Advice for a New RN nurse to be

SaoirseRN · Sep 27, 2012

The thing I wish a lot of new grads could realize is they don't know everything. NOBODY knows everything! Yes you are fresh out of school and have a lot of knowledge and skills, but you haven't yet got the experience to back that up.

So -- that means, ASK questions, ask for help/advice. If you don't know, do right by your patients and yourself and ask someone who does. Run things by a more experienced nurse if you are unsure, and if somebody feels the need to talk to you (about something you missed, or could have done differently) don't get defensive. Listen. They are just trying to help and chances are, they know what they are talking about.

Good luck on beginning your career!

westieluv · Sep 27, 2012

And on the same topic but a different angle, since you don't know everything and can't possibly know everything, don't beat yourself up when you make mistakes! Nobody is perfect, and even we seasoned nurses still make mistakes. When you make a mistake, make a conscious effort to learn from it and then remind yourself that you are a competent nurse, that you went through grueling classwork and were smart enough to pass the NCLEX, and then move on. The greatest handicap that I see in my co-workers AND myself is a lack of confidence in our job performance, even when others tell us that we do a great job.

Columnist · Sep 27, 2012

Moved to First Year After Nursing Licensure for more response.

echoRNC711, BSN · Sep 27, 2012

A mistake means your still teachable Any nurse who presents herself as "all knowing " stopped learning a long time ago. Keep in mind if your preceptor is off the nurse orienting you in her place may have no desire to teach you and was "volunteered " to train you. That nurse may find it stressful teaching you . If you sense that. then that is not the day .to ask a ton of questions. Nurses who like to teach will naturally assist you without anyone nudging them. While you may be dying to share everything you learned in nursing school be aware the nurse training you may want you to focus on the job at hand. Give yourself space to learn. In time who you are as a nurse will become clear to all. Exhale often!

knkids · Sep 28, 2012

Find out NOW how the hospitals in your area do their hiring. In my experience, some will pre-screen at job fairs, others will pre-screen through their recruiters, and others will select from their volunteers. Get in contact and stay in contact with the recruiters. Start to volunteer as soon as you can at the location you wish to work the most. Let the recruiters know you are volunteering and when you apply for positions. And make sure you look at all their postings because some may say something like "will consider new grad if staffing allows" even though it doesn't say "new grad" in the job title. Our school did nothing to help us out with employment. I don't know if others do that or not. Personally I wish that all nursing programs start off first semester with a CNA certificate so that we can get experience during off times...not something I even thought about until it was too late. Another suggestion would be to get your ACLS as soon as you can. It might not be required but looks great on a resume. I found the book "You're Hired" from CNSA to be very helpful. Good Luck! Persistence pays off :)

luna from csi in TF · Oct 1, 2012

Hello, am a male RN student that is close to finishing up the program...so if there is one thing that without question I should know or be aware of...what would that be? I now people always say, " I wish I would have known that from the start... it would have made things easier..."

Thank you all for replying. This is definitely good advice to keep in mind now and in the long run. Thanks again