Nurses are Masters at the Fine Art of Caring
Give Yourself a Year!
New grads can expect to face a few bumps along the way their first year. That wonderful air of confidence and idealism about setting the world on fire doesn't last long.
Along comes the NCLEX and suddenly your brain seems empty. Is it possible to have forgotten everything you learned these past few years?!!! NO! It's all still there, you're just having the first of many anxiety attacks almost every new nurse experiences.
You pass the boards and things begin to go smoothly for awhile and then one day, someone calls in sick and your supervisor tells you you'll be in charge today. Who me? Oh no, not me. I'm not ready to be in charge! More panic!!!
Relax, take deep breaths, and face the challenge one hour at a time. Maybe even one minute at a time at first, if things get out of hand. Think out loud and even discuss it with another nurse or two if you need to.
The main thing to always remember is to do no harm. If something comes up that you are totally unsure of of haven't done before, call for backup.
You can expect to have a lot of good days interspersed with plenty of challenges. You won't have learned or experienced everything in school, but you will have learned the tools to help you assess a situation and figure out the steps to deal with it. (The nursing process.)
Along about six to nine months into your first year, you may experience a major feeling of "what did I do?" "I'm just not cut out for this. I'm not a good nurse, and never will be." This is actually a very normal phenomenon.
About 20% of new nurses will leave the profession within their first year. All too often this is because they hit one of these bumps in the road and find no support system to help them through it. The profession is beginning to understand the need to mentor nurses for a year.
Nursing is one of the most physically and emotionally challenging professions. And it's going to take you at least a whole year to feel confident. Don't rush it. Give yourself time. You'll be a great nurse!!!
Along comes the NCLEX and suddenly your brain seems empty. Is it possible to have forgotten everything you learned these past few years?!!! NO! It's all still there, you're just having the first of many anxiety attacks almost every new nurse experiences.
You pass the boards and things begin to go smoothly for awhile and then one day, someone calls in sick and your supervisor tells you you'll be in charge today. Who me? Oh no, not me. I'm not ready to be in charge! More panic!!!
Relax, take deep breaths, and face the challenge one hour at a time. Maybe even one minute at a time at first, if things get out of hand. Think out loud and even discuss it with another nurse or two if you need to.
The main thing to always remember is to do no harm. If something comes up that you are totally unsure of of haven't done before, call for backup.
You can expect to have a lot of good days interspersed with plenty of challenges. You won't have learned or experienced everything in school, but you will have learned the tools to help you assess a situation and figure out the steps to deal with it. (The nursing process.)
Along about six to nine months into your first year, you may experience a major feeling of "what did I do?" "I'm just not cut out for this. I'm not a good nurse, and never will be." This is actually a very normal phenomenon.
About 20% of new nurses will leave the profession within their first year. All too often this is because they hit one of these bumps in the road and find no support system to help them through it. The profession is beginning to understand the need to mentor nurses for a year.
Nursing is one of the most physically and emotionally challenging professions. And it's going to take you at least a whole year to feel confident. Don't rush it. Give yourself time. You'll be a great nurse!!!
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