New Grad Milestones

Nurses New Nurse

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Specializes in Emergency.

Should probably have a checklist (note: tongue planted firmly in cheek): Granted, many of the procedures were done in school, but it is different when you do them on your own.

1st day of orientation

1st day with preceptor

1st day on own

1st night getting some sleep after orientation ends

1st successful IV start

1st unsuccesful IV start, nobody can start it, need to get a central line

1st unsuccessful foley, nobody can get it, need to call the urologist

1st blood hang

1st time you lean out of the room and say loudly "I need help in here!"

1st Code MI

1st Code Blue

1st Code Brown Exxon Valdez

1st write-up

1st port-a-cath access

1st time ordering restraints

1st time administering 5 & 2 to someone who ain't cooperating (see restraints above)

Feel free to add.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

-first time telling the staff who are looking for the nurse but knew you when you were a tech that you are now the rn for the patient (no one reads badges) --- it is not the last time

-first time checking orders then signing them off!!

-first time getting the phone as a rn

-first time pulling protocols and implementing them

-first time checking orders then signing them off!!

-first time prioritizing then delegating assignments

-first time taking time management seriously on the floors (no back up)

-first time administering a critical drip

-first time pulling blood out of a picc

-first time performing the central line dressing change!

-first time trouble shooting an iv administration/pump and it worked!

-first time getting a "good job" comment from any nurse (where did that come from)?

-first time doing something so stupid (but not harmful) that you would not even have made that mistake in nursing school (oops)

-first time getting a nurse mentor

-first time joining a nursing association outside of being a student nurse

-first time sitting on a nursing committee

-first time seeing a former instructor and being a rn

-first time having student nurses for the day!

-first time answering a tech’s question by using your own nursing judgment

-first time having a tech come to you just to ask for permission to go to lunch (weird feeling)!

-first time you are asked to speak to a doctor about a patient

-first time taking telephone or verbal orders from a doctor

-first time putting in orders

-first time you explain a procedure/disease process/etc. to a patient and his/her family

-first time you give report on a patient to another floor or to the next shift

-first time administering medications that can harm a patient if not administered correctly (iv dig for example)

-first time getting through a busy medication pass on your own

-first time signing off on the telemetry stips

-first time taking a hospital course as a rn

-first time being floated as a rn

-first time administering narcotics with no one looking over your sholder

-first time providing palliative care to a dying patient

-first time having a patient pass away

-first time having to stay an hour or two after your shift because you got a late admit.

-first time having no cna so you are juggling rn duties by providing primary care.

--i could go on… i will let others add to the list.

finally being the nurse rocks....!:nurse:

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Specializes in School Nursing.

The best one for me...

First time introducing yourself to your first patient as their NURSE!

"Hi, I'm Purple_Scrubs, I am your nurse for today"...there was no better feeling in the world!

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Specializes in Acute Care.

-First time getting through a shift and feeling great about everything that happened.

-First time having a Doctor thank you for catching something critical and alerting them.

-First time having a Pt. in DTs give you bruises.

-First time getting one of those stupid (but I want them!) hospital issued employee recognition cards.

-First time seeing your name on a thank you card from a Pt/family.

-First time you have to call family to notify about a death/change in condition.

-First time getting more than one successful one-try IV start in a shift.

-First time you get asked to show another nurse a procedure you proved yourself at.

-First time you get yelled at by a doctor and don't burst into tears.

-First time you spend time crying with a patient/family.

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Specializes in ICU, CVICU.

- first time to celebrate nurse's week as an RN

- first time you get to add RN to your name on AllNurses!!!

BTW, I thought the "1st Code Brown Exxon Valdez" was hilarious. I had the code brown the other day that was beyond a code brown!!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

1st time you see RN on your name badge and it hits you that this is real

1st time you watch your patient walk out the door at discharge knowing they are able to walk out of it in part because of you!

1st time a family member tells you they are able to get some sleep because they know you're the nurse for that child

1st time you get an IV on a severely dehydrated pedi patient on the 1st try!

1st time you listen to that nagging gut feeling and are right

1st time you feel comfortable enough to just jump in when you see your coworkers are inundated

1st time you actually get out remotely on time

1st time you feel frustrated that you seem to care more about your patient's health than they do

1st time you push IV medication and get so excited because hands-on tasks like this make you feel like a real nurse

1st time you feel like nothing but a pill pusher because your patient (who is here yet again, and each time it's a different part of the body) has literally had every test done and come back negative and asks for her morphine every two hours on the dot, stating 8/10 pain even though she's laughing and joking on the phone, and does not even make an attempt to feign any objective sign of pain

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.

1st time dealing with a crazy family member

1st patient complaining of CP (when in your head you almost said, "I'll go get the nurse")

1st time realizing...OMG, I AM the nurse.

1st time sending someone out to the hospital

1st time paging a doc

1st time confirming admission orders

1st admission "all by yourself"

1st time signing NurseKatie08, RN

1st pt dying

1st pt discharge

1st shift on your own

1st time your deaf & mute 96 year old patient grabs you by the face and mouths "I love you"

1st time realizing you really are making a difference in someone's life, when the pt you are discharging after 2 months of rehab (you have seen her go from post op narc induced delirium to walking around with a cane on her own) says "it's going to be so weird for you to not be giving me my pills every night"

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

1st paycheck

1st med error/near med error

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I'm just waiting for 1st interview, 1st call back, 1st anything in employment. ADN grad for 3 months now no job.

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Specializes in Telemetry.
1st time dealing with a crazy family member

1st patient complaining of CP (when in your head you almost said, "I'll go get the nurse")

1st time realizing...OMG, I AM the nurse.

LOL! That was totally me the other day! It's really scary when they say, "This feels JUST like my last heart attack." Ah!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

First hug from a frequent flyer, post-Dilaudid administration ... :D

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