Starting Off Right

Starting Off Right

There are always a few things to be considered when starting a new career, especially in nursing. Simple matters for consideration include choosing a nursing specialty, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the unit, and corresponding the units goals and personality with your own. The new position is also going to require some smaller yet undeniably important preparations.  Equipment such as shoes, stethoscopes, scissors, and pens prove to be invaluable tools for any nurse. Also having healthy feet, legs, and a strong back are important and essential to ensure a long nursing career. What’s a new nurse to keep in mind to best prepare themselves for their new career?

1. How did you know what unit was a right fit for you?

2. Say the new nurse chooses a unit known to others as “difficult”. How do they know the difference between a healthy challenge, pushing you to be better versus an overwhelming, frustrating, poorly managed unit? Give a personal example if possible.

3. A key to being a successful nurse is to quickly get familiarized with the unit and hospital. How did you scope out the scene and learn the routines, protocols?

4. How did you as new nurse get familiar location of equipment and even learning the location of other departments? 

Essentials

1. Do you have any pen preferences?

2. What is your opinion on shoes?

3. Stethoscopes?

4. How about scrubs?

5. Any tips on scissors?

6. Compression Stockings?

7. What are some other on the job "must haves"?

8. Nurses backs, legs, and feet take such a beating at work, do you have a special strategy to relieve some of the pain and soreness?

9. Some nurses have handy references/fact reminders is there is something you have to had and couldn't work without?

Comments

[Megan]

if you have a clogged IV line, use a 1cc syringe to flush it. Works everytime.

[Felli/kris]

when my feet begin to get tired from going down the hall then its time to change my shoes! Klogs only! feet needs to slip in and out quickly

[Felli]

You need to work a Med-Surg Floor. It teaches you the fundamentals of nursing, to be organized, and develop your time management skills. Also the variety of patient illnesses builds the foundation of the field where you will eventually specialize.

[Angela Small]

And on Scrubs I have found the more pockets the better on the pants. I found some by Cherokee Workwear, that have a big pocket on the left leg to put report papers/orders in and the right leg also has a big pocket for pens and stuff, but also has a sissors pocket and a small pocket for the portable phone we're required to carry. Tape on my Stethoscope bugs me so I put my tape (paper and plastic please)on my hemostats and clamp them to bottom of my scrub top off to the side. Keeps it with you and out of the way.

[Angela Small]

I agree when you do decide on a unit stick with it for a least a year. I love where I'm working now, but not so much the first few months. It took about 6 months to get past the anxiety stage of being a new nurse and making a mistake and the full year to feel really confident in my abilities. If you can still say you don't like the area of nurising your in or maybe just not the particular floor your on after a year, then yes maybe it's time to start looking for something that is a better fit for you.

Aimee, love ya and I'm with you, surgical floor nursing is not my thing either. but cardiac nursing I love.

Supply wise get a stethoscope YOU can hear out of. Some of the cheap one's we used in nursing school are hard to hear what you need to hear. I did not like the double tubed ones or the long ones. the tubes would rub and make too much noise to hear lungs sounds or heart tones. I think everyone also needs a Sharpie Micro point black marker to write on blood tubes, etc.

Also make sure to learn where the Drug information is kept. We have a program on the computer. Remember you can always call the pharmacist. Sometime you are going to have several IV meds to hang all at once and you need to quickly be able to find out what's compatable and what's not, because most times you only have one IV site.

[Aimee Dinwoodie]

Oh- and I got shoes called Klogs. They're made just for nurses, and they are wonderful! Took about 2 weeks to break them in, but after that I stood on my feet all day long without my feet and legs hurting! So, find a good pair of shoes!

[Aimee Dinwoodie]

Go to a peer interview, or ask if you can talk to some of the nurses on the unit. Ask them questions, because you need to make sure this is the best place for you. Plus- if the existing employees are happy it's a good sign that this may be a decent place to work.
Always ask about the nurse:patient ratio, and ask if it's adhered to, also, ask about the acuity of the patients. 7 "walkies-talkies" are a breeze, but 4 "totals" can be much more challenging.
There's always going to be those challenging days that make you think "why did I ever become a nurse," but that's going to be anywhere,so if you have one day like that don't give up and be discouraged.
Recognize when it's time to move on. I was a surgical floor nurse for a year and at first it was okay, but I didn't really enjoy the work, and after a while I was miserable (though I did love the people I worked with!). Luckily, my husband is military and it was time to move. Now I'm working in an ER and absolutely LOVE the work. It's much more my personality and I'm excited to go to work. So, sometimes you have to try new things to find your niche- don't become defeated if it's not the first job you try. The wonderful thing about nursing is the vast amount of options and opportunities.

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Often new nurses have that “what have I gotten myself into” feeling after accepting their first position on a unit. Your coworkers, supervisors and the general work load may not be living up to your expectations. It is tempting to want to head for apparent greener pastures, but make a commitment to yourself that you will stay for at least a year. The “honeymoon is over” anxiety is common in the nursing profession. Stick with a position at least a year. You will gain confidence, experience and insight with every assignment you accept. Remember the grass is usually not greener on the other side. There will always be weeds wherever you go.