transitioning from school to hospital

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As a new graduate do any of you practicing nurses have any pointers for a successful transition from student to RN?

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Work hard

Keep studying

Be humble

Be respectful

Be helpful

Be responsible

Be prompt

Deliver more than is expected of you

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Eyes and ears open

Mouth Shut

Be a sponge

Anything you don't know ask for help and ask questions. Don't think that people are gonna think ur stupid for asking a questions.

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Get physically fit if you are not now.

Break in your work shoes before you begin work.

Plan how you will feed yourself on work days. Cafeteria? Bring in food? Crock-pot for dinner after work? Fast food?

Have one or two alternate routes for the trip to work.

Plan back-up childcare and emergency back-up childcare if needed.

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Thanks for all your suggestions. I am excited.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Don't get too excited, not to burst ur bubble. But they glorified the crap out of nursing when I was in school. Some of my classmate and myself were a bit disillusioned with what it was going to really be like. Never been so overwhelmed and tired after 12 hrs in my life, oh and not to mention totally unconfident about anything, I felt like everything i learned was wrong and I knew nothing. Wellll after 8 months I work in an ICU/CCU on my own, so it does get better.....eventually.

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Keep your mouth shut, eyes and ears open, and head to the grind.

What I mean by keeping your mouth shut, don't start sentences with "but we learned in nursing school that you do it this way......" You are in the REAL world now.

Pick and choose your battles wisely.

Study on your own time.

Be observant and be a sponge.

Ask tons and tons of questions. Do not act like you know everything based on what nursing school taught you. It's nothing worst than an overconfident new grad.

Learn how to take constructive criticism because you will hear alot of it. Remember it's to make you a better nurse.

Be humble.

Work on your self esteem NOW because you will start to question it after being a nurse.

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