Congratulations, I’m sure you’re reading this because you are a new grad nurse and have or will soon be starting your new career. Starting as a new nurse on the floor can be exciting but overwhelming. Nursing school has prepared us for the perfect NCLEX world but does nursing school prepare us for the real world?
7 Tips for a New Nurse
1. Ask Questions
Never be afraid to ask questions. During your training, this is your opportunity to ask as many questions as you may want or need to ask. As a new nurse, no one expects you to know every answer to every question. Let me tell you a secret, we are constantly learning every day and no nurse knows everything. Nursing is constantly evolving and expanding so knowing everything is impossible.
This also includes asking questions to anyone who is on the patient’s care team including the doctor. If the doctor has given you an order and you do not fully understand, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Our priority is to take care of our patients safely.
2. Learn New Things
Always be open to learning new things. Nursing is a never-ending learning experience. Don’t go into nursing with a know-it-all attitude. (Believe me, nobody will want to teach you things in that case). With every opportunity, learn from others and ask to join them in the patient’s room if they’re completing a skill that you are unfamiliar with. A large percentage of healthcare workers enjoy teaching and won’t mind you tagging alone for a learning experience.
Always keep a small notebook with you to jot down helpful tips as you expand your nursing knowledge. The good thing about this is, every time you learn how to do something new, your resume grows. Don’t limit yourself if it’s a skill you’re familiar with, sometimes you can learn new helpful tips to collaborate with the knowledge you already have.
3. Listen to your Nursing Assistants
Let’s be real! Depending on the situation, our Nursing Assistants sometimes are with the patients for a longer period of time than nurses. I can say this with confidence because I was once a CNA. As nurses, we are busy trying to stay afloat with our med pass, treatments etc. and sometimes can miss things. If your CNA voices concerns of a patient “just not acting right”, listen and take care of the patient. Teamwork is crucial during patient care, and you want your nursing assistants to know they can come to you when there are any concerns.
4. Advocate for Yourself
No one will stand up for you like you will. Always know how to locate policies and become familiar with the facility’s policies and procedures. NEVER work out of your scope of practice and when asked to do so, politely decline, and inform that person this is not in my scope. No one will care about your license as much as you care for your own. Don’t allow others to convince you to practice unsafely. This can lead to harm to the patient, lawsuits, and your license being revoked by The Board of Nursing.
5. Don’t be Afraid to Find Yourself
Nursing is a very broad career. Ranging from Skilled Nursing Facilities, Hospitals, Ambulatory Clinics, Home Health, Hospice Care, Nursing Informatics, Nurse Educator, Forensic Nursing, Dialysis Nursing, and the list goes on. Don’t be afraid to “find your thing” in nursing. This may take months, or it may take years. However, don’t spend many years doing something you do not love, or it will turn you against the career you’ve worked so hard for. Nursing has many opportunities and is a never-ending career source.
6. Make New Nursing Friends
Nursing friends will become your best friends. There’s nothing like being able to call up a friend who can relate to your frustrations or who will understand a nursing accomplishment. You may tell your family you started your first IV alone today and they will just say “Good.” But when you call your nursing friends, they will know exactly how big of a deal this is. Nursing friends will become lifelong friends that you will be able to relate to, learn from, and lean on for support.
7. Self-Care
Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers to go into. It’s nothing like knowing you have made a patient’s life better by giving them the care that is needed. Also, nursing can be one of the hardest careers as some days are not perfect and can be overwhelming. Make sure you take care of yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally. As a nurse, you watch patients fight through their last days, you see patients’ health decline, and you lift families when they are emotionally drained. This is a lot and taking care of yourself is essential to be able to take care of your patients.
Self-care can range from a spa day or just a day at home reading your favorite book or watching your favorite shows. Take the time to detach from work. Remember, you work for your paid time off, USE IT! Nurse burnout is real and if you don’t take care of yourself, you will feel it.
Welcome to nursing!