Welcome to my page! I'm Shawna White, a registered nurse, since 2015. I am passionate about collaborating with people to address their health concerns and provide valuable education on topics that matter to them. I believe that every individual's health journey is unique, and I enjoy learning from others as much as I guide them toward achieving their health goals. 

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I have started Nurse Shawna 2015 because of my own frustrations in the healthcare system. The two areas I want to work on this year revolve around patient education and advocating for nurses.

When I worked in the hospital (MICU & ED), I would be frustrated with how many "frequent fliers" we had. They would come in for the same problem over and over again. We would give them a quick educational run down and encourage them to follow up with their doctor so their doctor could educate and help them further. 

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However, when I started to work in home health, I realized there were a lot of patients falling through the cracks when it came to their health education. I would always start with teaching the basics and build upon that and was amazed by how many people would say, "Why was I never told this?" For example, I had patients taking Eliquis and they state they were never educated on the possibility of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding to the brain) if they fell and hit their head. 

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Of course, my first thought was, "I'm sure someone, at some time, explained this to them, but maybe it did not stick due to stressors or the situation the patient was in at the time." But then I realized more and more patients did not have basic knowledge of their health conditions; how to manage their health conditions; when to call their primary or specialist doctor; when to go to a convenient care clinic; or when to go to the emergency department. 

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I want to change that by providing basic information here and then some.

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For my fellow nurses, I would find myself thinking, "I'm just a nurse, what do I know" in sarcastic tones when I was frustrated from not being heard in times of advocating for my patients. Then I started to turn that phrase in the last 3 years to, I am not "just" a nurse, there is a lot I know and a lot I can do to improve the community, others, and I want to advocate for nurses! I found myself feeling down and thinking about how much nurses advocate their patients, but no one advocates for the nurses.

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I want to advocate for nurses. I want nurses to also advocate for themselves because we deserve to be taken seriously in our nursing profession and respected for the work we carry.

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I hope this site is helpful in learning new things and inspiring change for all :)

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- Shawna White, RN, BSN