skills new graduates must know?

[Fruit Sucker]

I have a question particularly for those of you who hire new grads or precept them. Is there a specific list of skills you look for when hiring new grads? What are the standards?

Basically what I'm asking is, when I graduate in December and start applying for jobs, what skills might I be tested on? If my IV starts are not so smooth, will this be counted against me? If my suctioning skills are a little shaky, will they not hire me? Or will they feel it's to be expected and I'll get better with more training?

I try to practice clinical skills as frequently as possible, but I'm worried about being competitive enough. What do you look for in a new grad?

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Someone who knows that there is a lot they don't know. Asks questions. Accepts constructive criticism as just that and learns from their mistakes.

We don't care about speed and proficiency in mechanical skills when you start. That will come with time and experience.

And have a sense of humor. Huge plus.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Humility.

Enthusiasm.

An active mind, and willingness to use it.

Friendly demeanor.

Pleasant reactions to unpleasant situations.

Ability to get along with someone they find disagreeable.

Willingness to learn The Policy and not argue against it. That gets tiring for those of us who have to say "because it's OUR POLICY".

Willingness to accept that the way you did things in school is not The Only Way. Most of the time, there are multiple (safe and acceptable) ways to achieve the same goal/administer the same med/perform the same task without it being "wrong" because your instructor did it one way....differently.

Ability to laugh at oneself, accept criticism (and if it wasn't positive, be able to MAKE it positive).

Ability to laugh, period!

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

What we learn in nursing school is just the beginning...just a tiny taste of what we learn on-the-job. There's a huge learning curve each time you start a new type of nursing.

Be like a sponge and soak up everything. Learn outside the job too--this might mean lots of reading and time-spent figuring things out besides what you do at work.

Assume you know very little.

Ask questions and ask for help.

Be kind to those with whom you work as was as yourself.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I'm guessing after you read these few posts, OP, that you will realize it isn't your stellar skill set that will impress your potential employer.....they all expect you to be new, they expect all the applicants to be about the same point, and they don't expect that someone who has taken an extra XYZ course to be the Next Great Thing in nursing. They expect you to be a new grad.

What WILL make you more desirable than your fellow applicants is your ability to demonstrate the intangible "skills" we've outlined above :)

[Nurse_]

Skills can be taught, that's why you'll have orientation and preceptorship. If you're new, they'll know you need to be trained. Heck, I still have skills I need to learn and that's okay.

Positive attitude and eagerness to learn are what you need.

When I was a new grad or orienting, even if I've done the skill somewhere else, I always ask for them to show me how it's done in the unit. Be humble!

[RunBabyRN]

Willingness to accept that the way you did things in school is not The Only Way. Most of the time, there are multiple (safe and acceptable) ways to achieve the same goal/administer the same med/perform the same task without it being "wrong" because your instructor did it one way....differently.

What? More than one right way? You mean we don't work in NCLEX-land?

OP, I'm a new grad, but I'm one with a job offer (the only one in my class), and here's what I *think* I've done right. I jump in anywhere I can (without getting in the way, if possible!), I'm willing to help with the ugly/dirty/basic stuff, even if it's "not my patient", I know what I DON'T know and ask for help, I know where to FIND answers (look them up when possible before asking), and I keep myself busy. I also recognize, like RNsRWe said, that there's more than one right way to do something (generally- and it's often NOT the way you learned in school!), and I LOVE seeing how different people do things, and finding what works for me. I seem to get along with most of the nurses (there's always *THAT* nurse...), and I take their criticism well, and welcome it and LEARN from it.

Like these guys have said, speed and skill proficiency come with time. No one expects a new grad to have that all down perfectly. Even once you're experienced, you'll know some procedures better than others. That's okay! Don't expect yourself to be perfect or to know everything. You'll never know everything, and there's always something to learn (KEEP LEARNING!!).

Good luck with job searching! You're smart to start early!

[chillnurse, BSN, RN, NP]

You'll be okay. It's not rocket science like nursing elitists make it out to be

[Fruit Sucker]

Thanks, guys. This is good to hear. I try to stay on top of skills opportunities, but at school clinical I'm known as being the friendly person, not the person who knows everything all the time. (That person in our group is actually kind of abrasive and annoying.) I have my moments, but I definitely don't know how to do everything perfectly, so hearing that my attitude will get me there is very encouraging.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

You're a new grad. We don't expect you to be a seasoned expert on anything. We're happy if you can remember your own name on your first day.

However, we expect you to be able to practice safely as a nurse. And that is not so much knowing everything perfectly, as it is knowing your limitations and when to ask for help, instead of trying to be super-grad--because that's when stupid mistakes and bad things start happening.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

When I started nursing school, the program director told us that they went around to all the facilities in the area and asked them what they wanted in new grads. The answer was always the same -- "we can teach a monkey how to insert an IV -- what we want are new grads who can THINK!"

IMO, the easiest way to get hired as an RN right out of school is to be working as a CNA or a PCA beforehand. That way, the facility knows you as a PERSON, not just as a "new grad nurse". They see that you are dependable, you show up clean and well-rested, you have a can-and-will-do attitude, and you recognize abnormals and report them to the proper authority.

If you simply can't work (even part-time) while finishing school, the next best alternative is to make a name for yourself in your clinicals. Answer call bells, even if they're not your assigned patients. Empty commodes, trash cans, linen hampers. When your assigned work is done, ask around if anyone needs help with anything -- bathing, ambulating, transporting, linen changes. (Don't just sit at the desk gossiping with your classmates!)

And do research on your assigned patients to see if you can hone your "nurse-brain-skills". I had a patient who failed her swallowing study, and so she was on thickened liquids, which she hated and struggled with horribly, coughing like crazy every time. I asked her what she did at home to help her food go down, and she said she used a drink of coffee (unthickened) when she was eating. I also looked through her chart and discovered that her radiology report showed a sizable mass in her neck which protruded into her esophagus.

Using my nurse-brain-skills, I determined that the thickened liquids were actually impeding her swallowing, because they would get "hung up" on the ledge/shelf that the tumor created, whereas thin liquids would flow right off and continue down the esophagus. I discussed this with my clinical instructor and the assigned RN, who gave me permission to offer the patient unthickened water with meals. Although she did cough a few times (but much less than if she'd been using thickened fluids), the patient was able to eat her entire meal for the first time in three days.

Look for opportunities like this in your clinicals, and then remember them in job interviews when asked to "share a time when you used your nursing judgment".

[mr30yearoldnurse]

RUN when there is a cold blue!!!