Prior career skills helpful in Nursing

[rholman]

I would like to get anyone's opinion if possible.

I know most 1st year Nurses have a major learning curve to overcome regarding charting, assessments, passing meds, learning new procedures and getting accalmated to the nursing culture. I am curious to know if there is a difference in the learning curve between Nurses that have little to no work experience prior to Nursing and an older Nurse who has changed careers.

For example, lets use muli tasking skills, which I have mastered with my current profession, Has this skill been usefull in your first year of nursing? This might be a stupid question but just curious

[Boston-RN, RN]

I think anything service related is helpful in dealing with difficult pts/families. I think the reason 2nd career nurses do pretty well is because they have a different perspective and know that the grass isn't really green anywhere. You need to fertilize your grass to make it green.

[rholman]

Yes, good point. Your perspective and attitude is different when you approach new job skills with your prior work experience and knowledge. I read alot about how it's hard to deal with fellow nurses and managers and sometimes I wonder what prior experience do they have in dealing with co-workers. When you have been in the working world for a while you WILL encounter mean, hostile and uncooperative managers,co-workers and customers but you learn effective coping strategies to help get deal with them and get the job done.

I guess I am just wondering because lately I have been reading a lot of negative postings. I am not in NS yet but I would think the 1st year has got to be hard, however, I wonder if it's fair to negatively judge the profession in it's entirety based on your first year. And again was curious to know if there was a different perspective from a second career nurse.

Thanks for your reply

[jjjoy, LPN]

For floor nursing...

Honestly, I think experience waitressing in a busy restaurant would help... because it's a skill to be able to juggle so many different demands while literally on one's feet, with new information and requests constantly coming in and having to deal with problems that you have a lack of control over (eg the kitchen is running behind, the soup tastes funny, etc).

Perhaps military experience... to have thickened the skin so as to not flinch in the face of abrasive feedback and to not get demoralized with lack of positive feedback.

Both of those areas test your ability to function under pressure, when time is of the essence and when you may be working in less than ideal circumstances and must exercise good judgement and constant reprioritization in a situation that can change by the minute.

To me, that was the most challenging part. Each individual piece of responsibility, I felt confident that I would eventually become more comfortable with. But I like to be able to sit down and focus on one problem at a time. In floor nursing, you're learning in the midst of juggling constantly changing priorities (and as a newbie not juggling very well!)... whew! THAT's a challenge!

Well, that's my perspective on it. Everyone's got their own angle and experience!!

[jjjoy, LPN]

I read alot about how it's hard to deal with fellow nurses and managers and sometimes I wonder what prior experience do they have in dealing with co-workers.

I do think one's relationship and interaction with colleagues is a bit different in some areas of nursing than many other work environments. Especially that first year out. After the first few weeks or months with a preceptor, you get your own assignment as nurse and you are fully responsible for all of your patients' nursing care. Clearly, you'll need lots of assistance as a newbie and can't just go it alone or let it wait til tomorrow when someone more helpful is available so you are really at the mercy of your colleagues during that time.

In many other work environments, most of the staff is somewhere accessible during office hours. Maybe they're not immediately available, but they're around. In floor nursing, you are stuck with whoever is on shift and that's it for the entire shift. You may work with some great, helpful nurses, but you may end up with some shifts with only the unhelpful nurses who roll their eyes or make derogatory comments under their breath each time you go to them for assistance... which you WILL be doing as a newbie.

We know that some people are unnecessarily nitpicky and critical in any work place. As a newbie, you don't know whose feedback you should take to heart and whose feedback you should ignore. As a new nurse, you'll be getting lots of feedback about what you "should" be doing and if your work is up to par. Until you've got the experience, you have a hard time sorting out the valid feedback from the rest. Your patients' safety may depend upon taking heed of your colleague's advice. Your patients need care NOW so you can't just put your question aside til someone you trust more comes on shift. So those mean, unnecessarily critical colleagues have much more influence on the newbie nurse than in many other work environments.

[rholman]

Thank you all for your perspectives.

[Jules A, MSN]

Yes, I have found that former waitresses/bartenders really have an edge on the multi-tasking part.