Happy Nurse’s Week!

Celebrating family, friends neighbors and colleagues in nursing – 

• Nearly 3.4 million registered nurses in the United States constitute our nation’s largest health care profession
• Registered nurses meet the different and emerging health care needs of the American population in a wide range of settings.
• Nurses have been voted the most trusted profession in America in Gallup’s annual survey, ranking professions for their honesty and ethics
• 81%  of Americans believe nurses’ honesty and ethical standards are either “high” or “very high.”
• It is the 11th time nurses have been voted the most trusted profession.

Special Offering for Nurses at Dreamtime Wellness™ – ‘Giving Back’ to Those That Give So Much.

During Nurse’s Week – FOB Nurses SAVE MORE. Mention this post and SAVE $30 off any Reiki or Hypnosis Session, Reiki Training or Gift Certificate Purchased During Nurses Week. Gift yourself or give a nurse you know a gift of relaxation! Email for details – info@dreamtimewellness.com

Share Your Nursing Story and Enter a Raffle for a FREE Reiki Session – Share your nursing story in the comments here on on Dreamtime Wellness FB page and enter into the raffle. Drawing to be health 5/13.

CEU Lecture for Nurses – Thursday. May 19th at Hathorne Hill. Danvers MA. Introduction to Reiki Ryoho: Japanese Healing Method/Art in Mainstream Healthcare. $5.00 Donation to Danvers Kiwanis. Pre-Approved 1.o Ceu for Nurses, Case Managers and Social Workers. To Register – Call or Email PamelaWall, Marketing Director at Hathor Hill. Registration begins at 4:45 pm with an interactive and informative lecture from 5:30 – 6:30 pm.

Celebrate the Nurses in Your Life!

My Nursing Story – Today, I am celebrating 33 years in the nursing profession and my 16th year in business as a nurse working in private practice and in hospitals offering integrative therapies (Reiki, Meditation, Hypnosis) for stress and pain management and behavior changes. 

I grew up in a family of nurses – mother, sister, aunts,  and cousins. Hearing the stories of my mother and her sisters inspired me to join the nursing profession. By the age of 16, I knew I would be going to nursing school. The University of Illinois (U of I) College of Nursing offered me a solid foundation in nursing. At that time, U of I offered more clinical practice than most nursing programs (1 year pre-nursing + 3 years nursing.) Working as a student assistant in Critical Care at U of I shaped my early nursing career in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU. )

Traveling Nursing,’ allowed me to combine work and travel as I was hired for contract nursing jobs in ICU’s around the country. Traveling with the seasons – Winter in California; Spring skiing in Colorado; Summer in Chicago. Autumn brought me to New England, where I fell in love, not only with the area but also with my now husband. New England has been my home for 29 years, and Gloucester for 17 years. 

My first ICU job in Boston was at Cambridge City Hospital. My last ICU job in New England, Addison Gilbert Hospital. In between I worked at New England Deaconess, Faulkner, Brigham and Women’s Hospitals, Tufts Medical Center, and many other hospitals as a traveler or agency nurse. I’ll never forget ‘night shifts’ at Boston City Hospital, entering the building through what felt like the catacombs. :O

So many memorable adventures throughout the years. Many stories to be told, names to remain confidential. 

In 1997, my focus in nursing shifted from ‘disease and illness’ to ‘wellness and prevention,‘ including my own efforts and ultimate success at ending a 22 year pack+ per day cigarette habit. I began working in cardiac rehabilitation. Around that same time, I began exploring Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM,) which I found helpful in my own efforts to stop smoking. Hypnosis plus conventional tobacco treatment helped me stop smoking 19 years ago. Yoga helped make it easier and its deep breathing was helpful for cleansing my lungs. Learning Reiki one year later, with it’s focus on ‘self-Reiki for self-care’ and instant hands-on relaxation has allowed me to remain smoke-FREE.

My first job as a nurse included a special certification in oncology. Now working as a nurse offering Reiki in Integrative Oncology, I feel like I have come ‘full circle’ with my career. Each aspect of my career has been rewarding, fulfilling and memorable. Each patient encounter, implanted indelibly in my memory. It has been an honor and a privelge to have met and worked with so many wonderful people. I am grateful for a long, happy career in nursing, and wouldn’t trade a thing. “Do what you love. Love what you do.” Life IS Good.

Celebrating Nurses. If you know a nurse, give her a special acknowledgment of appreciation this week. If you are a nurse, do something special for yourself this week – Gift Yourself a Gift of Self-Care and Self-Indulgence. Those that take better care of themselves, have more to offer to those they love. 

Best in Health,  Karen

Karen Pischke B.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N. Alumnus. Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness™ Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind & Spirit www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreamtime-Wellness-/348619611849199

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Sources and More Information: 

American Nurses Association.

Gallup Poll