A practical and essential survival guide for the aspiring nursing student, the nurse just beginning his or her professional practice, or even the nurse who's seen it all. This book provides simple and refreshing advice to help the newbie nursing student or newly minted registered nurse navigate the complex realities of professional nursing practice in today's complex healthcare setting. An abundance of life and death anecdotal experiences by the author will help you to avoid a minefield of practice issues while you begin to navigate your clinical experiences on the frontline. The seasoned nurse will appreciate the nuances and complexities of scope of practice issues that are discussed. In this refreshingly entertaining and informative guide, the author will help you to: Identify the kind of nurse you aspire to be: A nurse is just a nurse, right? Not! Familiarize yourself with various educational paths to enter professional practice. Explore the cost of education and review the salary you can expect. Explore the type of work environment that you desire to practice in. Examine root causes of issues such as the "culture of bullying" in the nursing profession. Explore concepts such as compassion fatigue and burnout. Familiarize yourself with ways to leave the clinical practice setting you're already in. Find ways to reinvent the nurse you already are! Explore Travel Nursing! This book is an essential tool for anyone interested in surviving and thriving in the stressful and ultra-competitive world of healthcare.