How do I survive my first nursing job? That’s a question on the minds of youngest nurses.
You see; no need to sugarcoat things; your first year as a nurse will be more challenging than even the nursing school. Don’t think because you’ve passed the NCLEX-RN and landed a sweet-paying nursing job, and your hard days are over. Not yet, at least not in your first year where you will have to sweat it out learning real-life nursing skills in your chosen specialty.
While the first and foremost step is to look for a new position online, you should also start preparing yourself mentally for the hurdles of nursing. Granted, searching for nursing jobs near me can give you an abundance of opportunities and options to explore.
Starting a nursing career can stir deep overwhelming feelings and anxiety, here is some advice all new nurses need to know;
Ask Questions, Don’t Be Shy of “I Don’t Know”
There are no two ways around it; you will have to ask many questions in your first year as a practicing nurse. No need to worry about what your superiors and colleagues will think; ask questions as much as they are willing to reveal.
No one will expect you to know everything. Know that most of your superiors have toed this same path in the past. They became knowledgeable nurses due to their readiness to shed their natural feeling of fear and be courageous.
Your Nursing Education Continues
If you intend to be the best of your peers in years to come, you would have to accept that your real nursing education just began. Not saying you will be going back to school for BSN or MSN immediately. It’s about being ready to take all the knowledge available in your new role.
Update yourself on your job-specific skills (essential for your nursing resume) as well as the job description of other healthcare professionals. Take your first nursing job as an opportunity to grow as a nurse and also a person.
Being an experienced nurse starts from your first job. Your experience is graded by your ability to educate your patients, their loved ones, and your colleagues.
Get a Mentor To Help Shape Your Career Trajectory
In your first year, what you go through as a nurse will leave you either loving or loathing the profession. With what will be thrown at your, you’ll find yourself in search of a new career path before the year runs out.
That’s why you need to get under the mentorship of experienced and seasoned nurses. It would be best if you took mentorship seriously as a new nurse. The mentor should be approachable and ready to address your concerns. You will have to talk less and listen more as a nurse in your first job.
Master the Art of Prioritizing
As expressed earlier, you will be easily overwhelmed by the happenings of your first job. That’s because you will be faced with a high number of patients to cater for at every shift. During every shift, you will have to tackle both planned and unplanned events.
To make the most of your time:
· Break your shifts into hourly piecemeal.
· During each hour, identify the most important tasks and duties.
· Be able to answer the question of what is the most important and what is the least important.
With this step-by-step process, your response time to events and your duties will be top-notch.
You Will Have Good and Not So Good Days
There will be good days and bad ones. When the bad ones come, try to stay as positive as possible. The reality is that all nurses have their bad days, even those experienced nurses you rely on as mentors. Remember to ask your mentors how they survive their bad days.
To limit your dwelling on the bad days, identify the positives of your day and celebrate them. Learn to pat yourself on the back and reward your successes.
If you make use of these tips, you’ll see your first year flying by in no time. Of course, you’ll be leaving the first year with loads of experiences and memories. These experiences will go along with you as you go on to take advanced degrees.