What are the things in your first year of nursing that you wish you had but didn't?

azxyrn · Jan 28, 2009

Besides the obvious (more hands on time and confidence so that I was knowing what I was doing):

1. Uniform - pockets, pockets, pockets! (need I say more) patterns on your scrubs look nice, but the solid colors -especially darker ones clean up easier, and seem to last longer.

2. Retractable pens, so the ink stays on the paper not the pockets which as stated above are so badly needed.

3. Shoes, glorious shoes - New Balance is my favorite (my wifes' is MBT's), although most nurses seem to like clogs; I fail to see how a 1/4" thick piece of rubber between your foot and the hard ground is going to prevent some type of tendon/nerve damage is beyond me.

4. PDA or P.C. phone - works perfect if google is able to decipher what that near sited, ataxic hand writing attending just wrote. Maybe ePocrates for that pesky docusate sodium that seemed difficult for me to remember among all the other simple meds I had to remember...

5. 5 Hour energy drink - perfect for that 2nd or 3rd 12 hour shift in a row, and only 4 hours of rest between them.

6. The knowledge that no matter how hard you work, no matter how many patients are happy with your care, how accurate your notes are; the simple fact of "you are only as good as your last mistake!" to your boss/supervisor.

7. Last but not least, (works for me but maybe not you), one of everything in your pocket/person. i.e. pen, penlight, scissors, stethoscope, etc. More than one makes it difficult; before long you'll notice that one, both, or all are missing. Keep your spares in your bag, purse, or lunch case and locked up.

8. Some places (not all), I worked at seemed to have nurses that really enjoyed "eating their young." Iwould suggest if you feel you are in that situation, move on to another unit or facility, it will make your life much easier...

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2009

Besides the obvious (more hands on time and confidence so that I was knowing what I was doing):
1. Uniform - pockets, pockets, pockets! (need I say more) patterns on your scrubs look nice, but the solid colors -especially darker ones clean up easier, and seem to last longer.
2. Retractable pens, so the ink stays on the paper not the pockets which as stated above are so badly needed.
3. Shoes, glorious shoes - New Balance is my favorite (my wifes' is MBT's), although most nurses seem to like clogs; I fail to see how a 1/4" thick piece of rubber between your foot and the hard ground is going to prevent some type of tendon/nerve damage is beyond me.
4. PDA or P.C. phone - works perfect if google is able to decipher what that near sited, ataxic hand writing attending just wrote. Maybe ePocrates for that pesky docusate sodium that seemed difficult for me to remember among all the other simple meds I had to remember...
5. 5 Hour energy drink - perfect for that 2nd or 3rd 12 hour shift in a row, and only 4 hours of rest between them.
6. The knowledge that no matter how hard you work, no matter how many patients are happy with your care, how accurate your notes are; the simple fact of "you are only as good as your last mistake!" to your boss/supervisor.
7. Last but not least, (works for me but maybe not you), one of everything in your pocket/person. i.e. pen, penlight, scissors, stethoscope, etc. More than one makes it difficult; before long you'll notice that one, both, or all are missing. Keep your spares in your bag, purse, or lunch case and locked up.
8. Some places (not all), I worked at seemed to have nurses that really enjoyed "eating their young." Iwould suggest if you feel you are in that situation, move on to another unit or facility, it will make your life much easier...

Blah, good advice except that drink. Diabetes in a bottle. Blah.

lol

Anyway, one thing I was told and I wish schools would push more (no instructor ever mentioned this, odd to me it didnt come up):

Dont go after the money with the first job. Go for an ideal learning situation. Get some daylight experience before moving on into nights. You are alone at night, the nurses have to handle things differently and practice more autonomy/decision making. On daylight, there are more people to go to for direction.

Biggest thing though is...........do not just take the highest sign on bonus. Consider very carefully what the situation must be like on the unit for them to offer more money. If you can, avoid a high needs unit as your first job. Find a unit that has a good orientation process in place. Ask about the orientation process in interviews. If the manager doesnt have that aspect under control, it'll come out, believe me it will (had one DON in an interview become very defensive when I asked what the orientation process was like at her facility..........duh, I knew not to take that position). Your first preceptor/unit will go a long way in shaping you as a nurse. Dont go for a second rate first experience just for 2K more sign on.

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 28, 2009

I wished I had understood the power of a well-thought out and well-prepared lunch.

Unsatisfying cafeteria food where you spent too much for blah food, greasy fast food where too much time was spent standing in line or worse nothing but a candy bar to sustain a body for 12 hours.

I pack my own lunches. I take the time to pack yummy homemade soups, my favorite treats and a good cup of tea in a real teacup. Treating those 30(or so) minutes to sit down as a real refreshing break improves my morale 100%.

I wish I knew that when I started.

Mudwoman · Jan 28, 2009

Where I work, we have a small locker to keep our personal items in.

I keep a couple of reference books in mine. A drug reference book that I used post-it tabs for the main medications that I use. A lab reference book. A book I found that refreshes all those "skills" in 5 minutes of reading. I also have a small pocket reference of medical spanish. I have a cup with a magnet that sticks to the door of the locker where I keep extra pens, highlighters, pencils, scissors, and gum.

In my pocket, I keep a small book that I have all kinds of phone numbers----nursing homes, doctors, extensions of various departments in the hospital etc. I also have notes on things like what is needed on discharge, how to print certain things and how to order certain things in the event the Unit Secretary is out or too busy. I found this at the office supply store in the area with the 3 X 5 index cards. Has a nice little plastic cover and the pages are thick and have held up with constant use.

In my locker, I also have small travel sizes of advil, tylenol, imodium, tums, and no-doze. On any given day, you will need one of these. Hopefully you never need all of them on the same day. :no:

Someone posted about having a Nurse Propack on this board one time. I bought one of these and I love it. I used to keep all that "stuff" in my pockets and I spent far too much time searching for what I needed at any given time. We have to carry a beeper and a phone and a locator badge. I bought the medium size which is plenty big. See one at www.NurseProPack.com At the end of the day, I take off the pack and put it in my locker.

I designed a "Brain Sheet". A way of organizing my patients so that I'm sure to get everything done. It took me a while to come up with something that worked for me. I started with just a piece of paper and the patient's identification sticker on it. Design one for yourself.

Get an identification tag for your stethoscope. Wear your stethoscope around your neck at all times. Get the lightest stethoscope you can find that is quality because you are going to wear it around your neck. You do NOT loan out your stethoscope. You do NOT carry it around in your hand or pocket because eventually you lay it down and next thing you know, you are buying a new stethoscope.

I see some of the younger nurses now try and be so fashionable with what they wear. They look more like they are going to the gym or a club than coming to work. Maybe I'm old fashion. I don't think it looks professional. I always wear scrubs and a jacket. Our hospital dictates Navy and/or white in solid colors.

Good shoes and at least 2 pair to rotate. Also good orthodics made for you. The problem with clogs or shoes with no heal is that you don't get the support in your ankle that you need. There is too much pulling, pushing, lifting in nursing and you will eventually get an ankle injury. New Balance, Nike, Saucony are all great brands. Many of these have online questions about your feet to help you narrow down the selection. You can spend about $500 for 2 pair of good shoes and orthodics, or you can spend 3 times that going to the foot doctor----and that is if you have insurance.

Hiking socks of Merino wool. They don't itch even if you have an allergy to wool. They cushion like no other sock and they wick away moisture and keep your shoes stink free.

Stay away from the front desk as much as possible.

I always take my lunch because it is healthier and cheaper and when you have one of those really busy days, you can still get a lunch. I also have a few protein bars in my locker. If all else fails I can go to the bathroom and eat one of those in 10 minutes and get some energy.

I take vitamins every day!!!! A Centrum multivitamin, extra 500 mg Vit C, 800 mg Folic Acid, Extra B-12, CoQ10, L-Carnitine and L-Tyrosine. I can sure tell the difference when I miss a day.

Some humor. Laughter is the best medicine even for you. One of our GI docs just jumped all over me the other day for something I didn't even do---called me stupid and everything in front of the patient. When it was all over with, the patient was just distraught to have witnessed this. I told her we didn't really pay any attention to the GI docs anymore as they look up people's butts so much, they have developed an identity crisis and are beginning to think of themselves as A#$ Holes. This patient and I had the biggest laugh and she hugged my neck. When my charge nurse later asked how my day was going, I said "Great! My butt is even smaller thanks to Dr "X" after he kindly chewed on it for a while. It could have taken me weeks to get these results from dieting alone." Again a huge laugh. If you don't find a way to laugh, this job will defeat you and you will burn out. I also wrote the Doctor up and turned it into management. :chuckle New JCAHO rules are that you can't be verbally or physically abused doing your job.

masry123 · Jan 28, 2009

I"m not anurse yet but these advices are the best . I was planing to get anight shift when i pass the nclex now i had to think about that so thanks