Tips for nurses in their first year of nursing

Nurses New Nurse

Published

Please share any tips you might have for our new nurses. Hopefully, this will become a great resource of nursing tips from all of our experienced nurses from around the globe.

I am an "older" RN(brand new) and I really appreciate all the advice I've been reading. Thanks. I have seen alot already and know what exists out there, so I am a little more prepared.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I too am a recent RN. I can relate to your being nervous,but remember we got through school, so we can get through anything that comes our way. I am an "older" nurse, but I will ALWAYS ask questions if I have to....better to be safe than sorry

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geri, psych, TCU, neuro--AKA LTC.

At our SNF, it's never OK to leave someone alone with a procedure that they've never done before; and my wish for all the new nurses that I've worked with is:

If/When you decide to leave, if nothing else, you WILL be able to say that you learned a lot from your time with us.

With this in mind.....If I'm your charge nurse:

1. Please be honest with me.

A. If you've never done a certain procedure solo, I will be with you EVERY time until YOU tell me you don't need my support.

B. If you make a mistake, I will help you make sure that this doesn't happen again.

C. If a patient "just doesn't seem right" please tell me, so I can eval them myself. This may be a teaching moment.

2. Please ask questions. If they're dumb questions (or you think they are) ask when no one else is around. I will never belittle you.

3. Don't think that learning stops when you pass your boards. You've only just proven that you have the basics down. You have the obligation to your patients and co-workers to look up meds that you're giving, conditions that you haven't worked with in a while (or ever), labs that are unfamiliar, etc.

4. If you need my help, please ask me; don't complain later that I was no help when you never let me know that you were struggling.

5. If you have a complaint, bring it to me, but also bring a possible solution to the problem.

Stepping down from my :spbox: now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg Tele.

about avoiding those who treat you badly... what would you do if the those who treat you badly are the higher ups ie rn managers, charge rns, etc?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.
about avoiding those who treat you badly... what would you do if the those who treat you badly are the higher ups ie rn managers, charge rns, etc?

You find another job. Even going unit to unit in a hospital, the culture is different. Some encourage new nurses, some don't. You always want one that is a rich learning environment so you can grow.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg!.

Hello everybody!! I just started my first job as a new grad!! I am looking for a shift report sheet of sorts. I would like something I can take report on and also be able to jot down events, labs, procedures etc... that happen through out the day. If anybody has any useful sheets please share so that I may also share with my other nurse residence. Thanks everybody!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you have an e-mail. I made a flowsheet and I LOVE it! I am an organizing freak. If my flowsheet isn't organized, I will forget something. I just recently started nursing too, so I know how difficult it is to remember to do everything and what you have done and all the information about all your patients. I hope my flowsheet helps. PM me and I will reply with my email address and send a link of my flowsheet attatched. I'm not sure how to post attatchments on here.

Erin

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg!.

hey my email is (removed by the moderator as in violation of Terms of Service). thank you so much

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg.

Thank you so much - any advice on dealing with the biggest jerks on the planet? maintaining professionalism and somehow getting respect?

Again, Thank you for your words!

BLC

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical - Respiratory.

Could I possibly have a flow chart too emetcal1? I am also new and struggle with time management and go home every night with the constant niggling feeling that I have forgotten something. My account isn't able to send private messages yet but I think I might be able to recieve them. Thank You so much if you are able to send a copy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hello everyone and thank you for all of the helpful information you have shared.

I am a newbie and a first year RN. I work 12hr midnight shift at a LTC facility as the charge nurse (only b/c I am the only RN on the shift). It has taken almost a year to gain an ounce of confidence in my skills. Nursing school, in my opinion, does NOT prepare you at all for "real world" nursing. In school it was a lot easier to be prepared: you had your books, your notes, your paper and knew what to study to ace a test (most of the time); and as long as you applied yourself you did. However, in the real world, it is more difficult to be prepared: you start out having no experience, don't know where to begin, and every situation is different. My advice is to do what you're use to doing that is: use your references and make cheat sheets, buy all of the nifty gadgets to make the job easier and make you look professional (penlight, sissors, stethoscope, uniforms, etc.). Then, go to work. Keep an an open mind, learn from those with more experience, ask questions, use references, and remember basics. Before you know it, you will be gaining experience that you can share. For example: I learned a few things from an experienced Hospice nurse who I called to come in for a resident who was actively dying. Up to this point the patient had always taken her PO meds for me without a problem. Now, all of the sudden, she wasn't able to. And, I had no other meds available for her (remember I work midnight and we don't have an onsite pharmacy). I had called the physician and spoke to him about the situation at hand; but we ended up talking more about who would absorb the costs than anything...I was beside myself and I had family breathing down my neck to make "mom" more comfortable. The resident was in bed positioned on her back, I raised the head of her bed because she was having difficulty breathing and began the "death gurgle." I began to suction her periodically when she got worse and it made the family feel better (not sure it did her any good). After talking with the physician it dawned on me (finally) that she was Hospice. So, I called them and they said they would send a nurse. That made me feel somewhat better but they said she was at least an hour away. But, at least I had something to tell the family....I walked into the room, and said, "I made some phone calls. The hospice nurse is on her way, but it will be approx. an hour before she arrives." (I felt relief and believed that I was somewhat off the hook) Then, a family spoke up and asked, "Well, what will she do?" I have never felt like such an idiot. I didn't know. I really had no idea. And, "mom" was dying in the background of all of this. Noone else in the skeleton crew of few on midnight could tell me either. So, I just said, " She will be able to make your mother more comfortable." Well, needless to say it was one of the longest hours of my life waiting for the Hospice nurse to arrive. But, when she did, everything changed. She had about twenty years of experience with Hospice nursing and knew exactly what to do. (Which made me look like I knew that she was going to be able to make their mother more comfortable, like I had promised.) It all worked out in the end. But here are the two things she did that made so much difference: 1) She positioned her completely on one side (either one) with the HOB slightly elevated to helped with the secretions. (She told me that suctioning makes it worse by stimulating more mucous, which is difficult to explain to family who just want you to clear "mom's" airway) And, 2) She made a watery paste by crushing her scheduled Ativan and adding a sm amount of water to it and placed it in her jaw. (Who knew?). To small tricks that made the world of difference. Within minutes the resident was resting comfortably. She ended up passing away within a few hours, but her family thanked us over and over again for doing all that we could for "mom." Priceless. That nurse made a lasting impression on me, she had so much knowledge and was so willing to share it. I hope I will be able to do the same for new nurses some day.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Does anyone have cheat sheets with common meds/labs etc., and/or cheat for identifying lung sounds that they are willing to share? Thank you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment