Welcome to The Nursing Podcast, where we dive deep into the real-life experiences of being a nurse. I’m Jon Haws, RN, founder of Nursing.com, and today, we continue my journey—picking up from landing my first ICU job.

In this episode, I share the raw realities of my 13-week neuro ICU internship at a Level 1 trauma hospital, from my first nerve-wracking shift to the heartbreaking cases that shaped my career. I reflect on the profound impact nurses have, including a moment I’ll never forget—when a grieving mother hugged me and said, “I will always remember you.”

I also discuss the challenges and rewards of precepting new nurses, the chaos of ICU life, and the lessons that stuck with me over the years. Join me as I break down what it truly means to provide comfort and care in a patient’s most vulnerable moments. Let’s get started!

Happy Nursing!

Oh man . . . it's hard to believe that about 14 years ago I was sleeping on a mattress I'd found in the dumpster - not even sure if nursing school would ever end. 

It did.  I survived.  I passed the NCLEX.  And I got a job in the Neuro ICU right out of nursing school. 

Today I want to share part IV of my journey.

Happy Nursing

Jon Haws, RN

Caveat: some people (nurses) might not agree AT ALL with what I say here . . . oh well!  I want to share how it is to give confidence to those struggling.

We get hundreds of emails a day from nursing students.

Sadly, a good portion of them are from students who feel like they should quit nursing school altogether.

I started nursing school with high hopes, but after my fourth semester, I dropped out. I quit nursing school.

I knew nursing school was going to be hard . . . I mean the whole point is to learn how to competently take care of a human being suffering from complex health issues.

I expected school to be hard.

Visit https://nursing.com for more

For some FREE resources to help you through nursing school visit www.nursing.com 

My name's Jon Haws, RN, founder of Nursing.com.  Today we're gonna continue the story of my journey in hopes that it will give you some motivation, give you that some of it will resonate with you and give you kind of some background on me, but also some motivation to continue in your journey wherever you are in your nursing journey.

Yesterday we left off with me just getting into nursing school, my journey of applying and how this all happened.

So today we're gonna continue that story and if you haven't heard the first part, go ahead and listen to the previous episode.  But today we're gonna continue that journey.

When I think back 14ish years, it is hard to believe just how far this nursing journey has taken me.  Sometimes it's helpful to think back to the beginning and consider how it began. 

Over the next couple of days I want to share with you parts of my journey that you may not know and hopefully some of it will resonate with you.

#nclex #nursingschool 

Nursing school is hard enough without the fear tactics.  And the truth is, there are so many ways that people learn.  Instead of saying "One of you won't be here" - what if we said "I will HELP you be here".

You CAN Do This!

-Jon Haws, RN

The past is prologue - there comes a time when we have to stop wishing for a better past.  It took me 5 years to accept the past as a way to move forward. 

I literally wrote the book on surviving your first year as a nurse (The New Nurse Survival Guide) and today I wanted to share 3 tips from that book that you can start applying TODAY whether you are in nursing school or already working as a nurse.

If I could encourage you to start doing ONE thing today while you're in nursing school - it would be this. 

To join the NURSING.com Insider Circle - just visit https://NURSING.com/insider

What I Wish I Knew: Potassium-K Lab Value Levels

What do bananas, avocados, and kale all have in common?

Potassium!

For more resources to help you understand Potassium, Hyperkalemia and Hypokalemia, click here:

What role does it play in the body?

What’s a normal range level for potassium?

And what happens when potassium levels are too low or too high?

On a shift early in my career, while I was still being oriented to the unit, I held tight to that rule of NEVER pushing IV potassium even when my preceptor was providing instructions that conflicted with that big rule. Here is that story...