Staying calm before starting 1st RN job

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Hi there :)

I start my FIRST R.N. job after graduation and passing NCLEX. I start on Monday. I am so nervous, this is a second career for me and I have not worked in medical before. Is it normal to question did I get enough experience during my clinical times, did I do well enough in school, am I ready? Is that normal... Any advice for someone brand new starting out in med/surg?

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First of all, congratulations on graduating, passing the NCLEX, and landing a job!!

I just started my first RN job about 3 months ago on a MedSurg floor. First thing I can tell you is take it one day at a time. I assume you will be staring off with orientation with other new employees. Learn as much as you can, but there's gonna be a lot of info so don't worry if you don't catch every single bit. Second, get acquainted to the new RNs, especially those who may be working in the same unit or same building as you are. i made a friend from orientation. She works in East campus and I work in West. Once in a while, we plan on a get-together and it is nice to know that you can talk with someone who's in a similar place as you are! Trust me, you will look to these people for support, and it feels good to give them support too!

My clinicals were not enough to prepare me for my job to be honest. Facilities have different policies so I'd say learn yours as you go. I print policies and take them hone and study them. That helps me a lot feel prepared and know what I'm doing and why.

They will probably assign a preceptor for you. Work with your preceptor as closely as you can. Ask questions; don't hesitate. I had preceptorship for 8 weeks before I was on my own. My preceptor and I had 4 patients and we worked together. She mainly had me do most of the tasks and I asked her to do that. There will be so much information but they will get reinforced the more days you work.

MedSurg is very dynamic; there's so much variety. Most of my clinicals were on medSurg but there's a lot of things I have not experienced during nursing school until now. These are good opportunities for you to learn. I've only worked for 3 months and it feels like I've worked way loner than that.

You will do good! Yo

Up Vote Up Vote ×

First of all, congratulations on graduating, passing the NCLEX, and landing a job!!

I just started my first RN job about 3 months ago on a MedSurg floor. First thing I can tell you is to take it one day at a time. I assume you will be starting off with orientation with other new employees. Learn as much as you can, but there's gonna be a lot of info so don't worry if you don't catch every single bit. Second, get acquainted to the new RNs, especially those who may be working in the same unit or same building as you are. I made a friend from orientation. She works in East campus and I work in West. Once in a while, we plan on a get-together and it is nice to know that you can talk with someone who's in a similar place as you are! Trust me, you will look to these people for support, and it feels good to give them support too!

My clinicals were not enough to prepare me for my job to be honest. Facilities have different policies so I'd say learn yours as you go. I print policies and take them home and study them. That helps me a lot feel prepared and know what I'm doing and why.

They will probably assign a preceptor for you. Work with your preceptor as closely as you can. Ask questions; don't hesitate. I had preceptorship for 8 weeks before I was on my own. My preceptor and I had 4 patients and we worked together. There will be so much information but they will get reinforced the more days you work.

MedSurg is very dynamic; there's so much variety. Most of my clinicals were on medSurg but there's a lot of things I have not experienced during nursing school until now. These are good opportunities for you to learn.

You will do good! Again, one day at a time. Know your resources, ask questions, and know your facility's policies. One more important thing is that nursing is a team effort. Build rapport with the other nurses, nurse techs, PT, RT, and anillary staff-they will help you get through times. Good luck to you!

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Congrats and welcome to the cool kids club!

Enjoy this feeling. Of course its scary. You probably havent felt like this since you first got accepted into nursing school. And then again before your first clinical.

Its such a nice feeling before you start feeling like things are boring or even start getting bitter. Cherish this feeling my friend.

No. You are not prepared. Hardly. School rarely shows you the full depth and scope of what youll see and be dealing with. And thats okay! You wont be expected to know or be able to do much. Its a completely different world from the shelter of school and supervision.

Be strong at what you know. Be humble by your faults, and always aim to learn and do better.

Dont be lazy.

Dont be a know it all.

Quick way to get a bad rep on a new floor.

Be open to any and every experience, even the ones that scare you and gross you out. Thrive.

Youve got a great future ahead of you in your career. Good luck out there

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THANKS :) I appreciate the advice!

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