1st week down

Published

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Just had to come and blog about my first week because I know a few wanted to hear about it. I really wanted to wait until after tomorrow (I hit the floor tomorrow) but I was to excited so I will update after my floor shift too.

New Employee orientation has been great. I am super excited about the company I am working for. Everyone has been very nice and friendly and they seem to really enjoy where they are working. It's all been very surreal. I am anxious on how tomorrow will go. It's so nice to get paid to do all the computer modules. We had to do them as students. (no where near the same amount) and it was just as brutal, but getting paid makes it not as bad. LOL

So anyway, I hit the floor tomorrow night. Then I have off until Tuesday. Next T, W and TH will be BRUTAL. It's 3 days of computer training so long hours in front of the computer learning the ins and out of the system. I am familiar with what the hospital uses because I had clinicals there so it's not completely new to me. Then Friday and Sat I will be on the floor again and on the floor from there on out.

New Grad residency starts on July 20th and it's every other week all day. That will be nice to get together with other new grads. I got a friend an interview so I am hoping she gets hired on so we can go through that together and car pool on nights we work together.

Anyway, so it's all been great. I will update more later. :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats on your new job!!! I will be starting a new grad program July 11. So far I have done all my new hire paper work and I am super excited to start orientation next week. What floor will you will be working on? Did you sign a contract with the hospital your working for?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Congrats on your new job!!! I will be starting a new grad program July 11. So far I have done all my new hire paper work and I am super excited to start orientation next week. What floor will you will be working on? Did you sign a contract with the hospital your working for?

I am on Peds :) No contract. We had New Employee Orientation on Monday and Clinical Orientation T and W and then a Phlebotomy class today on hospital procedures and tubing and all that.

Congratulations to you too!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I saw your other post and wanted to say -- my first job out of the gate was in peds, too and also worked for years in ambulatory care and family practice so it will be fun for me to hear (yeah I know HIPAA-fied to death) how it's going. I adored Children's Hospital because of the fantastic sense of purpose everyone had there, it really seemed to cut the drama down.

In larger units I can't lie - it's tough to see an 8 week old baby girl with two fractured femurs but nothing on this earth really beats knowing you were able to hold and comfort that child ...and if you like teaching you will do a ton of that!!

Routine surgeries, less acute dx and well-child care are more along the lines of a crazy-train of activity but if you have four kids you already know what that is like. . .

Looking forward to your next updates........:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Thanks Nurse. Yea in the CO section I posted the company I work for (couldn't help it, they are FANTASTIC) so I will have to be extra careful of my posts but I am excited.

In the winter seasons the Peds unit stays pretty much at capacity. (it's a level 2 hospital so the real serious kiddos will go to Childrens in Denver) This time of the year not so much. When I went to pick up my binder and see my mail box in the break room (with my name on it which is so exciting as a newbie) I don't think there were any peds patients on the unit. They also do womans overflow and same day surgeries like the tonsils coming out and stuff. Like the recovery on those for kids.

I will also after I am on the unit for a while get cross trained to go to Surgical sometimes. My managers run that unit too. Then NICU to help there if needed with the feeders and growers. PACU rarely and then if the ED needs any help doing procedures on children I will go down there.

It's a really nice unit though. Very big and spacious and nice rooms.

I love teaching. I also can't wait until I get students and can precept. I look forward to that in the future. I am not sure how it will be to see the really sick kiddos. It's going to be hard but I look forward to being able to help them and the family at such a vulnerable time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It's nice to hear that you are so excited! Keep us updated! Congrats!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am happy for you MiVida Loca...that sounds really exciting!! I wanted to ask you...I just graduated in May..and im sorta sad..because these RN new grad programs/residencieis aren't going to start again until January!!!! What do i do?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I love reading your enthusiastic updates..hope you can maintain the energy to keep us posted. I'm looking forward to hear about your time on the floor, conditions of patients and I want to see what processes and treatments you are involved in right off the bat.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I will keep updating as long as people want to hear. AN is the only place I have to come get it all out. I am about to head out to my first shift on the floor tonight. That will be it until next Friday though because of the holiday and computer training.

I know I always love seeing the positive posts so I like to give back by doing the same. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

So I had my first night on the actual floor. It was FANTASTIC!!!! My Preceptor said she was really impressed that I wasn't just sitting quiet in awkward silence to scared to do anything. She said she thinks I will have no problems at all working on the unit because I am very enthusiastic and proactive. She said I had no problem interacting with the patients and she is never had a newbie just glide right in so easily. I told her patients are where I feel the most comfortable and interacting with people period, it's skills I sometimes worry about. But she said she has no worries about me because I impressed her so much.

It was very weird transitioning from student mode. For example, she went to waste and had me waste with her and I was like "I'm not allowed" she was like "Ummm you're a nurse now, you can. You even have pyxisis access" So it's odd.

She told me she couldn't really see anything off the bat that I am going to have trouble with so for me to think about things I am uncomfortable with so we can work on those next week. We were a bit limited because I didn't have my computer access yet. I do the Cerner training on T, W and TH so then I will be trained on all the aspects of charting.

It's a small 14 bed Peds unit that can act as a PICU as well and once I am done with orientation I will get the step up training so I can work with PICU patients.

I thought they did womans overflow but they do short stay surgery overflow in general now. So anyone expected to go home in 48 hrs of less. There was only 1 kiddo last night so my patients were adults. They sometimes will take overflow if they need to but they have very strict guidelines on what they will take and it will mainly be surgical related stuff whether it be pre or post op.

So I will still get pretty consistent adult patients too so I keep up with those skills as well. It's a newer unit so the rooms are very big and nice. Also because they are made to accommodate more family. Most of all the nurses were great. Very supportive and friendly and treated me like I was one of the gang. Not like a newbie at all. Someone had come over to the unit and said you couldn't even tell I was a newbie with the way we all were chatting. :p

So anyway it went awesome and I think I am going to be very happy here.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

So nice to hear about good new grad experiences! I start Tuesday so I'm very excited and hoping to fit right into the flow of things! Best of luck with your new job! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.

Lol I remember my first day on the unit, when I was counting narcs, and the nurse gave me the key. For a split second, I thought, "Wait...I need another witness." Duh...no. I realized, I'm an RN. That was almost 8 months ago :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion