Today, we're turning the spotlight on Nicole Douphinette, a cardiac nurse who started out as an LNA in the same department for five years. She shares coping mechanisms for the ups and downs of daily shifts, the importance of asking questions, and her thoughts on the infamous stereotype- do nurses really eat their young?

What is your specialty and where are you based?

I’m a cardiac nurse out of Manchester, NH.

How did you choose this specialty? What drew you to it?

I’ve always found the heart interesting and it was my best subject in nursing school. I also worked on the cardiac floor as an LNA for 5 years prior.

Before working in your current role, what was your nursing career path? 

I always thought that I wanted to be an OB nurse or a pediatric nurse, but during my clinical rotations I found that it was definitely not for me! I love trauma as well and hope to one day get into the ED or even on a med flight crew. When I had clinicals on the cardiac unit I realized how much I had already learned just from being an LNA and decided to take that career path as a result.

Any self-care or mental health tips for new nurses?

The best tip that I can give is just go roll with the punches. Every day changes; really, things can change in the matter of minutes!

 Don't be afraid to ask questions—no question is a stupid question. 

Take the time to find your routine and what works best for you. Your preceptors routine may not work for you and that's okay. Get into your own groove, it does get easier. 

What’s one must-have that gets you through the tough days? 

Great co-workers! I mean you cant always choose your co-workers but if you can find that one buddy that you can vent to or ask for help if you are having a tough day, it makes all the difference.  

Ideally, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In five years I hope to see myself expanding on my skill set in a few different places like the ED, the ICU, the PACU, and/or the electrophysiology lab.

What would you say is the single biggest challenge nurses face today?

Being short staffed—especially with critical patients.

Did you/do you currently have any nursing mentors guiding you? 

No, I don't not have any mentors guiding me. But—I do have many fantastic coworkers that are a wealth of knowledge. 

Have you ever taken a role in nursing advocacy/volunteering outside of your job? Why or why not?

No. Mostly because I just never had the opportunity to… 

What was your best day as a nurse? Worst? What did you learn from either?

I have had multiple ‘best days’ — those are the days that everything goes right. I have also had multiple ‘worst days’ where I have had a patient crashing and needing to be sent to the ICU immediately or getting yelled at by doctors because something wasn't done fast enough because you are up to your eyeballs in tasks that need to get done. Every day is different. Some days I go home with a smile on my face knowing I made a difference; others, I just want to cry halfway through my shift. 

I learned that you will always have your ups and downs. What’s important is leaving at the end of a shift knowing you helped someone and made a difference in their lives. 

True or False: “Nurses eat their young.” 

False! I think a lot of people interpret this as seasoned nurses vs. new grads. Personally, I love working with seasoned nurse because they are a wealth of knowledge. 

Given the opportunity to speak to yourself on Day 1 of nursing school, what advice would you give?

Just do you best and ask as many questions as you can until you understand the answers to what you are asking. Don't be afraid.

How has COVID affected your practice?

COVID has literally been the biggest pain to deal with. Day in and day out, wearing an N95 with a procedural mask over it and safety goggles at all times when in the proximity of a patient is hard. All the rules and regulations that have changed and continue to change. 

Don't get me wrong—having very little visitors is wonderful for work flow, but to see the look on my patients’ faces when I tell them “I'm sorry, but your family can’t come in and see you before having open heart surgery,” is truly heart-breaking. These patient rely on that type of support. Having to tell people that a  patient is only allowed one visitor during certain limited times and/or that they called too late to put their name on the visitor list is awful.  Or communicating that that patient already has a visitor and then having to listen to and ultimately absorb their frustration—it’s really tough to do that all shift long. Times have definitely changed especially in the way we care for our patients, and the support they receive.