Any advice for anxious and socially awkward new nurses?

[DallasRN]

We read these sorts of posts on a rather frequent basis and it got me to thinking about something.  (Retired from nursing after 40+ years so lots of time to "think".  🤔)  Moving on...certain times of te years hospitals frequently hire several new grads for various departments.  I think it would be great to set aside a couple of hours each week for the new nurses to meet.  Perhaps 1-2 hours prior to the end of their shift they all meet in a conference room with some snacks, perhaps each week one person could "present" a previous issue/concern they could all relate to as new grads...that sort of thing.  They might realize they aren't alone in their feelings about their skill set and even themselves.  I'm thinking along the lines of those post-clinical conferences we had years back but something more "updated" and "professional".  Perhaps a nurse manager from each involved unit could rotate in a moderator-type role for the 4-6 week duration.  Just might save the psyche of those struggling new grads - a tough place to live for several months as I recall.

[mdsRN2005]

DallasRN said:

We read these sorts of posts on a rather frequent basis and it got me to thinking about something.  (Retired from nursing after 40+ years so lots of time to "think".  🤔)  Moving on...certain times of te years hospitals frequently hire several new grads for various departments.  I think it would be great to set aside a couple of hours each week for the new nurses to meet.  Perhaps 1-2 hours prior to the end of their shift they all meet in a conference room with some snacks, perhaps each week one person could "present" a previous issue/concern they could all relate to as new grads...that sort of thing.  They might realize they aren't alone in their feelings about their skill set and even themselves.  I'm thinking along the lines of those post-clinical conferences we had years back but something more "updated" and "professional".  Perhaps a nurse manager from each involved unit could rotate in a moderator-type role for the 4-6 week duration.  Just might save the psyche of those struggling new grads - a tough place to live for several months as I recall.

That sounds like a fantastic idea!  Could also be facilitated by the hospital's nurse educator.  I think often the biggest need is to vent and know you're not alone and there are others in the same boat.  However if there are legitimate concerns to be addressed, they'd probably be more likely to get heard coming from a nurse manager/educator/etc vs from the newbies.  Would also give them insight into what the new nurses go thru (we tend to forget after many years of decades go by!) 

[DallasRN]

mdsRN2005 said:

  Would also give them insight into what the new nurses go thru (we tend to forget after many years of decades go by!) 

Thank you for the positive comments and yes, more serious concerns should be addressed by those other than new grads.  The "moderator" could help facilitate that referral and might be necessary to prevent it from turning into a gripe session.  I especially like your comment on "insight" because we do forget the stress of being a new nurse.  

[Merasyph1]

Learning is not a linear continuously moving process. There are sudden stops, starts, loops, and huge leaps...in a nice chaotic mess of brain synapses. Be gentle with yourself...your brain IS assimilating knowledge, just in the way it can handle. 

Public speaking sucks, no 2 ways around it. Making it so formal is also nerve-wracking. I've been in a bunch of facilities and I've never had rounds on nightshift. We did a huddle, but that is essentially a 10 minute pep talk, reminder about Press Ganey scores, and seeing your buddies you haven't seen all shift. 

You ARE critically thinking, just not in the way you're meaning. You will appear task-driven for at least a year, until you are so comfortable with those tasks that you can then move on to other processes. It takes time. 

Please be gentle with yourself. You seem like you have high standards for yourself and high sense of integrity...which is a good thing. Just don't let them undermine you in this phase of acclimating. 

 

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

We started a mentorship program on our unit several months ago. The nurses that choose to be a mentor wear either a smiley face sticker or pin on their badge. It indicates to the new nurses that those people are willing to answer questions and you can seek them out if you need help after orientation is over.

[mdsRN2005]

NICU Guy said:

We started a mentorship program on our unit several months ago. The nurses that choose to be a mentor wear either a smiley face sticker or pin on their badge. It indicates to the new nurses that those people are willing to answer questions and you can seek them out if you need help after orientation is over.

That's a great idea!  Especially for a large unit or one with irregular scheduling where they wouldn't know everybody. 

I'd venture a guess that the nurses with the smily face sticker are also more likely to actually be smiling faces.  As opposed to some that walk around looking like they swallowed a prune.  (Maybe they should get a frowny face sticker?) 😉