What do graduate nurses lack?

TexasPediRN · Mar 11, 2006

I am a RN student in Idaho and I will graduate in two months. For an assignment we are supposed to ask questions on a nursing forum, so here I am. What I want to know is what do graduate nurses seem to lack the most (other than experience). I want to know this so I can start working on this now so that I can be better off when I start my career. Any help would be great, hope to hear from you!

Just a thought here, but time management skills.

I used to work as an aide before I graduated, and while nurses were in report I had 15-20 patients by myself. After a few months, I was able to be done with all of their vitals before the nurses got out of report, and most of the time I had them charted as well. (within an hour) That was where I learned my time management skills, and I will never forget them.

As a student, the average number of patients I had was 1-2. In real life nursing that doesnt fly (unless its an ICU setting). After graduation I went to managing 6 patients. Big jump, but my time management skills really helped me to spend time with my patients, as well as to get my work done efficiently and to be out on time.

I think that many new grads who never had the chance to work as an aide or in a hospital setting with patients, dont truely understand how to time manage correctly with an ill patient. It takes a few months, but after you get it, you get it.

Good luck :) I'm sure some other members will have other ideas for you!

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 11, 2006

Experience.

But that obviously can be overcome. All the rest follows.

leslie :-D · Mar 11, 2006

instincts, intuition......which comes from exposure and experience.

there comes a point in your nsg career that you get a hunch about a pt. and more often than not, you learn to follow it. and more often than not, you're right. often it's comparable to having eyes in the back of your head, an extra set of ears, xray vision, etc, etc and etc.:)

leslie

sharann, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

Time. Just time and patience with themselves. You have to know that you just CANNOT learn it all in school. One year is what the average nurse says it takes before they don't feel like they are an "imposter" nurse.

Like Smilingblueeyes said, experience can't be taught.

amandahqtpie · Mar 12, 2006

Luckily management wise I am being assigned 4-5 patients right now, which is definately a task but more realistic. I agree that CNA experience helps.

EDGRADNURSE · Mar 12, 2006

In addition to time management skills and experience, I'd say that confidence is something that some (not all) new grads lack. This comes with experience.

neneRN, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

Agree with above posters; time management.

But also, I have noticed that new grads in general are very task oriented; meaning they get so focused on trying to accomplish everything that needs to be done, that sometimes lose sight of the pt. As as example, I'm precepting a new grad right now in the ER, and often she will complete all the orders, get everything done, but not notice that the pt is clinically worsening because she is more focused on carrying out all the orders.

And of course, critical thinking/intuition. That being one step ahead of the game because you can see the big picture and thus anticipate what interventions/orders are needed.

But these are things that just take time and experience, and they will come; what GNs lack isn't something that can be taught overnight. Nursing school teaches you how to be safe, experience teaches you everything else.

dazedandconfused · Mar 12, 2006

along with the other posters- time management. But also the confidence that you know what you are doing. That took me about a year to develop it. But it comes with time.

HyperRNRachel · Mar 12, 2006

I think students lack information about how important it is to actually know how to perform the skills needed in nursing. Too often, as students, more than one person will avoid any and all skills that are taught in clinical because they reason that "I will be taught that when I am a real nurse". If you have a great foundation about how to start IV's, blood draws, urinary catheters, sterile dressing changes, glucose checks (believe me nurse techs are not always on the floor to do them) and manual blood pressures (we seem to forget manual BP's once we begin clinical and use the nice automatic machines) then the transition to being a nurse, although not easy, will be less traumatic for everyone involved! The importance of performing these basic skills efficiently and correctly is a great time management necessity as well.

Annor · Mar 12, 2006

I am a RN student in Idaho and I will graduate in two months. For an assignment we are supposed to ask questions on a nursing forum, so here I am. What I want to know is what do graduate nurses seem to lack the most (other than experience). I want to know this so I can start working on this now so that I can be better off when I start my career. Any help would be great, hope to hear from you!

confidence :heartbeat