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Discussion

Fitting in at new job

Ok, so I started my first nursing position on a Cardiovascular Surgical Progressive Care Unit about two months ago. My first month mainly involved going to classes, so I did not spend much time on the unit. I have now gotten some more opportunities to be on the floor, and, for the most part, everything seems to be going well. Although I have needed some "refreshers" on some of my skills because I was out of clinical nursing for a year, I have not made any serious errors or errors that could compromise patient safety. Most of my coworkers, the nurse manager and the NES are supportive and frequently remind me that they want to see me succeed. Most of them are open to any questions that I may have and encourage me to ask more. And yet, I do feel a bit out of place. I don't quite feel like I blend in my new work environment, especially after having a job for a year where I did feel like I fit in most of the time. I haven't made any enemies but I haven't made any good friends yet, either. I'm not as confident with my new role as I was with my old one (ECG Tech), although it has been slowly increasing. Is this normal for new nurses? How long will it take before I feel very comfortable on my new floor and in my new position?

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    It is not uncommon for new nurses to not feel completely competent until they have been in their position for about one full year. It does get better with time.

    As for making friends, remember that you are at work to provide patient care. If friendships do develop out of that, great. If not, that's okay too. However, you only started orientation a month ago and were not on the unit for that full month. That means to your coworkers, you are still a bit of an unknown. As with feeling competent, give it time.

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    yes, it takes time. As a new nurse it takes at least 1 year until you feel comfortable and 2 years until you feel that it is more thriving as opposed to surviving...

    Also, depending on the culture of the floor/unit you may integrate more easily or not.

    As a new nurse you are very busy learning all the skills, the learning curve is huge. There are still teams where a new nurse or new coworker have "proof themselves worthy" until they are fully accepted. Not all floors support a culture where people become friends.

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    Although it's nice to be on friendly terms with co-workers, there should be no expectation that you will become "good friends" with any of them. In fact, I think it's better that way.

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    Although it's nice to be on friendly terms with co-workers, there should be no expectation that you will become "good friends" with any of them. In fact, I think it's better that way.

    I agree with this completely and I can speak from experience. I worked on a telemetry unit for over 6 years with, what I thought, was a tight knit group of nurses. I spent time with many of them outside of work and many even attended my wedding. Fast forward a couple of years and I decide that it is time to move on to something else so I work out a notice and start working at another hospital. Out of all of the people that I considered my "friends", only 2 or 3 of them have actually spoken to me since I left that unit, and that was 3 years ago. It was a hard pill to swallow but it sure was a good lesson.

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