New job- in need of advice

monkeybug · Aug 23, 2012

Realize that even if you feel overwhelmed and wonder if you were crazy for becoming a nurse that it will get better. You learn more in the first year out of nursing school than learn the whole time in school. There may be shifts when you feel like the biggest idiot in the world, but you're not, you're just learning. One day things will start to make sense, and the next day more will be clear. But, I feel that good nurses never stop learning. I've been a nurse for over 15 years, and I am still learning. Don't be intimidated by the doctors, they are people just like you. Be polite but don't take any crap (some doctors love to test new nurses to see how far they can push them, and firm civility will often earn their respect).

As for the night shift (and that's where most new nurses start), you have to make sure you get sleep. I turned the ringers off on all my phones when I slept. I figured if there were some sort of emergency then someone would come knock on my door. I had a white noise machine, light-blocking drapes, and a sleep mask. Some people do great on night shift, others have trouble adjusting. I never did get used to it.

I carried a tiny spiral bound notebook where I kept all the useful bits of information that tend to fly out of my brain when most needed, like codes for doors, what suture Dr. So-and-So used for episiotomies, and the phone number for the blood bank. Good luck, and congratulations. Welcome to the ranks of exhausted angels!

LatinaRN978 · Aug 23, 2012

Thank you so much moneybug for your response! I will take your advice with me.