New Nurse

[GeoffH]

I will shortly be graduating form nursing school and I have found that throughout my clinical experiences I have learned so much from the nurses I have worked with so it got me thinking what is the most important thing that you have learned as a nurse that you wish you had known when you first started nursing?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

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.

Want to be PC on this.. but this gentleman is an example of why we need more men in the profession

[Cuddleswithpuddles]

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.

Simply amazing.

I always remind myself of the fact that I am not the one on the hospital bed.

[nursel56]

What a great bunch of posts.

[ClaraRedheart, BSN, RN]

I'm just starting too... I start my first nursing job next week, and I've heard some things from people who used to work at this hospital/floor. The hiring manager was awesome and very honest. Maybe I'm a Pollyanna, but I think if you want a good team then you've got to show up with a good attitude and be a good team member (help others!). Lev's advise was very wise as well. I am a Christian personally and I usually show up to work (As a PCT until next week) at LEAST 20 minutes early to pray quietly before shift, I listen to the Bible on the way in. I find that praying for my patients and my team really tends to center me and start the night off well. I think that showing up early, regardless of what you do will help you to feel more calm and collected. No worse way to start up a night than showing up late! I just ordered some shoe plates with my two favorite verses on it. I think it will be a big pick-me up on rough nights. I chose Ephesians 40:31 (1 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.) and Proverbs 3: 5-6 (Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths). As far as habits that I LOVE in a good nurse... I love when a nurse teaches his/her patient. People are in scary situations, and might feel that they have no control. Teaching them about their medications, disease process, procedures, etc... gives them back a small measure of control. Knowledge is POWER!

[Cuddleswithpuddles]

This recommendation is along the lines of PHXRN1's but far less eloquent hehe.

You have to have a method of dealing with the immense stress of nursing that is healthy and productive. So many nurses (including myself at first) are apt to over or under-eat, fall into self-pity, get anxious or depressed and generally fall apart slowly from the stress of the job. I learned that I needed not just to vent but to actually put my reactions and attitudes under a microscope. For me, the best method is journaling. I write not just about the events of the day or to produce a handwritten whine, but actually look at why am I so angry, sad, frustrated etc. Inevitably, I learn I have a part in every single negative experience I have. Somewhere along the line I made a choice to be miserable. I chose to expose the chips on my shoulder, to blame others, to bring past resentments into present situations, enter a challenge with the idea that I can't do this etc. etc. The great news is that these are modifiable attitudes. I cannot change what patients, my coworkers or administration does, but I can change me.

[PHXRN1]

This recommendation is along the lines of PHXRN1's but far less eloquent hehe. You have to have a method of dealing with the immense stress of nursing that is healthy and productive. So many nurses (including myself at first) are apt to over or under-eat fall into self-pity, get anxious or depressed and generally fall apart slowly from the stress of the job. I learned that I needed not just to vent but to actually put my reactions and attitudes under a microscope. For me, the best method is journaling. I write not just about the events of the day or to produce a handwritten whine, but actually look at why am I so angry, sad, frustrated etc. Inevitably, I learn I have a part in every single negative experience I have. Somewhere along the line I made a choice to be miserable. I chose to expose the chips on my shoulder, to blame others, to bring past resentments into present situations, enter a challenge with the idea that I can't do this etc. etc. The great news is that these are modifiable attitudes. I cannot change what patients, my coworkers or administration does, but I can change me.[/quote']

Beautifully said :)

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

Ruby Vee pretty much nailed it.

1. Avoid victimhood. Be tough. Some shifts will suck! Some bosses will be jerks! Some co-workers will be passive-aggressive and play mind games! Some patients will drain the life out of you! Your first year pretty much blows. Be made of non-stick, stainless steel. Weather the storm like a good little tugboat. Don't be that whiny, crying, everyone-is-out-to-get-me, weak link!

2. Keep your personal info to a minimum. Play along with the group when it comes to showing off baby pictures, celebrating birthdays with cake, etc. but keep your partying, mental illness(es) and relationship drama quiet.

3. Learn and practice good grammar and spelling. It counts for a TON toward your credibility.

4. Relax. Don't take life so seriously! We all survived being new, and laugh about it now! You will too. Don't get too wound up and stressed out. If you screw up just say so, admit it, learn the right way, apologize, laugh, move on and NEVER make that mistake again. Help out co-workers who need a hand, with a smile. Don't freak out over stupid stuff! Always ask yourself, WILL THIS MATTER IN 3 MONTHS?

[klone, MSN, RN]

If you don't already have your BSN, start working on it immediately.

[amygarside]

Be honest to others and especially to yourself. And you must learn to communicate. Play along with the team. :)

Good luck!

[1fastRN]

Nursing school doesn't teach you to be a nurse.

I learned more in a few weeks than I think I did throughout all of clinicals.

You'll never stop learning. Make nice with co workers. You'll need to learn on them for questions, help, and feedback.

I basically knew nothing when I started my first day on the phone.

You will get better. At first you know NOTHING. And if you know everything you're delirious.

You will have good days and bad days. Some days you can't start an IV into a garden hose. Other days you can get a 16 gauge in a 102 y old woman with horrible veins.

But you don't have homework to take home!

[ChipNurse]

Know that you will not know everything when you start, ask questions when appropriate, you will have to study outside of work to practice safely, and you will learn something new every single day.

[NurseDirtyBird]

#1: Brain sheet. If your facility doesn't provide one for you (mine does - shows names, age, DX, MD and allergies, with blank space to fill in other info), I know some of the Admins or Guides have some you can download.

#2: Develop a routine. Of course things will happen all the time that will throw you routine off, such is the nature of the beast. Developing the routine however, can help you learn to prioritize and manage your time well.

#3: Pain is a vital sign. ABCPain. Those are your top concerns always.

#4: LAUGH. Laugh at farts, laugh at poop, laugh at the funny things demented old ladies say, because it's funny and you need a pressure release valve. Yeah, it's not nice, and the humor is pretty dark, but your job isn't always nice and is often dark. Also, remember there is a time and a place for laughing at this stuff, and it is not in front of the patient or their family, unless they laugh first. Otherwise, in the nurses station, while whispering.

#5: I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but mind your own business. If someone is putting a patient in danger, of course you say something. But otherwise, keep it to yourself. Your coworkers attendance/tardiness issues, gossip, etc., is not your problem. Keep your eyes on your own paper, and hopefully have a relatively happy workplace.

#6: On the other side of that coin, don't let yourself be bullied. It happens sometimes, and it happens in every work environment, not just nursing. Stand up for yourself when you need to. Try to work out issues with other nurses personally first before going to management. I know when I started working, I had this hero-worship thing going on with nurses. Turns out we're just people like anyone else. Some of us are jerks, some of us are sweet, some of us are dumb, some of us are bigots, and some of us are truly exceptional angels from heaven (not me, LOL ).

#7: You're not going to lose your license if you don't do something egregiously stupid