You graduated nursing school and you’ve landed your first job, congratulations! What a huge accomplishment! It’s time to flip to the next chapter of your life, your first year as a new grad nurse at a new job. Let’s dive in!
Once a Student, Always a Student
You graduated nursing school, you’ve read every book, taken every test, landed the job, you’re all set right? Wrong! In the field of science, and more specifically nursing, there is always more to learn! Whether it be tricks of the trade or new research studies, you’re constantly going to be learning. Even as a seasoned nurse! Which is why nurses are required to take continuing education units, aka CEUs, in order to renew their licenses.
Stay Friendly with Your Preceptor
Even after you’re done with your preceptorship, it’s very likely that you’re still going to be working the same shift as your old preceptor. And you’re probably still going to have questions pop-up here and there. Which is why it’s a great idea to get on your preceptors’ good side and stay in touch with them even after you’re on your own as a new grad nurse!
For more information, visit How to Get the Most Out of Your Preceptorship.
Managing Stress
No matter what field you choose to go into, or what job you choose to accept, the first year is always going to be stressful. Which is why leaning how to manage stress as a new grad nurse is so important.
Find someone who you trust, like a mentor, to help navigate through this hectic time. Your mentor can be an old clinical instructor or professor from nursing school, or maybe it’s your preceptor who trained you for your current position. No matter who it is, you should be able to rely on them, trust them, and share difficult experiences with them. Their feedback is going to be highly valuable for your current stressors as well as future stressors in the nursing field.
It is important to know all your resources as a new grad. So learning about your complete healthcare team, what it means to call for a rapid response team, and a code blue are all super helpful. For more resources, check with your employer. Often times at hospitals there will be various groups geared toward nurses for this exact purpose, stress relief from those who understand what you’re going through. Most new grad programs will also have resources and people who can guide you in the right direction. And if you find yourself getting nervous before your shift, visit How to Overcome Pre-Shift Anxiety for Nurses.
It is important too to bring up the false feeling of not belonging in the first year and even sometimes after that as a nurse. For more information on this, visit Imposter Syndrome as a New Nurse.
Understanding What’s Acceptable
Nurses and other healthcare professionals are unfortunately one of the most common professions for workplace violence to occur. Whether that be physical or psychological, workplace violence is simply unacceptable and should not be tolerated. For more information, visit How to Raise Awareness on Workplace Violence in the Nursing and Healthcare Field.
Gaining Stamina
A lot of new grad nurses are going to be hired onto night shift, which is going to be a challenge. But no matter what shift you work, you’re going to be building up stamina. Let’s face it, our bodies aren’t used to working three 12 hour shifts a week, sometimes even back-to-back. So figuring out your new work and sleep schedule is going to be a bit different than in nursing school.
For those of you starting out on nights, visit Adjusting to Night Shift and What Do Night Shift Nurses Do? An Hourly Survival Guide.
For the rest of you lucky enough to be hired onto day shift, visit How to Organize Your 12-Hour Nursing Shift and Organizational Brain Template for New Nurses.
Being Part of the Team
Last but not least, learning to be a part of the healthcare team is different from nursing school. In school you likely had to do some group projects, but let’s face it, everyone’s level of commitment was probably varying. In the healthcare field you’re constantly going to be working together. One profession is not better than another profession because at the end of the day, we need the entire team to be successful!
So learn your role and be okay with asking others for help and helping them in return. Listen to your nursing gut and if you aren’t sure about something, ask your mentor or another nurse whom you trust. If you’re still unsure ask your breaker and then your unit manager. Learn the chain of command and use it when necessary. That’s what they’re there for!
And finally, always be sure to treat others with respect no matter what their role. After all, we’re all part of a team and each of us serve vital roles in the care of our patients.
For more information on various team members, visit Nursing Fundamentals: A Guide to the Complete Healthcare Team.
How is your first year as a new nurse going? Comment below!
Plus be sure to check out these additional resources for new nurses:
- Start of Shift Plan for New Nurses
- How to do a Quick yet Effective Head-to-Toe Assessment
- Charting Tips for New Nurses
- Essentials of a Good Bedside Handoff Report
And be sure to follow along with the Nursing Fundamentals Series and the Patient Education Series!