Current RN Questionnaire

1. How was your socialization to nursing after graduation?

I was told they usually don't hire new grads, so there was a strong feeling of "you better prove yourself."

I was told by an Rn orienting me that they didn't do formal meal breaks, because the workload was too heavy, and the reality is most of the nurses try & eat a few bites of meal on the run. I was told by an RN preceptor that the staff meetings are useless, because the management just talks down to you, and there is little respect for conversation or RN/staff input.I had 2-3 weeks orientation. It consisted of 2 days of shadowing, then picking up patients until my load reached a full assignment. The coworkers were generally friendly, but my manager was not.

2. Did you experience reality shock? Yes. It was a thousand fold harder than I had imagined. I knew there would be "reality shock," because it was discussed in my nursing program. However, even so, the reality was completely different than what I imagined. The workload was waaaaaay more intense than I had any idea it would be. Many of my coworkers were kind, patient & supportive of me, however.

3. How long did it last? The reality shock lasted until I grew in competence (about a year). I would say that things got easier, but they never got easy. Acute care nursing is hard work, and even an experienced RN is challenged by the intense demands of the job.

4.Did you recover from the shock? Well, yes and no. I've worked 12 years as an acute care nurse, and I now expect the intense, heavy, fast paced workload. The fast pace, multiple demands, critical thinking, are all part of the role. However, I can't say I am happy in the acceptance of the role. There are rewarding facets to the job, but I still struggle with aligning how I think nursing should be and how it really is. For example, in nursing school, we learn about patient teaching & this sort of thing is often left out or abbreviated severely due to more urgent clinical needs that take precedence. It is really sad when I see a patient who has been inpatient for a week, and was suppossed to get education on how to use their glucometer or catheter care, etc, and none of it is done until day of discharge because all the nurses were "too busy" and never got around to it. We are also taught to delegate, but in reality, there is often no one to delegate to...and so you end up with a heavier workload for tasks that ideally would be passed on to another unlicensed staff member. There are many more examples like this. The biggest shock and disappointment for me is how little time you really have to accomplish so many tasks. Even though nursing is a 24 hr job, there is just so much to do, that it is frustrating to be working so hard and feel like you are barely covering the basics and that resources are less than what you need.

5.If so, how? Growing in competence helps. Working in different areas helps (helps you see how things can be the same or different than your current work environment). Going to professional development classes helps. Being involved in committees and projects can be empowering as well. Accepting that you did the most important tasks, and to the best of your ability really helps in job satisfaction. Helping other members of your team is important, too...in trying to facilitate changes for the better.