*New Cardiac RN Advice*

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hi! i'm a new grad that just got my first job as a rn on a cardiac intensive care stepdown unit on night shift (7p-7a). they normally start new grads on night shift at my hospital. i will have about 10wks of training which also includes acls. also, my floor allows for self-scheduling. any advice on this floor, on working night shift, or about being a new rn? i'm very excited but i don't know many experienced nurses that i can get advice from. should i schedule my nights in a row? also, i plan to work some weekend nights too because of the pay. any tips? thanks in advance! :redbeathe

Specializes in ICU, MedSurg, Medical Telemetry.
Hi Southernbelle,

I am in the same boat as you! I just accepted a position in the cardiac medical floor yesterday. All the patients there are on some sort of cardiac drip. To be honest I am very nervous. I will have only 8 weeks of training....nearly two of which are not on the floor. My sister is a RN and suggested I read Cardiac Care Made Incredibly Easy. She is going to let me borrow her copy. On the positive side, the nurses on the floor seemed very cheerful and helpful. The nurse who gave me the tour of the floor said that everyone was more than happy to answer any questions she had as a newbie. Since we will be starting near the same time we might be able to be a resource for each other. I would love to bounce things off you if you are up for it. :D Contrats on the new job and keep me posted on how things are going!

Great book! I got that about a month ago! New on a tele floor myself! Luck to the new cardiac nurses! God only knows we need it! :cheers:

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
Hmmm. I'll have to see if that works for me. I haven't really worked three in a row. I'm working two nights, then one off, then three on. I'll have to see how I am at the end of that. Maybe I'll start scheduling myself for three in a row if I like it.

That's gonna kill ya!

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Specializes in ICU, MedSurg, Medical Telemetry.
That's gonna kill ya!

Heavens, I hope not! I like life! :p

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Thank you so much for this post! I appreciate all of your advice as I am about to start my orientation on a cardiac floor as a new nurse.

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