New Nurse

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Feb 18, 2014

For me, it is the fact that you will NEVER stop learning. What you learn in nursing school is only the barest framework of the knowledge you will develop over the years. In the same vein, I think an important piece of advice for new grads is to always, always ask questions about things you are not familiar with, take advantage of every learning opportunity, and never hesitate to ask for clarification or guidance.

Doesn't matter how long you have been an RN- it's never good to get so comfortable in your role that you stop actively seeking new knowledge.

kiszi, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Don't ever be afraid to ask questions! There are no dumb questions, and even the most seasoned nurses have to ask questions sometimes while thinking " I should know this!"

In the same vein, know when not to ask questions. If it is something you can look up easily, please do.

kiszi, RN · Feb 18, 2014

Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

ears, too.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 18, 2014

There is so much I wish I'd learned about 34 years sooner, I don't even know where to start!

Ask questions, but pay attention to the answers so that you learn and don't ask the same questions over and over again. It tends to annoy experienced nurses. (Learned that one the hard way.)

Never EVER pretend to know something you don't. Nobody knows it all, not even those of us who have been in the business for decades. There's no shame in not knowing as long as you go look it up. (Don't just ask someone else because they might not know, either, and might not be smart enough not to pretend to know something they don't!) (Yup. Learned it the hard way.)

Don't spill a ton of personal business at work, because once you do, it's out there and never goes away. (Guess you know how I learned that one!)

Don't let them see you cry -- and don't complain to the manager that someone made you cry. You don't want to be seen as the Weak Willie who cries whenever things go wrong. (That's what the employee bathroom is for!)

Just because you received negative feedback -- even if it wasn't delivered in the manner in which you prefer -- doesn't mean you've been bullied, disrespected, subjected to horizontal violence or persecuted. Sometimes it just means that you put your I & O in the wrong danged column. Try to listen to the content of negative feedback and overlook the delivery as much as possible. Some folks stress so much over having to give negative feedback that they are incapable of delivering it softly. You learn an awful lot -- and learn it faster -- if you can learn to accept negative feedback gracefully. If you fail to accept it gracefully, people may not be willing to TELL you when you're screwing up, and you don't want that, do you?

This is your JOB and you're a part of the unit. Get involved. Participate in bonding rituals like grilled cheese in the break room on the night shift or liver rounds after a Saturday shift. Smile and be friendly to everyone, even the socially challenged. You want to be remembered as nice and friendly. People will forgive a lot of mistakes from newbies they LIKE -- as opposed to writing you up and letting the manager deal with you!

It's a wonderful career you've chosen, but it does have it's down sides. Try to enjoy the good parts, tolerate the bad parts and be as happy as you want to be. Good luck!

Ruas61, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2014

There are always options.

Your real education begins on the job.

Katie71275 · Feb 18, 2014

Something I wish I'd thought of....Write things in a notebook! I work in a specialty unit(L&D) and wish I'd wrote all the new things down so I wouldn't have to ask. Just certain protocols/policy cheat sheets about certain things. I keep meaning to go back and do it but so far haven't had time.

PHXRN1 · Feb 18, 2014

Own your attitude!

Don't ever let yourself get sucked into spiral of self-pity. There are a hundred things a day you could find to be critical of and complain about. And in most cases you'd be justified. No one would fault you for being aggravated about the med-seeking patient that's getting on your last nerve. It would be acceptable to release a few therapeutic expletives when you're getting your 4th admission of the shift after discharging 4 others. Everyone has stepped into the med-room (or the "confessional" as I like to call it) to lay into the unreasonable family member that's being too demanding.

But resist the urge!

These are your "rocking-chair" habits. They feel good to engage in, but they get you absolutely nowhere. Don't be a person that lets situations happen to you. You have to be the force that acts upon your situation. Be a person of action. Be a person of understanding. Be the difference that you wish your coworkers would be.

Some are inclined to believe that it's their vast knowledge, or clinical competence, or their number of certifications that will set them apart from the crowd and get noticed. But it's much more subtle than that. What will set you apart is how you handle the day-to-day grind. Go into work each day knowing that you have the power to determine if it's going to be a good day or a great day. Notice I didn't say good day or bad day. Don't even let that be an option! Why would you let that enter into the spectrum of possibilities?

This job is exhausting. It is emotionally draining. It tries your patience. But none of these things, in and of themselves, have any direct impact on how you choose to deal with them. It's all attitude and all attitude is a choice. You're exhausted? Good! Look at the physical demands your body is capable of overcoming. Emotionally drained? Remember and appreciate which one of you is in the hospital bed right now and that you get to go home and recharge. Losing patience? Every time your patience is stretched to the breaking point, it grows that much more.

Developing this took some time and practice for me. I found music to be very effective. I felt like an idiot when I first started doing this, but it has made a very real difference in my days. Take five minutes before your shift to find a place where you can be alone. Pop in your headphones and choose a song that gets you pumped up. Stand there, feeling the music, and make yourself as tall as you can. Straighten your back, chin up, hands on your hips in a powerful physical pose. Puff your chest out and make yourself smile. Tell yourself that today is your day and that you own this place. It's only five minutes and no one's watching. Forcing your body into a dominant, powerful, positive pose can and will have an effect on you psychologically. Try it and see. You may just find yourself resembling that powerful, dominant, positive person a little more every day.

Lev, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 19, 2014

Own your attitude!
Don't ever let yourself get sucked into spiral of self-pity. There are a hundred things a day you could find to be critical of and complain about. And in most cases you'd be justified. No one would fault you for being aggravated about the med-seeking patient that's getting on your last nerve. It would be acceptable to release a few therapeutic expletives when you're getting your 4th admission of the shift after discharging 4 others. Everyone has stepped into the med-room (or the "confessional" as I like to call it) to lay into the unreasonable family member that's being too demanding.
But resist the urge!
These are your "rocking-chair" habits. They feel good to engage in, but they get you absolutely nowhere. Don't be a person that lets situations happen to you. You have to be the force that acts upon your situation. Be a person of action. Be a person of understanding. Be the difference that you wish your coworkers would be.
Some are inclined to believe that it's their vast knowledge, or clinical competence, or their number of certifications that will set them apart from the crowd and get noticed. But it's much more subtle than that. What will set you apart is how you handle the day-to-day grind. Go into work each day knowing that you have the power to determine if it's going to be a good day or a great day. Notice I didn't say good day or bad day. Don't even let that be an option! Why would you let that enter into the spectrum of possibilities?
This job is exhausting. It is emotionally draining. It tries your patience. But none of these things, in and of themselves, have any direct impact on how you choose to deal with them. It's all attitude and all attitude is a choice. You're exhausted? Good! Look at the physical demands your body is capable of overcoming. Emotionally drained? Remember and appreciate which one of you is in the hospital bed right now and that you get to go home and recharge. Losing patience? Every time your patience is stretched to the breaking point, it grows that much more.
Developing this took some time and practice for me. I found music to be very effective. I felt like an idiot when I first started doing this, but it has made a very real difference in my days. Take five minutes before your shift to find a place where you can be alone. Pop in your headphones and choose a song that gets you pumped up. Stand there, feeling the music, and make yourself as tall as you can. Straighten your back, chin up, hands on your hips in a powerful physical pose. Puff your chest out and make yourself smile. Tell yourself that today is your day and that you own this place. It's only five minutes and no one's watching. Forcing your body into a dominant, powerful, positive pose can and will have an effect on you psychologically. Try it and see. You may just find yourself resembling that powerful, dominant, positive person a little more every day.

Such awesome advice. Wow. I want to work with you.

amoLucia · Feb 19, 2014

When in doubt, err on the safe side.

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2014

Keep your ears open as well. The old addage is that you learn more from listening than from talking.