Resources for Registered Nurses
We have compiled a list of resources on a range of topics that real RNs have told us are most applicable to them.
Nursing Resources
Nursing Trends
- American Journal of Nursing: Stay up to date on nursing trends with this trade journal, the oldest broad-based nursing journal in the world.
- The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing: This journal covers topics ranging from sexual harassment in healthcare to RN scope of practice.
- Emerging Trends in Nursing / American Nurse Today: American Nurse Today is the official, peer reviewed journal of the American Nurses Association (ANA). This article (published in 2018 but still applicable) offers information about trends that nurses can expect to see in the near future.
- 7 Nursing Trends of 2019 / Host Healthcare: Host Healthcare specializes in travel nursing and travel healthcare, but this article is applicable to all nurses, regardless of specialty.
- Top Nursing Trend in 2019 / Stability Healthcare: This article from Stability Healthcare (another travel nurse publication, but again, doesn’t affect the subject matter) mentions a few trends to expect in the nursing field, including a demand for specialists, an increase in technology, a need for bilingual nurses, and a continued shortage of nurses.
Moral Support
- Emotional Support for New Graduated Nurses in a Clinical Setting: This study, completed by the NCBI, focuses on support for new nurses. The study includes tips on the most effective ways to get support.
- Fabulous RN: This Pinterest account offers funny memes related to nurses.
- Tripping Over the Welcome Mat: Why New Nurses Don’t Stay and What the Evidence Says We Can Do About It: This article is about how senior nurses can support nurses who are new to the job field.
- Nurse Buff: This is a lighthearted blog specifically for nurses, with an emphasis on humor and lifestyle. This site has a little bit of everything: pickup lines heard from patients, nursing gift guides, scholarships for nursing students, and guides for buying the best nursing shoes.
- Nursing Support: Student, New Grad, and Beyond: This closed Facebook group boasts nearly 7k members and offers a supportive community where nurses at all stages in their career can encourage and commiserate with their peers.
Networking
- Meetup: Use Meetup to find nursing events and activities near you. Signing up is free, and all you have to do is enter your location and enter “nursing” in the search bar.
- LinkedIn: Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date, so you can connect with other nurses, find job openings, and read the latest news for the nursing field. Follow accounts such as Nursing Network to see the content they share.
- Nursing Networks Matter: This article by American Nurse Today explains why networking is important for nurses, and it also provides ways to connect with others around you. And if you tend to be more introverted and feel uncomfortable making small talk? The article also offers a list of conversation-starters that you can have ready for the next networking opportunity.
- 3 Reasons Why You Should Network as a Student: Still a student? No problem! It’s still just as important to network while you’re still working toward your degree because you never know which acquaintance might connect you with a job. This article lists a few different ways for nursing students to connect with those in their circle.
- Nursing Network: This website helps connect nurses with colleagues, groups, events, and resources.
- All Nurses.com Clubs: This site allows users to start their own clubs or join others’. This is a great way to connect with other nurses in a low-pressure setting. Feel free to share your highs or lows of the job, or just vent about a bad day. Everyone in the group can relate to your experiences and offer advice, empathy, or even just a listening ear.
Professional Development and Continuing Education
- Nursing First Facebook group for nurses: A group dedicated to educating, enhancing, and empowering the nursing profession. All healthcare team members are welcome to the group.
- Emergency Nurses Association: The goal of this group is “to advocate for patient safety and excellence in emergency nursing practice.” Becoming a member of this organization allows access to a global community of emergency nurses (and emergency nursing students), guides and information about nursing trends, careers advancement opportunities, and a network of 43,000 members who understand what you go through as an emergency nurse.
- American Nurses Association: As a member of this association, you’ll have access to professional development resources like webinars and continuing education.
- The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA): This is an organization for nursing professionals who work in psychiatric hospitals or similar capacities. Founded in 1986, it has become the largest organization for psychiatric/mental health (PMH) nurses.
- The Society of Pediatric Nurses: This is a network of likeminded nursing professionals dedicated to the same thing: the health, care, and safety of children. You can join specific “Special Interest Groups” to connect with other nurses in your sub-field.
- Midwife.org: American College of Nurse-Midwives has a members-only platform that allows you to connect with others in the midwife/women’s care field.
Continuing Education
- The Nursing Center: offers continuing education units organized by specialty, clinical category, topic, journal, and collections.
- Quantum Units Education: offers numerous accredited CE courses for nurses at an extremely reasonable cost ($3 per unit, regardless of course content).
- Renew Now CE: offers various multi-course packages in addition to their individual courses. Their prices vary depending on the number of CEUs in each course. For example, the course “Blood – The Living River” satisfies 2 CEUs and costs $15, whereas this package, which contains the 24 required CEUs for nurses practicing in the District of Columbia, is priced at $35.
