What tips would you give a new RN

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What tips would you give to a new RN? What are some things (tips/advice) that you wish you were given when you first started?

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/LTC/geriatrics.

1. Wear comfortable shoes

2. Be confident in what you know and ask about what you don't

3. the patients can wait, go the bathroom

4. find a mentor

5. have a sense of humor about what you do (somedays this is going to be the

only thing that will get you through)

6. don't be discourged if you are not as good as the experienced nurses you will

get it eventually

7. pay attention during orientation

8. don't delegate something you would not do yourself (be nice to your support

staff)

9. always know how a physician would like to be contacted (cell, pager, office

phone)

10. separate work and personal life, set boundaries

hope this helps. best of luck

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Specializes in ED Nursing, Critical Care Nursing.

go to the following link. it has several pages of tips for new nurses going through their first year in the profession. it takes a while to read through it, but i think it's worth the time to do so. good luck.

https://allnurses.com/first-year-after/tips-nurses-their-109924.html

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realize you're a noob. meaning you don't know everything, you're gonna have to be taught, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna get under at least one person's skin, you're gonna have to ask questions and you're gonna have to ask for assistance.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

do not expect to feel comfortable in your job for at least a year. Do not beat yourself up for things that you cannot control or did not have time to complete or misunderstood--------believe me, everyone makes mistakes and you will too. Do the best you can and go home knowing you did your best.

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1. Everyone is your friend until they prove otherwise.

2. Get a drug book or quick search book. You retain information more when you look it up yourself.

3. Keep your eyes peeled back and mouth closed.

4. Don't get into the mistake of listening to gossip very early in the game. "A' probably always going to say mean things about "B".

5. Find a good no-nonsense support person. Pick her/his brains.

6. Look to each day seeking to enjoy and gain the best from what you do.

7. Try each day to do better what you did the day before, even if it's cutting your time down to five minutes or keeping a tidy work area.

8. Be respectful to all, from the bottom to top. Everyone counts.

9. You may be curt in your responses sometimes or others may be.It's okay...that happens sometimes.

10. Let go and let GOD.

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Specializes in med-surg,ortho,oncology,teaching.

In addition to what is written above, I would like to have been told don't depend on management to praise you. It is more important what your patients, family members, and co workers think of you than management. You need to take your 15 min breaks and lunch breaks most of the time. It is not always possible but don't fall into the trap of I don't have enough time to take it, because the break refreshes you and lets you finish what your shift.

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.
What tips would you give to a new RN? What are some things (tips/advice) that you wish you were given when you first started?

mental/emotional/physical fitness training.

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Specializes in ER / RENAL / ICU.

i like katie's answer :)

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Specializes in med/surg and pediatrics.

Become a sponge..............by that I mean soak up all of the information around you! Ask alot of questions, and pick the experianced nurses brains. Know that you are doing the best you can, and when bad things happen, remeber that you will get through this. You can do it! Keep the confidence up and know that we all have made mistakes, and have lived :)

Lysha, RN, BSN :nurse:

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1. Be humble. Don't try to be a know it all. It's annoying to nurses who already know it and have to listen to it. If you do this to me, I'll assume you DO know it all and you won't need my help later -- you don't want that, now, do you?

2. Pitch in and work hard. Don't act like it's not your job, like you don't WANT to work hard. Nurses work hard -- that's the reality. If you're not sure what to do -- go to to someone and ask if they need help. Don't goof off too much on the job. Keep your head down. Study each patient and learn from them. Look stuff up!! If there's a code, go to it -- watch, learn, participate. The earlier the better.

3. Read, read, read. Look up drugs. Look up everything. Look at all the forms you'll be using and get to know them. Orient yourself a bit. Ask questions constantly -- all day long. It's perfectly ok, although try not to overwhelm your precptor with too many questions, or he/she will go nuts trying to do their job AND precept. :)

4. Be nice. Be fun. Learn to laugh at yourself. Don't sweat mistakes. Remember that MOST of what you learn as a nurse you'll learn from making mistakes -- honestly. Just about all of it.

5. Find those wonderful nice nurses who aren't afraid to teach, who teach well, and BEG to be their preceptees.

6. Listen more than you talk. Be friendly to all of the staff. Smile.

7. Stay away from the gossip, but keep your ears open and do try to stay away from some of the more nasty people on the staff. You'll find out who they are anyway -- they're like predatory sharks. :cool:

8. On bad days, when you don't want to come back and would rather smack yourself over the head with a hammer, or, perhaps suffocate yourself with a plastic bag over your head, or what not, just come back. Put one foot in front of the other and just keep going, through all the hell of it. In 2 years or so, you'll be amazed at yourself -- at how far you've come. It will be like night and day -- and you'll have wonderful options of going to a new unit, or maybe going to grad school, or working PRN. You will also have made a few wonderful great friends on your unit, and you will LOVE them! You will also grow as a nurse, begin to love the patients, begin to love what you do. But you just have to go through a certain amount of, uh, "discomfort" to get to that point. :lol2:

9. Don't hate doctors. They work hard. Just smile and be nice and they'll be really nice to you, really. They're great people. :nurse:

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

Go to work, do your job, keep your mouth shut and go home. Management does NOT like employees who are complainers or questions policies. It's best to just bite your tongue.

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