Anyone else the QUIET nurse?

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  1. This is a discussion on Anyone else the QUIET nurse? in First Year After Nursing Licensure, part of Nursing Career Advice ... New nurse here... started my orientation on a medical floor. (I'm part of a float team so I will...

    by Mar 30, '12
    New nurse here...
    started my orientation on a medical floor. (I'm part of a float team so I will be floating to all different floors areas).
    The first day went alright- my preceptor wasn't bad... I thought she would have shown me a bit more but oh well.

    Anyways, I'm usually always pretty quiet and shy. It's just my personality and I've accepted that. I don't always mesh well with people who are loud and love to hear themselves talk. However, when I'm around people who I am really comfortable with I definitely am more outgoing.

    But I knew coming on the floor for the first day... I'd be pretty quiet.
    and I noticed many of the nurses are very obnoxiously LOUD... gossiping and everything.
    I don't mind chatting but I don't want to be apart of gossip.
    During break the charge nurse even said to me "You're not normally this quiet are you?" and then she said "Oh boy" and I was thinking I'd rather be quiet than be like you.
    Of course everyone is going to have a different personality but wow.

    I'm also orientating with another new nurse from the float pool... and she is pretty outgoing... I don't think it makes her a better nurse than me... but I wonder if people think this.

    I guess that's the good thing about being part of the float team... always changing.
    I don't necessarily mind being quiet... I'm a really great listener, I pick up on tons of things people miss and it's me.

    Anyone else in my shoes?

    There are a few other nurses on the floor who pretty much kept to themselves. (one was also from the float pool).
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    by Newgrad_STAT Mar 30, '12 7:30 pm
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    mitral, galuv28, gonzo1, and 4 others like this.
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  3. 40 Comments so far...

  4. Mar 30, '12 by
    I think you and I are very alike in this way. I'm a quiet person (at work, haha!), but like you, I become more outgoing when I get comfortable around people.
    I have never really seen this as an obstacle, or something negative.
    Personally, I prefer quieter people- loud people grate on my nerves.
    I like to think patients are more at ease having a nurse who's not yelling/speaking loudly/etc.
    Being a great listener is a valuable trait in this profession.
    Be yourself.
    mitral, rubylipstick1, galuv28, and 9 others like this.
  5. Mar 30, '12 by
    It is about quality, not quantity

    I definitely hear you on the part about people who may not think you are as "good" of a nurse because you are quiet, I got that vibe when I first started as well. Fortunately it won't take long for your true colors to shine, and you don't have to point them in every person's face in order to do so.

    In every job I have worked, it consistently takes me a good year before I truly act like myself around my coworkers. I know this about myself, and I know it is because I like to really know the people around me before I can be buddy-buddy with them. It is also because I need to feel proficient at my job before I can worry about socializing. Eventually your coworkers will begin to respect and trust you because of who you are.
    mitral, gonzo1, sharanza930, and 1 other like this.
  6. Mar 30, '12 by
    I'm the "quiet" everything. I'm a total introvert.
    galuv28 likes this.
  7. Mar 30, '12 by
    Introvert as well - nothing wrong with that.

    Something I read once that stuck with me after having multiple friends try to 'rescue me' from this 'problem,' "Open mouth, closed mind."

    Nothing wrong with either type, only when one tries to convert the other
    mitral, galuv28, and gonzo1 like this.
  8. Mar 30, '12 by
    Yup, me to...I'm quiet until I need to be otherwise, then I have no problem speaking up lol. I have noticed the level of completely unnecessary noise among the nurses when I am at clinicals...yelling across the hall, obnoxiously loud laughing, talk completely unrelated to work that carries all the way down the hall. The hospital is a place of healing and the noise level should be at a minimum...can you imagine what would happen if a nurse had behaved that way in the halls that F. Nightengale patroled? I bet the other nurses scattered when she came around lol
    mitral and gonzo1 like this.
  9. Mar 30, '12 by
    Best part of being the float- avoiding the politics/backstabbing/gossip. Just doing your work, and then going home!


    I used to be the quiet one, then I was a nurse for a long time, and now I'm not. Be yourself.
    mitral, galuv28, kwajor, and 2 others like this.
  10. Mar 30, '12 by
    One nurse I work worth comes to mind - she's very quiet...it took me about three years to figure out that she is a VERRRRRRY GOOOOOOD nurse.

    Quiet is fine, but make sure you speak up enough so your precepters know that you know what you're doing.
    on eagles wings and anotherone like this.
  11. Mar 30, '12 by
    Only when I'm quiet, I can hear, and better assess my patients and those around me. I am also quiet and like being this way and have never felt comfortable sharing personal information with just anybody--It can take me a few years to feel comfy sharing personal info.

    I'm not new to the workforce, but I do know from my own experience that, over time, you will be able to easily sift through those who are a better match for you socially.
    mitral, MzMouse, PrayeRNurse, and 1 other like this.
  12. Mar 30, '12 by
    I was very quiet when I started and it was commented on often enough. now I am just another loud mouth at the desk, although I rarely share any personal info of my own, at least...............
    galuv28 likes this.