New grad and I love my job!

jaiirish · Oct 30, 2011

That's awesome you love your job! Also very encouraging to read. Thanks for sharing that. :)

1968cowgirl · Oct 30, 2011

Thanks all for the replies. I was starting to think I might be off my rocker for loving my job so much when I kept seeing all the negative posts. I appreciate all the encouragement. Hope everyone has a blessed work week this up coming week and stays safe in your drive to and from work.

beast master RN · Oct 31, 2011

hospitals , like general med surge is HIGHLY over rated, alot my friends i graduated with who work on a med surge floors or not loving it 1 year later and are looking for new jobs, i work a ltc , started as a charge nurse now do wound care couldnt be happier now , and i get paid more , a++

SweetseRN · Oct 31, 2011

New grad here too and LOVING it...The bad days are HORRIBLE but they (luckily and so far) are seriously out numbered by the GREAT days. I love being a nurse! Congrats to you!

rose-n-arrows · Nov 2, 2011

Your post echoes my sentiments exactly! I graduated in June, went through the NCLEX routine in July-obtained licensure in Oregon and two weeks later in Washington. I have been working in a SNF ever since and absolutely love it. The first week or so was anxiety provoking with all the med passes but I am surrounded by great coworkers who look out for each other. We are a team where every member is valued, from housekeeping to the top administrators. The residents make me smile every day and the med passing has become much better now that I'm familiar with what and where things are. I spoke with my (former) nursing school instructors about the tendency to steer students into med-surg settings, and how things have changed over the years. Skilled nursing requires the ability to think on your feet and constant use of assessment skills, time management, prioritizing, psychosocial... I could go on and probably will in the future. Color me "one more happy new grad nurse"! :nurse:

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Nov 3, 2011

Its nice to see people so happy about their jobs. I need to get away from the "short staffing z0mg!" posts.

I do too love my job even though sometimes my feathers are ruffled. So are yours sometimes. But whenever my feathers get ruffled.. I step away from the nurses station and the charting and the paperwork and I go on the floor for about 20 minutes, sit with the residents who are still awake, answer call lights, take the one whos always asking to go to the bathroom.. to the bathroom, make rounds etc. Kinda gives me a boost and a reminder as to ..why am I here? Why am I buried in 2000 pieces of papers?

I think thats where many new grads go south. They get so wrapped up in the worries and they don't relax and remember why they chose nursing.

I make the little things that make me smile big deals. Like when I walk onto the unit and a resident says, "Oh hi, its nice to see a familiar face around here."

nana03 · Nov 9, 2011

good for you! that is great! :yeah: I just graduated in August and I wish I could say I had a wonderful experience in LTC but I only had 4 days of training and it was so overwhelming

emptyboxcars · Nov 9, 2011

I am very curious to hear what it is like working in a LTC facility as a new grad. I would love this environment (Assisted Living, Nursing Home, etc.) - love the idea of working with the same residents over a long period of time. However, the nure to resident ratio concerns me as a new grad. What kind of training do you receive for this? How is the transition as a new grad? Also, what is your typical day like?

rose-n-arrows · Nov 9, 2011

I am very curious to hear what it is like working in a LTC facility as a new grad. I would love this environment (Assisted Living, Nursing Home, etc.) - love the idea of working with the same residents over a long period of time. However, the nure to resident ratio concerns me as a new grad. What kind of training do you receive for this? How is the transition as a new grad? Also, what is your typical day like?

I started my job right after obtaining my license (about 3 months ago). I had no human healthcare experience prior to nursing school, but had worked for a veterinarian for several years. Initially it seemed impossible. I read many posts here but tended to skip the negative ones because it's scary enough without being burdened by everybody's horror stories. For the first few days I just passed meds; no treatments, no assessments. I felt so out of my element! There were 20 patients and coworkers would say, "You're lucky census is low!"-which brought on more anxiety. I learned to tune out the distractors and focus on each med pass, crossing the times off as I went. Looking at the entire list was mind boggling. The first hurdle was in learninig the preferred method of taking the meds so I wrote down the last two digits of each room number (no HIPPA violation) followed by applesauce, whole, crushed...so I could study it. Then I added the med pass times for each person. Now I go in, look at the treatment book, note TX with a yellow dot, CBG's with a pink dot, BM list with a green dot. I get everything done without taking any shortcuts. Issues always arise that must be dealt with, so I expect that now and make efficient use of my time. I like my coworkers, but don't BS except for a few minutes while charting at the end of the shift. I'm there for the patients. You can do it. I went to school in a small town where census was pretty low at our local hospital and typically had two patients for clinicals. I had 3 only once...not counting OB which is 2 for 1. You can do this:nurse: