Top 3 Ways to Settle in as a New Nurse

Do you remember you first 6 months to a year as a new nurse?  Do you remember the first patient you tended to? Do you remember the first death you encountered?  Do you remember the first time you left your 12-hour shift and felt like you chose the right profession?  Do you remember the first time you left your 12-hour shift and you felt that maybe you chose the wrong career?

Yeah, of course.  We all remember those events.  We all have been there.  As an experienced nurse, it is easy to recall those events with a chuckle or a sigh and think, “those were the days.” 

So, what do you say to new nurses who have yet to have these experiences?  I would encourage you to let them have these experiences.  I know, that does not sound pleasant.  But to be a good nurse, our new nurses need to know what it is to be a nurse.

Now, I am not saying just push them out there and walk away.  Experienced nurses have the opportunity to talk with the new nurses about their experience. Help them.  Help them understand why things happen the way they. You, as the experienced nurse will need to guide them through the tough times and celebrate the good times with them.

So, from an experienced nurse… how to settle in your role as a nurse.

My first rule is to let you know that you are still learning.  Give yourself a break but be open minded to learn new things.  People sometimes learn best by making mistakes.  However, in the medical field you are not allowed a lot of leeway when it comes to making mistakes.  When you do make a mistake, learn from it, figure out what went wrong, and grow from it.  I have had many bosses and mentor that worked with me through things a messed up on and those key learning experiences still stick with me.  

Second rule, give yourself a break. Although I mentioned learning is important, you can not learn everything in on day, week, year, or ever!  Know that there will be learning curves and that you may have to break your old reference books to remind yourself of certain mechanisms.  Further, be open to following up on the latest research for care.  Guidelines change and will be updated regularly.  So, must be able to change and adapt with it.

Third, find your specialty.  You just learning how to be a nurse which means you are learning to manage your time and learning when to act.  However, this will eventually become a skill. A skill that you do with confidence. Once you are settled into the role of nurse, you may want to specialize.  Find your niche in nursing.  Which part of nursing did you like the best, which part did you not like the best?  Being able to grow from a new nurse to a well-rounded experienced is the key.  Specializing and getting certified is how to do that.

So, I hope you start to feel settled in your new nurse role.  I hope that you fall in love with nursing. I hope that you learn that soon you will become a mentor and a clinical expert.  The nursing world is your oyster!