First Year of Nursing Do's and Donts

SaoirseRN · Oct 21, 2014

Create a system for how you organize your patient care, and follow it. Ask other nurses how they organize their day and cherry pick the bits that work for you.

As an example (what I helped my last student to create):

Step 1: Report (Patient A, Patient B, etc)

Step 2: Safety check -- introduce yourself, lay eyes on each patient, identify urgent needs (patient A, then patient b, etc)

Step 3: Start your rounds. Vitals, meds, assessments for each patient in turn, starting with the patient with the most urgent needs.

This is an example, and maybe wouldn't work for you, but if you always do things the same way, when you inevitably get pulled away by something, you know where to come back to and you spend less time worrying about what to do and more time doing it.

RNperdiem, RN · Oct 21, 2014

In ortho/trauma especially, but also in a lot of departments, you need to be able to learn to work with your CNAs. You need your aides to get through a shift; you cannot do it all by yourself.

loyolae · Oct 25, 2014

@tyvin

haha that would be nice wouldnt it just to upload your skills. Thanks for the pointers. Ive had a couple days on the unit now and I am definitely asking questions. With learning the charting systems and being in a new environment I feel overwhelmed at times! but i have great preceptors and im trying to absorb every thing i can. Im loving the challenge

loyolae · Oct 25, 2014

@I love my cat!

That sounds like a great idea, thanks! Itll be good to self reflect after my day, especially now that everything is new to me.

loyolae · Oct 25, 2014

In ortho/trauma especially, but also in a lot of departments, you need to be able to learn to work with your CNAs. You need your aides to get through a shift; you cannot do it all by yourself.

I totally agree with you. Being on the unit now i see how valuable the cna's are.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Oct 25, 2014

I'm a brand new nurse to CV/PCU. I feel like I don't know anything. I just finished my second week on the floor and have been thinking about quiting.

NO! Don't quit! You worked too hard to get here!

The truth is-you don't know anything, nor do I or any other new grad. You aren't expected to know much yet, so it's ok! Really it is! You were hired for a reason, and that reason is that the person (or panel) that decided to hire you has faith in you-probably more faith than you have in yourself! They didn't hire you because they thought you know everything, they hired you because they had faith that you can learn everything that you need to know! They have done this before, they did not make mistake in hiring you! Keep in mind that this is all new and different for you, but it isn't for them; they have done this before.

That said, you need help and the other nurses ion the unit are there to help you. They know you are new and they know that part of their job is to train you. Ask questions, write down the answers. As long as you don't repeat the same question over and over they should be happy to help you. Contact other new grads in the facility or contact your class mates who are in the same situation. Form a support group. Having access to others in the same boat helps more than you can imagine. I did it and just knowing I call one of them and cry and moan and complain and hear that they had the same thing happen last week makes all the difference in the world! When I feel defeated now, instead of spending my shift thinking "oh poor me", I think about calling "jane" and telling her all about it and hearing her take on it. It's a lifesaver!

You WILL get there! In a few months, you will be on here giving advice to other new grads who feel the same way you do now. It's gonna be ok! I promise!

I'm almost 4 months on the job and I know a heck of a lot more than I did after 2 weeks, but I still have a lot to learn.