By Keeping up with nursing news and trends can be a challenge. You’re already busy, building your career, learning to balance work and home, and just enjoying life.
You’re reading one of our “Nursing Career Guide” articles. Need to practice for your upcoming exam? Have a look at our free NCLEX practice questions -- no registration required! ✨
Of course, you want to know what’s going on in your profession. But who has time to read through all the nursing journals? (Plus, they’re expensive.) Or attend conferences? (Time off work and even more money.)
One of the best ways to stay current is to read nursing blogs and follow your favorite nurse bloggers. When you subscribe to their blog, posts will automatically arrive in your email inbox. Besides updates, bloggers write about everyday situations and how to handle them. After all, no one understands what it’s like to be a nurse better than another nurse.
Nurse Plus has searched the web to find nurse bloggers who are ready to help, advise, and simply make you smile. When choosing blogs, we looked at:
- Credentials and experience of the nurse
- Quality of the content and website
- Topics covered
- Interesting? Useful? Timely?
We found 15 awesome nursing blogs for your consideration. They cover nursing topics from different angles: serious research to practical tips to humor and inspiration. The blog links are here, so check them out. Part of the personal appeal is how the website looks to you and if you like the writing style. When you find a blogger that seems like a good fit, read a few posts. Most of them have a way to subscribe. (You can always unsubscribe, too.)
The blogs are listed in alphabetical order.
- 1
Advances in Nursing Science
ANS: Advances in Nursing Science Blog: The scholarly blog for Advances in Nursing Science, the purpose is “to advance the development of nursing knowledge and to promote the integration of nursing philosophies, theories and research with practice.” Don’t be intimidated by the language… there is some good stuff here.
Articles are data-driven, covering medical, social, emotional, and historical topics that pertain to nurses. They’re also practical; an example is how to put guidelines into actual practice. Many of the articles can be downloaded for free. If you’re interested in how the nursing profession can continue to move forward, based on research, you may like this blog.
- 2
Daily Nurse
Daily Nurse: A great way to get quick updates on nursing news, you can subscribe to have Daily Nurse arrive in your email… every day. There’s a dropdown box that lets you sort news by your specialty: Advanced Practice, Clinical, Educator, and Nursing Student. They feature “current issues in nursing and provides industry surveys, reports, and professional events to help nurses stay up-to-date with the changing landscape.”
You’ll also read about jobs and get career advice. Organizations can easily post an ad and you can browse by category or location. There is a Job Search Resource Center. You can also join nursing associations, both national and state, directly from the Daily Nurse website.
- 3
Frugal Nurse
Frugal Nurse: “Seeking Better Healthcare at a Lower Cost,” Frugal Nurse was started because the author’s husband was over-diagnosed and over-treated for a nonmalignant thyroid condition. In 2013, she started the blog out of frustration at the quality of healthcare he received, as well as the staggering cost. She’s been a nurse for 30 years, and still struggled with the challenges.
Voted one of the best nurse blogs every year, you’ll find ways to reduce medical expenses for yourself and your family. She also writes about getting adequate information before making an informed health decision. There’s an entire section with recommended books. The Frugal Nurse is taking a brief sabbatical in 2020, but promises to keep up the website.
- 4
JParadisiRN
JParadisiRN: What do you get when you combine an oncology nurse and an artist? Julianna Paradisi! This is a lovely website with the tagline: “Where science, humanity, and art converge.” Julianna has been a nurse for over 30 years.
She’s also a trained artist who has done the cover of American Journal of Nursing. If you enjoy art, her blog posts are often illustrated with her own sketches and paintings. Her writing is gentle and she tackles the world of nursing through her creations.
- 5
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing: “On the Pulse” blog is a great way to keep up with medicine and nursing trends. Articles are written by different people at Johns Hopkins, so there’s a wide range of topics. NurseRecruiter.com named it one of the best for 2019.
Yes, they do feature the organization in some posts, but the information is excellent, and the articles are timely. There are also personal stories, like “I was supposed to die at 57.” The same site has the Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine, with archives going back to 2003.
- 6
Minding the Bedside
Minding the Bedside: Jerome Stone, RN, has been a nurse for more than 30 years.
The title of his blog represents his passion for meditation and how mindfulness can keep nurses balanced. Jerome believes that simple meditation leads to compassionate care.For a nurse -- anyone, really -- who finds that stress lowers their own quality of life, and ability to provide care for patients, Jerome offers advice and easy ways to regain your center. His website also has free media (videos, audio recordings, articles) and his book, Minding the Bedside: Nursing From the Heart of the Awakened Mind.
- 7
Nurse Code
Nurse Code: Nurse Beth, MSN, RN-BC, HACP, has more than 25 years of experience in all kinds of clinical and leadership roles. She writes for nurses at every spot on their career ladder, from students to supervisors. She says, “I really like to give my readers solid content and self-help tools; something they can take away and use. I want nurses to thrive in their careers.” Her blog covers a wide range of topics, too. Looking for a job? Worried about your interview? Is bullying happening on your unit? Are you concerned about a co-worker?
She also writes “Ask Nurse Beth,” a career advice column for allnurses.com, an online forum with over 1 million participants. You can submit anonymous questions and read what your peers are wondering about.
- 8
Nursing From Within
Nursing From Within: Elizabeth Scala, MSN, MBA, RN, HNB-BC, wants to help nurses keep or regain their love for what they do. Her blog focuses on topics that prevent nurses from enjoying their work; she also addresses ways to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally.
In addition, Elizabeth has a podcast called “Your Next Shift,” featuring useful information and inspiring stories about nurses. She’s also a public speaker who specializes in teaching organizations about burnout. You won’t find any medical updates about disease transmission on her blog, but you will find encouragement and support that remind you why you chose nursing as your career.
- 9
Off the Charts
Off the Charts: If you’re only going to read one nursing blog, this should be it. Part of the American Journal of Nursing, which has been around since 1900, it’s your best professional source. Sign up for the subscription and you’ll get each new post by email.
Always well-researched, posts are written by a variety of experts. They cover every aspect of nursing practice, current topics, research discoveries, and personal stories.
- q
Strategies for Nurse Managers
Strategies for Nurse Managers: Whether you’re a nurse manager or not, there are good posts here for understanding how to work together. Especially useful: the Nurse Leader Insider newsletter that covers situations found on any nursing unit: charting errors, open communication, burnout, etc. You can sign up to receive the free newsletter.
If you’re not a nurse manager, this is a great way to understand the stress of being in management. You’ll also get insight into what it’s like to be a supervisor. If you’re thinking that you might like to advance to a leadership position, this is a nice introduction.
- w
The Inspiration Nurse
The Inspiration Nurse: If you’re looking for motivation and upbeat messages, this blog is for you. Donna Cardillo, MA, RN, FAAP, wants to inspire nurses to be their best. Her career includes nursing (emergency and psychiatric), author, keynote speaker, and “cut-up.” She was the original advice columnist for Nurse.Com.
To keep you pumped, she has two blogs that you can access at her website. Nurse Power! wants you to “Harness the Power, the Passion, and the Pride of Nursing.” Motivation Café is a place to get “motivation, inspiration, and conversation.” Each blog offers advice about getting life balance, taking care of yourself, and finding joy. Donna has a long list of articles, too.
- e
The Nerdy Nurse
The Nerdy Nurse: A fun and useful nursing blog by Brittney Wilson, BSN, RN, this is where to come for technology and informatics. But that’s not all: She also writes about nursing lifestyle and issues. There are sections for new nurses and how to start your own nursing blog. Brittney’s website is fun to click around on, because she seems to provide something for everyone.
Brittney’s own nursing experience is in medical-surgical nursing and clinical informatics systems administration. She’s written articles on nursing, and is a public speaker, specializing in technology.
- r
Nurse Blake
Nurse Blake: Nurses know the power of humor. Check any break room or staff restroom to find a hilarious meme that helps relieve job stress. Nurse Blake provides laughs -- click here to see his stylish Contact Isolation Gown design—and he also really good information. As a gay man, he is especially informative on the needs of the LGBTQ community, something every nurse should know.
Blake is so popular that he goes on tour! His 2019 national “Call Light Tour” for nurses and nursing students sold out, from Dallas to New York City. Check the website to find out if he’s coming to your city this year. Or, register for his NurseCon Cruise in 2021.
- t
Nurse Gail
Nurse Gail: If you want health and wellness information, along with evidence-based nursing topics, you will like this blog by Gail Ingram, NP. One of Nurse Gail’s specialties is debunking medical myths and fads.
Several nurses and nurse practitioners contribute to the website. Together, they cover Medicine & More, Food, Beauty, Sex, Holistic Wellness, Mental Health, Fitness, Parenting, Aging Gracefully, and Medical Technology. Just enter your email to subscribe.
- y
The Nursing Show
The Nursing Show: Do you prefer podcasts? “For nurses, by nurses,” there are more than 100 podcasts a week. The shows are hosted by Jamie Davis, RN, NRP, B.A., A.S., a nationally recognized medical educator who began educating new emergency responders as a training officer for his local EMS program.
On the Nursing Show website, find an alphabetical index of all the podcasts. Each episode has notes and links to resources.
More help for you
Preparing for your NCLEX RN or PN? Sure you can study the dusty textbooks, but they don’t give you a pass guarantee. We do. Pass using our fast and efficient method, or your Premium membership is free.
Discover Premium
