Most difficult task to master in first year?

pedsnursebs · Oct 18, 2007

Wow! Great question! I wish I had known about this site before I graduated from school! Information from other nurses in the real world can be invaluable...and yes...the real world is different from school. I have only been nursing for 1 year, but I can tell you this...be prepared to face scenarios that school has NOT prepared you for. Granted your knowledge base & critical thinking skills obtained in school will be helpful, be ready to think "outside the box" so to speak. Also, I encountered some attitude from more experienced nurses when I started working. Don't let them affect you!!! Turns out, the ones who give the most attitude to newbies are the ones who are very insecure. Hold your head up high & be the best nurse you can be! Good luck with school & boards! God Bless!

pedsnursebs · Oct 18, 2007

Hello! Great question! I wish I had known about this site when I was still in school. Feedback from fellow nurses can be invaluable...especially in your first year. I have been nursing for only 1 year now, but I can tell you a couple of things to expect. First of all, be ready for situations that require you to "think outside the box" so to speak. Granted your knowledge base & critical thinking skills you obtained in school will be useful, things in the real world very rarely go by the "text book". Also, always have an open mind & be willing to learn. The medical field is ever changing & always being updated; therefore, our profession requires a great deal of continuing education. In my first year, (especially at the beginning) I experienced some condescending attitude from nurses with more experience. Nurses are notorious for "eating their young". Don't let these people affect you!! It turns out, the ones that acted so rudely toward me were the ones who were very insecure. Hold your head up high & be the best nurse you can be! Good luck with school & boards! God Bless!

Sorry! My computer went crazy & I didn't think the first reply posted! Oh well...I thought of something else to include anyway!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2007

Two things for me were time management and critical thinking.

Learning what's important, and what's not. For example the patient isn't in danger if blood backs up in the IV.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Oct 21, 2007

I think the most difficult thing to learn is the multitasking & prioritizing you need to keep your head above water. It was hard at first, but now I just go with the flow.

Individual skills (starting IVs, etc) - difficult to master, but IMO not nearly as difficult as the multimultimultitasking you have to do every day.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 21, 2007

I agree with the others. As a practicing professional, you have much more information to process and demands to meet. School gives you a chance to learn and practice on a relatively small scale with a limited amount of patients and expectations. After graduation, the volume increases significantly -- and your ability to handle a larger amount of material will be a key to your success.

Also, it's very important to use your interpersonal skills to "fit in" and "get along" with your coworkers. That's more important than some new grads realized -- and some who do realize it, resent it. However, you have to remember that the existing staff and management is looking to add members to their team that will contribute harmoniously and not cause trouble or tension within the department. It's reasonable for them to want that and new employees need to recognize that the interpersonal aspects of being a team member are important, too.

RNperdiem, RN · Oct 22, 2007

I have always had trouble with problems that fall into a "gray zone" they are not critical enough to call a rapid response, but serious enough not to ignore. Do you wait for the doctor to come on rounds and mention it then? Do you page the doc and risk the problem sounding trivial? Do you let your charge nurse know?

Only experience can teach you how to respond in situations like that, and a new grad does not have much to work with.

David's Harp · Oct 22, 2007

I have always had trouble with problems that fall into a "gray zone" they are not critical enough to call a rapid response, but serious enough not to ignore. Do you wait for the doctor to come on rounds and mention it then? Do you page the doc and risk the problem sounding trivial? Do you let your charge nurse know?
Only experience can teach you how to respond in situations like that, and a new grad does not have much to work with.

How are other nurses on your floor about you asking them? That's probably the first thing I'll do (I'm guaranteed to face that my first day off orientation). Some of these docs don't think something's urgent until it's a code situation, so we can't let ourselves be put off by their initial impressions too easily.

-Kevin

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 22, 2007

You should take things like that to the charge nurse. S/he'll probably ask some questions about what you've already done, and what you should still do, and then be able to help you decide whether it's serious enough to call the doc.

GeminiTwinRN, BSN · Oct 22, 2007

for me, delegating and time management are the two biggies.

time management goes out the window some days, and you're left charting for an hour or two after your shift.

delegation is one i'm still struggling with, even after almost 1 year.

AprilRNhere · Oct 22, 2007

For me..so far (I've been on the floor 3 months) it's been getting to know the dr's and what they expect. Also....that everything they teach you is a big deal in school...really isn't always. My poor charge nurse...the first few weeks on the floor I bothered her about every low/high temp, lower output etc... Remember to FIND parameters in the chart..not just what you were taught in school. (most of the time the Dr is already expecting off assessments..and doesn't want to get called unless they're really bad)....if there are no parameters...ASK for them.

Delegation is difficult too. I'm trying to find the balance between not acting like I'm better than the LPN (which I know i'm not)...and not letting the LPN with 20yrs exp boss me around just because I'm a new grad.

Good luck!