Tips for nurses in their first year of nursing

Nurses New Nurse

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Please share any tips you might have for our new nurses. Hopefully, this will become a great resource of nursing tips from all of our experienced nurses from around the globe.

Hey everyone,

I am a pre-nursing student. I will start the BSN program in Fall 2006. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect in nursing school, specifically my first year. I'll admitt...I'm a little nervous and I want to be as prepared as possible. Thanks!

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My advice? keep your cool, Nursing (and nursing school) gets stressful, no matter what specialty. If you can keep a cool head, you're better prepared to assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate more effectively. A screaming nurse running around the ER looking in the sharps box for the narc keys doesn't do anybody any good.

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oh yeah, the first piece of advice I ever got in nursing school was

"Air goes in-and-out, blood goes around-and-around, any deviation is a bad thing."

worth remembering

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don't hesitate to ask!ask! avoid pretending that you already knew everything. nursing is a continous learning so expand your knowledge, focus your attention to the things that you find difficult.

Just be yourself and God will do the rest but you have to do your own thing...:)

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Thanks for all the advice! I graduate as an LPN Dec 14, and after ending a clinical day last week feeling totally incompetent and thinking maybe I'm not ready for this, these posts have helped.

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I am reading this site because I am trying to develope a brand new program at our hospital for the New Nurse- its called a preceptor program. I would appreciate anyone completing their first year at a hospital answering 2 questions...what great things did a nurse do for you that made a lasting impression forever and what awful thing did a nurse do that has left a lasting bad taste? Please help me to help nurses.

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One thing that was very overwhelming to me was figuring out the doctors and their specialty. I recommend, if possible, make a list that contains the specialty and then the groups and then the doctors in that group, and to go all out have the phone numbers to the office, or if you are lucky your floor will have one already, to keep handy. For example, on our floor there are 3 different internal medicine groups that typically see our patients so under internal med the groups are listed with the names of the physicians. And hey, if you are bored on a friday night maybe you could study it and memorize it:chuckle

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I am in my seventh month at my hospital. One great thing a nurse has done for me (and is still doing) is just being there for me. She never hesitates to answer my questions and NEVER EVER belittles me or makes me feel silly for asking quesitons or needing help. One terrible thing a nurse has done that I will never forget is just the opposite of what I mentioned above. This nurse belittled me in front of 3 other nurses and openly laughed at me and got the other nurses in on it. The nurse said and I quote "Can you believe she did that?" And they all burst into laughter. I cried so hard and wanted to leave nursing forever. If it hadn't been for my mentor nurse, I probably would have walked out right then and there. MAKE SURE YOUR NURSES DO NOT FORGET WHERE THEY CAME FROM! I think that is the most important thing. Everyone started out once exactly where we all are now.

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Good thing: A nurse told me that I was WNL! That what I felt was normal and that made me feel better

Best thing : pointed out somethings I did well in addition to my weaknesses

Worst Thing: Told me the one reason you are here is because of me. This is the hardest unit and maybe you shouldn't be here (My preceptor by the way)

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I am reading this site because I am trying to develope a brand new program at our hospital for the New Nurse- its called a preceptor program. I would appreciate anyone completing their first year at a hospital answering 2 questions...what great things did a nurse do for you that made a lasting impression forever and what awful thing did a nurse do that has left a lasting bad taste? Please help me to help nurses.

sharing of what they've learned during their first exposure with good or bad experiences. don't be afraid to loosen up...

no sense of caring and responsibility...

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Hi asilmk, when I read your post it made me feel very upset because I don't understand why people would act that way. I'm sorry that happened to you. I have read all the "1st year postings" and they are very helpful. I noticed that some nurses made comments such as doctors/nurses will "yell" when you make a mistake, respond rudely when they you asked a dumb question. To me, that is absurd.

My situation is that I have been working in sales for many years but I always felt it is a calling for me to go to become a nurse. I am currently a nursing student and I love it.

But from what I have read from you and a few other postings, i feel discouraged. Is this treatment from senior nurses and doctors common?

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Specializes in ob, med surg.

Hey Guys:

I've just finished my third week of a three month preciptorship. Things have gone pretty well and I like my preceptor for the most part. But today, when I turned in my paper work for the week, I noticed that in my folder, which goes to my boss, she had marked that I am 'very slow' when learning new skills. I admit that this has been true in most aspects of my life, and probably accounts for why I seem to have to work at everything twice as hard as everyone else just to stay even. I feel it is better to be accurate and hopefully I will speed up. When I try to speed up now I make mistakes and start to forget things like in assessments. However, I manage to get my work done in the course of a shift. Am I being too hard on myself? This comment has really bothered me. I would love to talk to someone who understands preceptorships about this further, maybe through email. I'm starting to worry about it even though most of my weekly review is satisfactory. (I am marked in 2 catagories, one is satisfactory and the other says needs more

experience). Any feed back is welcome. Thanks!:o

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