New RN On-The-Job Tips

For many of you, you are either staring your new job or about to start your career in nursing.  First off, how exciting is that?  I remember my first days starting as a pediatric floor nurse.  I was nervous and excited.  I had other jobs before, but this was the start of my career! I could not believe that I finished nursing school and I finally was becoming a nurse.  So, I completely understand how you are feeling now.

In this blog I share with you a few tips I think might be helpful for you.  These tips can serve as a lifeline during what will probably be the toughest year of your career. 

First, be proactive.  If there is a disease process, you are not familiar with or a procedure you would like to assist in, ask!  Ask about the disease process and what its manifestations are.  Ask what treatments have been used and what kind of response occurred. If there is a procedure that in nursing school, you watched a video or a demonstration, ask to assist.  Ask to get your hands dirty.  That is really the only way you will learn and being proactive about your learning will help you look like a competent nurse, or at least people will take note that you want to be a competent nurse.

Second be a good student.  Yes, you are out of school and what else is there to learn?  Lots!  Trust me.  Acting like you know everything when you come on the floor is not going to be good for image.  Even though you might have aced every exam and was a shining star in nursing school, that time of your life is over.  You and every new nurse are on the same playing field.  So, pull your ego back and listen and learn.  Use the skills you learned in school and ask questions (see above) but still let yourself listen to those who are experienced.  You will always be learning whether you are in nursing, marketing, or carpentry.  There are always new skills and new information to learn. Let yourself be good student and be ready to learn. 

Lastly practice, practice, practice.  To be good at your nursing skills requires you to practice.  Take every advantage to practice.  Several things will come out of you practicing nursing skills. One, you become familiar with the skill at hand which will help you to become comfortable with the skill.  When you are comfortable you become confident.  Now, do not let yourself get lazy when you are comfortable!  With confidence, you put your patient, your coworkers, and yourself at ease.  When a nurse is confident, your patient will rely on you and trust the care you are providing. Second, you may find an easier or more efficient way of conducting a skill.  Many nurses have designed a new technique or contraption to carry out a skill.  You could be a nurse inventor! 

These are a few tips that can help you your first year of nursing. Unfortunately, in nursing, many experienced nurses are not always cheering for you. I never understood why. However, we can change that type of thinking with you!