These 7 tips are a must-know for all new grad nurses in their first year of work!
You got into nursing school.
You finished nursing school.
You passed your NCLEX.
And now you are officially ready to start your new job as a newly graduated registered nurse.
Congrats! Now you can start implementing everything you have learned in nursing school.
Starting your career as a new nurse can be overwhelming, but it is a long road you have been waiting to finish!
When I started my first LPN job years ago, I did not know what to expect. I had no idea how to be a nurse or what would be expected of me. I slowly started learning my role and became more confident in my skills.
I worked as an LPN for 3 years before I started as a new grad registered nurse in a new grad nurse residency program. Being an LPN differed entirely from being an RN, and I was extremely nervous for my first day of work all over again.
Along the way, I learned a few tips that made my transition that much smoother, and I will be sharing with you all these tips so you too can be the best new grad nurse!
This post is all about the best tips for new grad nurses.
7 Tips For New Grad Nurses:
1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions
As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a stupid question.
You are a new nurse, and nobody expects you to know everything. Even nurses that have been in this career for many years, still don’t know everything!
Nursing is a profession where you will constantly learn new things every day, so don’t be afraid to sound “dumb” because I promise you, you won’t.
If there is a diagnosis that your patient has that you are not too familiar with, ask about it. Ask what it is, and ask about the medications you are giving.
Your preceptor is there to guide you, they want you to learn and they want you to do it safely.
2. Keep a small notebook in your pocket
I still do this to this day, especially when I am getting oriented in a new specialty.
It does not need to be a big notebook, but just small enough that you can fit in your pocket and take it around everywhere.
In this notebook, write down:
- Disease processes you want to further learn about
- Important unit policies and guidelines
- Codes for certain rooms such as the supply rooms, break rooms, and restrooms
- Step-by-step guide on how to do admissions, transfers, and discharges
- Anything else you think will be important to remember
For example: in the NICU I work in we have a team of nurses that are part of the “Line Team” which are the ones who deal with PICC lines (Peripherally Inserted Central Cather) and UVCs (Umbilical Venous Catheter).
As bedside nurses, we take care of the PIVs (Peripheral Intravenous line) and UACs (Umbilical Artery Catheter), meaning we can start fluids and blood through the PIV as well as give medicine, and we can take out blood for our labs and blood gases using a hummi device from the UAC, but we cannot touch our PICCs or UVCs.
This was a hard concept for me to grasp at first, which is where my little notebook came in handy. Every time I had a UAC or UVC, I made sure I knew what I could and couldn’t do.
You can write down anything you need a little bit more of a reminder in, and it will definitely make a difference!
3. Study at home
As I mentioned, nursing is a never-ending learning profession.
Just because you finished nursing school, it does not mean you have finished learning.
If you are part of a new grad nurse residency program, then you will have certain days where you will have either zoom or in-person lectures about the most important topics you need to learn for your unit.
Pay attention to your lectures, take notes and ask questions. You might also have to do some modules from the hospital website – take notes from these modules as well!
These modules are available to you as long as you are an employee, so you can always go back to them if you need a refresher.
Besides all this, you can always study on your own time.
You can pick one day of the week to study up to 3 disease processes that you might want to learn a little more about, and take your time going over them.
This will make you feel more confident at work as well!
4. Be open to every opportunity
What I mean by this, is to not limit yourself just to what you are learning at the moment.
If it is your second week on the floor and your preceptor asks you if you want to start an IV, do it! Take the opportunity and learn from it!
The worst thing that can happen is that you won’t get it, but your preceptor will, and now you have hands-on experience for next time!
Sometimes, other nurses will know you are new and will ask your preceptor if you want to observe a procedure, put in a foley for them, etc.
Take advantage of this!
These are all great learning opportunities you might not have a chance to see or do until you are on your own.
Also, if – sadly – there is a code on your unit, go to it. See what the role of each person is, see how the bedside nurse helps, and familiarize yourself with the algorithm.
This will all help you once you are off orientation!
5. Make friends
As a new nurse, you might be in a new grad nurse residency program for a whole year, with the same people.
You will have lectures with them, meetings with them, and you might even work a bunch of days with them.
These new nurses are also going through what you are going through.
Be friends with them, go to eat after lectures or work, if you’re all not too tired of course.
Have people by your side that you can talk to who will understand when you tell them you are feeling overwhelmed.
Lean on each other, but don’t forget to make friends with your other coworkers as well!
We spend a big chunk of our life at work, so why not make it enjoyable?
6. Advocate for yourself
This one is important.
You need to be your biggest advocate.
If you do not speak up for yourself, no one else will.
As a new nurse, it can be scary to say no or to put your foot down on certain things, but it is imperative to set healthy boundaries and know when you need to be heard. This might take a little while to become good at, but it will come.
If it feels as if you are getting heavy assignments over and over again, or if you are constantly being the one on admission, say something.
If you are still on orientation, you will have educators you can talk to. If you think you need more time to learn and want to extend your orientation, tell them. If you are feeling overwhelmed, let them know. They are there to make your transition easier and to help you be on your own safely.
No one can read your mind, and if you do not say a certain situation is not going well for you, no one will know.
You never know what answer you will get unless you speak up.
7. Be honest with yourself and take care of yourself
You might have started on your dream unit but it ended up being completely different than what you had imagined.
Or you started on Med Surg because the unit you truly wanted to be in did not take any new grads this year.
Either way, if you are not happy where you are, voice it.
You do not need to be stuck in a unit you will be miserable in, and you are never forced to work where you do not want to work.
Be honest with yourself and talk to your educators, tell them how you are feeling, and they will try to help you as much as they can.
Also, remember to practice self-care!
Nursing is a tough and all-consuming profession, so don’t forget to always take care of yourself first!
Good luck!
This post was all about the best tips for new grad nurses.
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