New Grad starting in Med-Surg

barlowjb · Dec 8, 2009

Hey

Im at the end of my med surg orientation and its going good. Here are some tips:

Maybe you can refresh yourself on the basics of a head to toe assessment, but honestly you probably should just relax until you begin your orientation. You are probably going to end up watching your preceptor and how he or she does things on your first day.

I have tips for when you start orientation:

1. be up front with your preceptor from day one about the areas you need experience in - you should be able to start a running list from your first day.

2. Try to write things down to help you remember on other orientation days:

3. before you call a doctor you may want to write down what you want to say

4. keep a list of the types of patients that you see on a daily or weekly basis and what you did for them (you can do that when you get home and have had some rest) - write down things you remember that you should do, for example: assess patients every 8 hrs or 4 hrs based on certain criteria. you can give this list to the preceptor on a weekly or daily basis and let him or her clarify if you are correct in what you should be doing so far.

5. if you dont understand something ASK!!!

6. NEVER LIE - NO MATTER WHAT (My friend got fired at the end of her orientation because she lied about doing something for a patient when she really did not)

7. Thank your preceptor for the patience extended to you as a new nurse - this can go a far way in making your preceptor feel appreciated. In my case I think my preceptor instill a lot of confidence in me and I in return help to boost her confidence as a good preceptor

8. Review your unit policies online on find the binders with those policies. For example if your preceptor teaches you how to hang blood and the policies and procedures surrounding that task, try to find the appropriate policy after - this will reinforce what you learned

9. Expect to be overwhelmed at times. You may feel like quitting after your first week and or you may feel really dumb and stupid and you may ask yourself "will I ever get it" - You will eventually

10. BE PATIENT

11. This for me is week 8 of my med surg orientation (a few weeks ago my preceptor and I discussed the benefits of an additional week of orientation - and it was approved). I'm glad I got the extra time and I truly believe I'm ready for my role as an independent nurse next week (I didn't feel that way my first few weeks): YOU CAN DO IT, TRUST ME!!!

12. Expect you wont know everything before you get out of orientation - I see new nurses 1-2 months off orientation still asking as many questions as I am asking now - The important thing is that by the end of orientation you will be able to care for patients safely (even if you have questions).

There you have it: NOW GO FORTH INTO THE WORLD of NURSING and repeat to yourself "I am a competent RN"

BEST WISHES!!!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Dec 9, 2009

Ditto above post. You will not feel comfortable in your own skin for many months. We expect you to ask questions and get help when needed. I would add that time management is a big deal for new grads, so ask several nurses how they manage that. Good luck!