New Grad Essentials

You need a whole lot of patience and understanding especially if patients are getting difficult.

Join AACN American Association of Critical-Care Nurses They have a ton of resources, including local chapter meetings. These are your new colleagues.

You will be learning on a continuous basis - so depending on what the unit has on hand, you may also want to invest in a personal reference tool. Many organizations now have online resources handy to look up just about everything, so you may not need this. Anytime you come across something new, you will need to research it and learn this new information.

Make absolutely sure you have a clear understanding of exactly what your are supposed to accomplish during orientation. Get a copy of the checklists and goals/objectives as well as the criteria that will be used to evaluate your efforts. Make sure you receive regular feedback (what you have accomplished, what still needs to be done, suggestions for improvement, etc). You Do NOT want to be surprised when it is too late to 'fix' anything.

Find out about any certification or specialty learning opportunities that may be available to you. ACLS will undoubtedly be a basic requirement, so it doesn't really count - LOL. If there are any 'advanced' classes be sure to express your interest and find out what you have to do to be able to attend. If they require more experience, get yourself on the waiting list.

Learn your department 'culture' and adapt your behavior to fit in. For instance, how are new admits handled? Do other nurses jump in and help the receiving nurse or do they wait until he asks for help? Is this different for a post-op patient? What time does everyone show up for report? If they are early, you need to be also. Don't be too quick to become BFFs with anyone.. she may turn out to be the absolutely worst person to be close to. Don't participate in any gossip. Don't make (or listen to) negative comments about co-workers... this will always come back to bite you.

Thanks! Those are helpful tips. I'd be signing up for AACN.

I have a question, how soon do you apply for a Malpractice Insurance? I don't know if I should wait for our benefits orientation (like, if they have an offer for employees) or is that regardless of when or where I'm employed?

I'm looking at NSO's. I saw AACN's offer with insurance company Marsh but I think it's a bit more expensive if I understand correctly.