Reality Shock? Would love to get some more replies! Thanks a million!

nyreaRN · Mar 27, 2009

1. How long have you been a nurse?

7 yrs

2. What type of school(s) did you go to?

private university-BSN

3. Did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an RN? Yes

Nurse Aide

4. What kind of floor/unit was your first position?

step-down ICU

5. How long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse?

2 months including classes (not sure)

6. How prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

Good

7. How prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

Good

8. What was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

Excellent

9. In your opinion was your training period long enough?

Yes

10. Did you experience “Reality Shock”as a new nurse?

Yes

11. Please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like:

called a code (blue) on the first night of orientation

12. What would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?

listen to seasoned nurses; you will find the good and bad of ur first job, take both of them and learn from them; the one's who want to eat new grads u can ignore them and make sure u won't be like them; there are many dumb doctors, scary!; learn to listen to patients and their families, patients first; u won't know everything, learn as you go, u learn new things everyday of work; nursing can be fun and very rewarding.

LoveActually · Mar 30, 2009

Thanks so much =)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2009

1. how long have you been a nurse? less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs

10 - 20

2. what type of school(s) did you go to?

hospital nursing school community college bsn msn doctorate other degrees

care to share your school(s)?

adn from fayetteville technical community college in fayettellve, nc and bsn from florida hospital college of health sciences in orlando, fl

3. did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an rn? yes no

nurse aide lpn other

i wokred as a cna for the last six months of school prior to becoming an rn.

4. what kind of floor/unit was your first position? general medical and oncology

5. how long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse? three months

6. how prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

very good

excellent very good good fair poor

7. how prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

excellent very good good fair poor

yes

8. what was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

excellent very good good fair poor

excellent

9. in your opinion was your training period long enough? yes no

yes

10. did you experience "reality shock"as a new nurse? yes no

yes

11. please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like:

when the reality of me being on my own and being responsible for meeting every need, and monitoring patients for changes, hit me, i was a bit overwhelmed. there seemed so much to do and not enough time. the reality vs. the book were two entirely different scenerios. when you read in the book how you're suppose to assess, teach, communicate with patients, do maticulous care, and collaborate with mds, and you compare that to your real world day it's a shock.

12. what would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses? be gentle with yourself. hold on to your high ideals but keep your feet on the ground. know how to ask for help.

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"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over an over and expecting a different result." -albert einstein

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2009

1. how long have you been a nurse? less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs

20yrs

2. what type of school(s) did you go to?

hospital nursing school community college bsn msn doctorate other degrees

trained in the uk 3yr course to rn, then 18month full time bsn course

care to share your school(s)?

3. did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an rn? yes no

no

4. what kind of floor/unit was your first position? renal dialysis

5. how long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse? 2 weeks

6. how prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

excellent very good good fair poor

well prepared from my training

7. how prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

excellent very good good fair poor

8. what was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

excellent very good good fair poor

average

9. in your opinion was your training period long enough? yes no no

10. did you experience "reality shock"as a new nurse? yes no yes

11. please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like:

felt like we were thrown in at the deep end and having to swim to shore fast

12. what would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?

take all the time offered listen to advice from seasoned nurses, ask ask ask

much gratitude for taking the time to fill this out!

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over an over and expecting a different result." -albert einstein

mustlovepoodles, RN · Mar 31, 2009

many thanks!!!!
1. how long have you been a nurse? less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs
31 glorious years:nurse:
2. what type of school(s) did you go to?
hospital nursing school community college bsn msn doctorate other degrees
community college
3. did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an rn?
nurse assistant
4. what kind of floor/unit was your first position?
oncology, night shift. very difficult work but i loved being there with dying patients to "help them across"
5. how long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse?
2weeks, labor & delivery--not nearly enough!
6. how prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?
excellent very good good fair poor
fair--out of a class of 29, only about 5 of us passed state boards. thank god i worked as an na prior to graduating!
7. how prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?
excellent very good good fair poor
fair--two weeks orientation in a specialty unit is not enough for a new grad
8. what was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?
excellent very good good fair poor
good--i had a top notch precepter
9. in your opinion was your training period long enough? yes no
no
10. did you experience "reality shock"as a new nurse? yes no
yes.
11. please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like:
i felt overwhelmed. they expected me to have knowlege that an experienced nurse would have and had little patience with my mistakes.
12. what would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?
see if you can get on as a cna while you're still in school, summers if nothing else. you'll get a chance to get your hands dirty (seriously!) and find out how hospitals work. take advantage of every seminar and learning opportunity you can. and make sure when you take your first job that the orientation period is adequate.
hope this helps:)

lamazeteacher · Mar 31, 2009

1. How long have you been a nurse? Less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs

48, actually

2. What type of school(s) did you go to?

Hospital nursing school: Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

BSN at University of Toronto

3. Did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an RN? Yes No

volunteered on pediatric unit

4. What kind of floor/unit was your first position?

Psychiatry, but I quit after 3 months, as it was boring just giving meds. We were told not to talk to patients....... so I worked in

Emergency and Outpatient clinics for the rest of the year

5. How long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse?

none

6. How prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

Good, but confused in Psych

Very good in ED and OPD

7. How prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

Very Good

8. What was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

There were none, in my day.

9. In your opinion was your training period long enough? Yes

10. Did you experience “Reality Shock”as a new nurse? No

11. Please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like: tiring, exciting, fulfilling in ED and OPD

12. What would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?

Try to get a lot of sleep at night, or when you're off, as sleep deprivation will affect your work

Be aware that mistakes happen, and form the basis of your learning

MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

the replies i have gotten so far have been fantastic & i would love to get some more! thanks again!
~b
hello nurses
my name is beth and i'm graduating in two months. i am doing a project along with my clinical group on "reality shock", and i am polling nurses about their experiences. :typing i would greatly appreciate if you could take a few minutes and answer these questions. just copy and paste into your reply. you can put a star or 'x' next to your answer.
many thanks!!!!
1. how long have you been a nurse? less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs
almost 3 years(may)
2. what type of school(s) did you go to?
hospital nursing school community college bsn msn doctorate other degrees
community college asn-currently completing bsn fast track program at 4 year school.
care to share your school(s)?
3. did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an rn? yes no
nurse aide lpn other
yes, clinical technician in er
4. what kind of floor/unit was your first position?
er registered nurse
5. how long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse?
22 weeks
6. how prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?
excellent very good good fair poor
good, until you realize you know nothing!
7. how prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?
excellent very good good fair poor
good
8. what was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?
excellent very good good fair poor
good-varied with preceptors.
9. in your opinion was your training period long enough? yes no no
10. did you experience "reality shock"as a new nurse? yes no yes
11. please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like: the work day depended on who was charge, and your coworkers and supporting staff. if you had a charge who felt that everyone had to "suck it up" your days could be very scary and extremely busy. if you had a charge who knew their nurses, patient acuities and awarded patients based on ability, the day was good. it's really about the planning. additionally, many coworkers did not share responsibilities, and our techs varied in skill sets and attitudes. truthfully, as an older new grad who has technology and management background i know how to delegate and get things done. i helped those around me whether they helped me or not. no task was below me and i assisted our techs even if it wasn't "my" patient. in turn, many others began doing the same and now our staff is more cohesive. our daily survival depends on our fellows as we have a horrible new system.
12. what would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?
don't trust your memory-look it up. if you don't know for sure, call the pharmacy or refer to policies for drug administration-don't rely on others. know what you can and can't do as a nurse in your facility! take all information gleaned from everyone then practice in your own "safe" way. keep learning, you can never know too much! stay away from negative people, but take an interest in those around you. be the best you can be and don't worry about others-you are you, your patient's are yours, and you will be measured on your own merits-who cares what others think? finally, don't bring it home....find a release because nursing can be the most frustrating job in the world, or the best! depends on the day.
much gratitude for taking the time to fill this out!
"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over an over and expecting a different result." -albert einstein

good luck on your project.

m

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

1. How long have you been a nurse? Less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs

8 months

2. What type of school(s) did you go to?

Hospital nursing school Community College BSN MSN Doctorate Other degrees

Hospital Based Diploma RN program!

Care to share your school(s)?

Shadyside School of Nursing, Pittsburgh

3. Did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an RN? Yes No

Nurse Aide LPN Other

I worked as a PCT for a little over a year on an adult med-surg/telemetry floor and then for 6 months as a PCT on an adolescent medicine floor

4. What kind of floor/unit was your first position?

Adolescent medicine and endocrinology. I specialize in teenagers and diabetics (regardless of age, peds)

5. How long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse?

I had a 12 week orientation which included attending classes periodically as well as time on the floor with my preceptor.

6. How prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

I felt very prepared.

7. How prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

I think I was a little nervous, but my floor is one where people are great about helping everyone out, so I knew that if I had questions there would all ways be someone arouond to ask

8. What was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

Excellent. I had a great preceptor, who allowed me to be very independent

9. In your opinion was your training period long enough? Yes No

Yes. I was ready

10. Did you experience "Reality Shock"as a new nurse? Yes No

No, which is probably due in fact that I had worked on the same floor as a PCT prior, so I was somewhat comfy there.

11. Please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like:

Started getting used to being a RN working under my own lisence and all of the responsibility that came with that. It was an exciting time for me. I also started getting used to hospital policies and protocals for RNs.

12. What would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses?

Don't be afraid to ask questions and just take it one day at a time.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 31, 2009

1. how long have you been a nurse? less than 1 year 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 5-10 yrs 10-20 yr s 20+ yrs

2. what type of school(s) did you go to?

hospital nursing school community college bsn msn doctorate other degrees

3 schools & 3 degrees

care to share your school(s)? univ. of texas

3. did you have any experience working in a hospital before becoming an rn? yes no

nurse aide lpn other

4. what kind of floor/unit was your first position? pedi

5. how long what your orientation/training period as a new nurse? 4-6 weeks as i recall

6. how prepared did you feel after graduating from nursing school and beginning training?

excellent very good good fair poor

7. how prepared did you feel when you finished your training, and began working on your own?

excellent very good good fair poor

8. what was your experience(s) with your preceptor(s) like?

excellent very good good fair poor

9. in your opinion was your training period long enough? yes no

10. did you experience “reality shock”as a new nurse? yes no

11. please describe in a few sentences what your first few weeks/months were like: did not feel comfortable in my own skin for about one year. was afraid i would hurt someone and that i ought to know what the experienced nurses knew.

12. what would you recommend, or what advice would you give to new nurses? nursing is hard physically and emotionally. you will not feel really confident for months. observe experienced nurses and see how often they ask another nurse for verification or advice or second opinion. be the nurse who asks not the one who thinks he/she knows it all.