new nurse

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Sep 11, 2011

i just started working as a nurse last week and so far it has been pretty fun. i've learned so much in just 2 shifts and i know that there's much more to learn. i'm excited and i'm really looking forward to what's in store for me. i was just wanted to know, how long did it take you guys to start getting the hang of it without supervision from your preceptor? i'm an intern.

For me it was a process- and took a couple of years of weird stuff coming up. I felt safe doing the basic stuff- but fine tuning things like auscultating lungs, listening for murmurs/heart sounds, GI noises, etc took some time, and now and then (until I had to stop working) I still had the opportunity to learn something else with the basic stuff. The more technical stuff just comes with ongoing exposure to it. In school, I found that things were generally narrowed down to a main diagnosis with other diagnoses (chronic problems) sort of in the background. IRL, it's all part of the whole picture. :)

It takes a while :)

dine saw · Sep 11, 2011

Hello! Congrats on the job! :) I'm a new grad RN and just finished my orientation, which was 6 weeks long (18 shifts). So far I've had 3 shifts on my own. I'm on night shift, so I had 6 days of orientation on days and 12 nights. I would say that I started feeling a little more comfortable with the idea of being on my own around my 8th shift. I was very nervous when orientation was over and I had to actually be on my own. I was afraid of making a mistake or missing something, but it went pretty well overall. I need to work on time management and I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm lucky because everyone on my unit is really helpful and supportive. It gets better with time, after just the 3 shifts on my own, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable. Good luck! :)

eslvn · Sep 11, 2011

I had 2 weeks of oreientation on several different halls, and doing treatments in my first job as a nurse. I wasnt very confidet for about a month or so being on my own. I've been a nurse now almost 9 months, and I am still learning. I think its a very long process. I got the routine down pretty quick, but sometimes when weird stuff comes up you wont always know what to do. My first job didnt have a lot of support so I had to fend for myself. My job now there is a lot of team work, so I dont feel all alone. It helps when you have an experienced nurse around willing to give you advice... they cant teach us everything in school.

PediNurse3 · Sep 11, 2011

About 1 week. In all fairness though, I worked as a tech there before and I knew all of the ins and outs, where everything was, and it was a huge advantage for me. My orientation/internship was 12 weeks and I was beyond ready to be on my own by the time it was up, but continued to have questions as things came up (deaths in the ER, suicide threats that the physicians weren't taking seriously, hypothermia protocol, etc).

There is a lot to learn...keep your enthusiasm! :) Good luck.

gracie rn · Sep 18, 2011

i am starting to get the hang of things, but i still have to work on my time management and being a bit more organized. thanks for the posts guys! :)