★ By Nurses · For Nurses ★

Send Something In

Stories, recognition, questions, photos, tips, and feedback — all in one place.

Anonymous submission is available when you do not provide your name or contact information. Some technical metadata may be processed by the website platform. Submissions are reviewed before publication or follow-up. Do not submit PHI, confidential documents, screenshots, or patient-identifying information.

Anonymous peer-to-peer advice column.

Dear Nurse Next Door

Your unit. Your voice. Fully protected.

Read the submission guidelines →

1. Write
2. Preview
3. Received
4. Done

Anonymity & Review

Anonymous submission is available when you do not provide your name or contact information. Some technical metadata may be processed by the website platform. Editors review every submission before publishing.

★ Dear Nurse Next Door

Submission type

You're sending a letter.

★ Dear Nurse Next Door — Guidelines

Ask the question you can't ask in report.

Dear Nurse Next Door is the column for the questions that don't fit anywhere else — workplace conflict, clinical doubt, contract questions, the messy human stuff. Nurse Next Door answers selected letters in the next issue.

✓ Do

•Open with "Dear Nurse Next Door —" and end with the actual question you want answered.
•Be specific about the situation: what happened, who's involved (by role), what you've already tried.
•Keep it to 1–4 short paragraphs. Tight letters get answered first.
•Tell us what kind of answer you want: validation, a script, a policy citation, a gut-check.

✗ Don't

•No patient identifiers (HIPAA) — names, rooms, MRNs, dates, identifying details.
•No naming the manager, coworker, or facility — use roles only ("my charge," "the night-shift lead").
•Don't send anything you'd want a legal answer to — Nurse Next Door gives nurse-to-nurse perspective, not legal advice.
•Don't use this form for emergencies — call 988 or 911 if you're unsafe.

What happens after you send

Nurse Next Door reads every letter, but only a few run each issue — we pick what'll help the most readers.
Your letter may be lightly edited for length or to further protect anonymity.
Published with your pen name (or "Anonymous Nurse"). Your real identity is never known to us.

Example prompts — one click to load

Loads the example into your draft — edit freely before sending.

Your Letter to Nurse Next Door *

Min. 20 characters · 0 words0 / 5000

Aim for 80–600 words. Editors trim long pieces — short and specific beats long and vague.

Unit / Floor (optional — published with your story)

Pen Name (optional — never your real name)

🛡 Anonymity & Safety

•Anonymous submission is available when you do not provide your name or contact information. Some technical metadata may be processed by the website platform.
•Submissions are reviewed before publication or follow-up. Do not submit PHI, confidential documents, screenshots, or patient-identifying information.
•If you're in immediate danger or crisis, call 988 or 911. This form is not monitored in real time.

PHI & Privacy Checklist

Confirm each item before sending. All four are required to protect patients, coworkers, and yourself.

0 / 4

No patient names, MRNs, or room numbersI have not included any patient name, initials, medical record number, room number, bed assignment, or chart identifier.
No dates of treatment or pinpoint timingI have not included a date of admission, surgery, or treatment, and I am not describing the shift in a way that singles out one identifiable patient.
No coworkers or managers named in a negative lightI refer to people by role or shift (e.g. "the charge nurse", "a manager") instead of by name when the description could embarrass or harm them.
I reviewed the whole submission for identifying detailsI checked that no combination of unit, diagnosis, age, and timing could re-identify a single patient — even without a name.

If you're unsure whether a detail is identifying — leave it out, or ask a delegate first.

I confirm I did not include PHI, patient names, MRNs, room numbers, screenshots, dates of care, or patient-identifying details. I understand editors may lightly edit my submission for length or clarity before publishing.