time considering what fuels your nursing fire. Your “why” may be the goal of your intentions.
It’s the journey instead of the destination. – Focus on the steps to get to the goal and write down those action items.
Make it action oriented. – Intentions can be physical actions or something that supports your mental or physical wellbeing that will help you achieve your goals.
Refer back. – Carry your intentions on a piece of paper or in a note on your phone. Look at them frequently to guide your actions over time.

Celebrate your success! – Occasionally consider the intentions that you have fulfilled and be proud of your work.

New Thing Nurse helps the nursing and NP community thrive in their careers! Join us on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse 🩺

About the Author: Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an experienced nurse career strategist dedicated to helping nurses and nurse practitioners of all experience levels and specialties achieve success in their nursing and NP journeys. Sarah founded New Thing Nurse to help provide support and guidance to the nursing community in a simple and direct format. Sarah’s vision is to foster a more supportive and fulfilled nursing world that spreads throughout healthcare and beyond.