Asked to start a new graduate discussion group

[mikala3]

The floor I am on has at least 5 new grads at a time working over different shifts. My boss asked me if I would lead a new graduate discussion group to help ease them into the role. When I asked her for topic suggestions, she said she just does not want it to be negative. Other than that, I am free to discuss anything.

Being a new grad myself, that is a little too broad. Does anyone have ideas of topics?

I thought we could start with:

How is your transition going, are there any policies or procedures that you feel are ineffective or could be improved?

Has anyone been a great help to your transition? (so we can recognize those that have helped us)

Not sure what else to include.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

This is a great idea, if the group is facilitated by a department educator, staff nurse who frequently precepts, department supervisor or someone similar.

This is probably not designed to be a policy-making group. The purpose here is to facilitate your transition into the unit and the hospital organization.

What arrangements have been made to schedule these discussions? I ask because this can be a major point of difficulty, if not approached correctly.

Suggested topics (and ideally these would include teaching input from others - your educator, manager, pharmacist, physicians, etc.): med protocols frequently seen on your unit; time management; documentation specific to your unit; a field trip to angio/cath lab/OR/etc. to learn about procedures that your patients frequently undergo; discussion on communication with patients and families; and other areas of difficulty suggested by one or more members of the group.

Tell your manager you are excited about this opportunity -- you just need a facilitator. Good luck. :)

[PaperPencil]

I do not have any ideas for topics... but what a great idea!

[brownbook]

Remembering how scared and unsure I was as a new grad I would love something like this. I would start out with asking them for a list of problems, questions, what scares you the most, etc., which could be anonymous.

[proud nurse, BSN, RN]

Remembering how scared and unsure I was as a new grad I would love something like this. I would start out with asking them for a list of problems, questions, what scares you the most, etc., which could be anonymous.

I agree.

If I were a group discussion leader, I guess I would start out asking the group what they would like it to be. What do they want to get from this instead of the topics being chosen already.

Perhaps, they will say something like "I want to learn how to manage my time better", then the discussion can be about that. Or "I'm still not comfortable with the new IV pumps or the cardiac monitor, can we play with those for a while?"

Have fun with it...what an awesome idea and opportunity!

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Self care would be an excellent topic, which also ties into your time management. A needed discussion for all nurses, not just new grads.Examples: Ways to de-stress, the importance of regular sleep, and exercise, especially when you're on nights. If you aren't incorporating self care into your daily routine, you aren't effective at work.

[sherdk]

I think that "working together and how to ask for or where to get help" are two areas that could be used to start a discussion. Very basic however sometimes difficult to do as a new staff member in any area.

[Luna Nightingale]

Prior to having a meeting with the new grads, I would draft and send out a letter/email/handout to find out what topics they might be interested in. Since they are already on the floor, I would imagine they have questions and might not where to find the answers... A letter/email/handout to the seasoned nurses would also be beneficial, as they might have some ideas for topics (and especially since they have been recently working with the new grads)...

:twocents:For my two cents, time management is always a great topic, especially if some of the more experienced nurses can be part of the get-together and available to provide suggestions, etc. Good luck!