New nurse post grad 6 months advice to future nurses

12 Posts

Hello all,

This is an open letter that I one day would like to give to future nurses or those close to graduating. Keep note that I just graduated in May and this is my advice up to this point.

Dear Nursing Students and soon to be graduates,

This is an open letter directed towards you. Keep in mind that I am a new grad nurse who has been on the floor for 4 months now on my own. So here it goes.

There has and still has been days where I dreaded going into work. Sometimes I would cry before shift, sometimes vomit. Being a new nurse is a whole new school in itself " The school of hard knocks/ reality" and it never ends, there is no graduating. I will always be learning as long as I am a nurse. Just because you managed to pass the exams doesn't mean you will know it all , all the time. Believe me, there's days where I still feel like the stupidest person on the unit. Learning about CHF in a book and slides is completely different than taking care of someone with it. You will have an idea of things textbook wise about what's going on with your patient, but you learn to physically apply it on the floor and that does not happen overnight. So here is some advice I could give you.

1) Know and accept that nursing school, including clinicals only teaches you a tip of the iceberg that is nursing. You will learn more on grow as a nurse by being on the floor.

2) It is important to be book smart of course, however it is CRUCIAL to learn how to critically think in the moment about what is going on. Try and aim for high grades but learn to run a code in real life. It doesn't matter if you have a high GPA if you don't know when your patient is tanking. Speaking of those with high GPAs who look down on your fellow students who are getting by with C's, in the end we all start at the bottom by wiping bottoms..remember that and stay humble and be a source of positivity to those who need it.

3) Three very important things to listen for during report. Vital signs and if the patients are peeing or pooping. It may seem obvious but trust that it is pernitent.

4) Time management is a huge part of nursing. Try and bundle most of your tasks with your patients . Such as; giving meds while doing assesment. But also, take an extra moment if your patient needs a hand to hold onto or a shoulder to cry on. Wer'e humans not robots after all.

5) Always, always have a source of backup food with you. Things like snack bars or meal replacement shakes, sometimes you won't get a chance to sit down to eat. It has saved me so many times. A hungry nurse is an angry nurse :mad:

6) There will be days that will make you question all of your decisions. It's part of the growing proccess.

7) Confidence is key. A senior nurse told me once " if you don't have it, go to your purse and grab it". I carry my lucky rubber bat named Dilbert with me, he's my source of confidence.

8) It is okay to cry, it is okay to make mistakes. Admit and learn from them and move on. Don't live in the negative moment. When the shift is stressful and it feels like there's no end in sight, take a moment to think about how to make it better. Ask for help if you need to.

9) If you can, try to find a mentor. They will help you in more ways than you can imagine. Even take constructive criticism, it's in your interests. Always ask questions no matter how silly, better to ask stupid questions than do something stupid. Build the mentality when it comes to questions like this " There ain't no shame in my game"

10) Charting is a necessary evil that must be done. It will save your ass one day. Stay late if you need to. Also, know your patients code status.

11) Use nursing educators as much as you can, the are a great support and are there to help you on your ways to becoming a fabulous nurse.

Keep your nursing friends as close as possible and try not to lose touch. You will need as much support as you can and a someone to vent to. The friends who have cleaned up poo together , stay together :)

Some days will be rough, scary, stressful or sometimes not bad at all, that is the life of a nurse. Don't take criticism personally as new nurse and try learn from it. Keep at it and it will get better over time. Learn to laugh and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Remember most of all; as corny as it sounds, you are a young bird that is just learning to fly from the nest that is nursing school into the world that is nursing. You will have bumps and fall a few times, but keep getting back up. Nursing is a profession that changes your personality and helps you to grow, give it time.

Keep at it nurslings.

With much love,

Rebecca ( a new nurse)

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DahliaDaisy, RN

54 Posts

Nov 4, 2015

Thanks, great post ! I'm 48 and back in college finishing pre-reqs and I love the school part, I'm finishing off A&P and Micro with A's and looking forward to NS in the fall, but I worry about what the " reality" will be like. This is good advice that I will keep in mind when I start freaking out about the future !