What does nursing actually look like? Is it as glamorous as nursing on television? Well check your expectations at the door, here’s what to expect out of nursing: expectations versus reality.
Expectation #1: After your preceptorship you’re going to be all alone.
Nurses are never alone! It’s scary being independent the first couple of shifts. But you’ll quickly realize you’re never actually ‘on your own’. The preceptors who trained you are still going to be working the floor and they’ll likely check in on you even after you’re doing precepting. Plus there’s a charge nurse whose there to answer your questions and help you out!
Visit How to Get the Most Out of Your Preceptorship, Nursing Fundamentals: A Guide to the Complete Healthcare Team, and What to Expect in the First Year as a New Grad Nurse for more info.
Expectation #2: You’ll be fully prepared after new hire training.
After new hire training there’s a misconception that you now know how to fully operate on your own. But as you probably know, there are always going to be new things to learn! So get the most you can out of training, but keep in mind you’re always going to have new questions once you start working independently. And that’s okay, it’s part of the job!
In some cases, once you’re on your own, you might find the feeling of imposter syndrome creeping in. Don’t let it get to you! This happens to a lot of new nurses. Visit Imposter Syndrome as a New Nurse for more information on how to work around that feeling.
Expectation #3: Nursing is an easy job.
Nursing is many things, but an easy job is not one of them. Nursing is rewarding, fulfilling, and difficult at times! Nurses witness death all too often but we also witness birth and healing. Embrace it all to get the most out of your nursing career.
Visit How to Cope with the Death of a Patient, A Guide To End-of-Life Care, and How to Raise Awareness on Workplace Violence in the Nursing and Healthcare Field for more info.
Expectation #4: You have CNA’s (Certified Nursing Assistant’s) to do the dirty work.
You will have CNA’s, and you will also learn how to delegate tasks to your CNA’s which is great. But you also must keep in mind that while you may only have 4 patients, your CNA is going to have more than that. So while delegating tasks is great, open communication with your CNA is even better. In other words, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty every now and then. Whether that’s tag teaming with your CNA or cleaning patients on your own when they’re busy.
Visit Nursing Fundamentals: A Guide to Delegation and the Nursing Process for more information.
Expectation #5: You’ll never need to ask for help as a nurse.
You finished nursing school, passed NCLEX, and got through new hire orientation, you know everything right? Wrong! Medicine is a practice that is always adapting and changing and as a nurse, you’re going to have to grow too. There’s always going to be something you don’t know or a trick to learn from a more seasoned nurse. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, especially when there’s a rapid or a code. And don’t forget to lend a hand every now and then too during your own down time. You never know when you’re going to be the one asking for help.
Expectation #6: Experienced nurses eat their young.
In nursing there’s a misconception that all seasoned nurses ‘eat their young’. And while this may be true for some, I mean the phrase did come from somewhere after all, it’s not always the case. Your preceptor is going to be a seasoned nurse and likely so is your charge nurse. And these are both people who are there to help you succeed.
If you feel like you are being treated poorly, remove yourself from the situation and find someone else you know you can trust. If it keeps being an issue and you don’t feel you have anyone to go to for help, then bring it up to your manager and see if there’s not something they can do. Nurse bullying is simply not okay, and it makes the rest of us look bad!
And remember when you’re a seasoned nurse, don’t act this way to the new nurses!
Expectation #7: There’s always going to be a doctor around.
Unless you’re in the ED, there’s maybe an hour or two when doctors round. They come, they do a check in on their patients, and they might ask the nurse how their patients are doing. Then they leave to round on their other patients. If you need help or have a question with an order, go to your charge nurse before paging the doctor, especially in the middle of the night.
For more information about calling the doctor, visit Tips for New Nurses on Calling the Doctor.
Expectation #8: Doctors know everything.
Medicine is a practice that is always evolving. Doctors don’t know everything! Which is why it’s always a good idea to double check doctor orders, including medications before you administer them to your patients. Which leads us to expectation number 9.
Expectation #9: There’s no need to question doctors’ orders.
Because doctors aren’t always at bedside with the patient, especially when they’re feeling their worst, it can sometimes be hard for them to know exactly what the patient needs. Which is why nurse-patient communication is so important for the doctor to be made aware of.
If a doctor puts in a medication order, and the patient makes a comment to you that they don’t tolerate that medication, then the doctor needs to be made aware of this and hopefully change the order. So review all the doctor orders! Do they make sense? Is the patient understanding of their situation? Did the doctor explain medications and procedures to them? If the answer’s no, then you may want to bring this up to your charge nurse and potentially to the doctor to correct the situation.
Expectation #10: You’ll always have time to take your breaks.
You should always have time to take your lunch break, but you may not always have time to take your smaller breaks in between. It’s your job to let your charge nurse know when you need a break. Some shifts you just simply might not have time to take every break. Try to plan out your shift ahead of time so this doesn’t happen.
Also visit the following for more shift organization and other nursing info!
- How to Organize Your 12-Hour Nursing Shift
- Organizational Brain Template for New Nurses
- Start of Shift Plan for New Nurses
- How to Handle Aggressive Patients
- Patient Education: How to Spot a Stroke and Save a Life