Got my first ever RN job, need advice afraid I forgot all my clinical skills.

Nurses New Nurse

Published

I just scored my first RN job after many months of trying (Yeah!!!). :D

I am about to start a 12-16 week paid new grad internship/orientation to the hospital and the unit in about a week. I am nervous and excited. Having finally gotten a job which involved a lot of time (months) and effort of interviews and applications and a lot of gas and miles, I feel I can finally call myself a real nurse. It was all worth it in the end, I am getting a great position in a awesome unit at a great hospital. Now the next challenge I have to overcome is all the time that has past from my last clinical until now.

I finished my ADN at the end of 2014, took and passed the RN-CLEX in summer 2015 (which I wrote about in another post on allnurses), and started and am enrolled in as a full-time student to an accredited online RN-BSN program, and I will be graduating this year. However there is no clinical component to the online school, and now it has been over a year since I have practiced any clinical skills. I have orientation next week and am so worried they will say I am incompetent or fire me for not knowing some of the basics. I remember a lot like VS, 3 checks, and 5 rights etc, but not all the lab values, and I was not ever very good with actual people lung and heart sounds in school (now the ones you practice on the dummies were easy), also no IV fluids to hang at home to practice on etc.

So has anyone ever experienced anything like this, and what is your advice? I was going to watch some clinical skill videos on you tube to refresh some, but other than that I don't know what else to do. Any advice/help would be appreciated. Also any encouraging stories of how you overcame a similar situation would be great for a stressed out new grad RN like me.

Specializes in nursing education.

:sarcastic:I wish I had asked more about orientation which probably would have eliminated a lot of my anxiety. Can anyone relate? Also should I tell my preceptor/s that I have not had clinical in a year, or would that be seen negatively. I was honest with my employer and they do know how long it has been since I have had clinical. I am just not sure if this is passed onto my preceptor, or if it matters in how they will orient me. What do you think?

I would be up front about this, but not use it as an excuse. Can you go back to your school's skills lab for a couple brush up sessions? Get a Perry and Potter skills book (the step by step one). Most places I am familiar with use this as their go-to policy and procedure manual. Also, does the facility have its own skills lab? Some bigger hospitals do. Lastly, YouTube has tons of great videos. Personally I like material from Khan academy and the big medical schools.

Being honest is a positive. But like I said, your honest self appraisal needs to include the "what am I going to do about this," not whiny excuse-making. That benefits nobody. Best wishes in your new job!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg,orthopedics,emergency room,.

It's okay to be a little anxious when You first hit the floors! I remembered when I got transferred from Med-Surg to the Emergency Department. I was SO TERRIFIED!!!!Really! But one of my co workers took me by the hand and said "You can do this"! Whenever something came in they would grab me and show me everything and let me ask questions, without judgment. After awhile I got the hang of it and they we calling on ME to do things!!!!! So take a deep breath and lean on your co workers. Get some reference books for like lab values and such. But!!! The most important thing to do is BREATHE!! Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Tomorrow is the big day. :yes: Not to nervous about general orientation. Just about when I go on the floor. I got my schedule and it looks like I will have a few different preceptors. I got a skills checklist to have them check off, it looks just like the ones from when I was in school and had the clinical practicum's. The ones where the instructor watched you demonstrate on a pt. (dummy) and you failed if you missed too many things on it. :facepalm: I so hate that it has been so long since I have done pt/clinical care. I can not change that now but I hate it. I was thinking about writing about my experience over the next eight weeks of orientation if anyone would be interested? :nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg,orthopedics,emergency room,.

Most def!!!!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:writing: Update for week one GO (general orientation) was a breeze but important. I than did some shadowing of other departments/units. I liked this as it gave me the opportunity to observe and to get my hands in there a little bit. I made some friends during GO with other people on my unit, and when I was shadowing I made friends with people from all over the hospital and got to meet some physicians, PT, Respiratory, etc people as well. This made me feel very much more comfortable and familiar with the hospital and other staff. I also got to start some of my first IVs ever and did well overall. Next week I go to the floor with my preceptor, and I did get a skills checklist.

I am a little nervous about next week and will be reviewing skill videos and practicing at home as much as possible. However I met some great nurses who were very supportive and helped me. The things I heard from different nurses over and over again was that they had been a new nurse too, and how they had to learn so much when they first started and like they did not know anything when they were new. There advice was for me to just hang in there, that the learning would be stressful but that I could do it.... :yes: Also they said that it would be more a disadvantage to me if I didn't feel that way, if I walked into work thinking I know what I am doing.

So far I feel very supported and encouraged. I will try and update once a week or two. Anyone else want to chime in and talk about there experiences as a new nurse?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Update. Well its been almost a year. What a year!! Wow reading these posts over again. Thank you again to all who helped me.... I am still learning and don't think I will ever stop. Which is great because I love to learn. To any who have read this and doubted themselves or been anxious, with hard work and perseverance you can do this. Yes you can. It was worth every painful anxiety filled moment I went through as I grew into my new role.I am so thankful to all the nurses, discussion posters, peers, and co-workers from many different backgrounds and collaborations who have helped and continue to help me along the way!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment