New Nurse Tip: Your patient passes out. Now what?

Before I became a nurse, I worked as a Medical Assistant at a local women’s clinic in Pittsburgh, PA. I worked in the lab and drew blood on about 50-60 people a day. It was inevitable that out of the 50-60 people, at least one of them would start to drop their pressure and pass out.

When I became a nurse, the same sort of thing happened but sometimes it wasn’t because I was drawing their blood – sometimes it was because they had a massive GI bleed, were septic, or severely dehydrated.

What would be your initial independent nursing intervention if your patient passed out? Pick one.

Magnesium: Potassium’s Little Sister

Did you ever care for a patient with hypokalemia who despite multiple runs of KCl and countless mixes of Klor, the potassium level hardly moves? If so, check the patient’s magnesium level.

Why?

New Nurse Success Tip: Seeing patients beyond the bed

I recently took care of a 50-year-old woman who suffered a brain injury. The woman in the bed was almost bald, had a spastic left side, severe expressive aphasia, and was incontinent and unable to eat. Initially, I saw her as cognitively impaired, helpless, and requiring a lot of work on my part. 

But then I truly SAW her for who she really was.

New Nurse Success Tip: The best predictor of competence

In my business, I spend a lot of time helping organizations successfully onboard new nurses. From their first interview, first day of work, and clinical orientation to independent, competent professional nurse, the question is always the same - "How do we help new nurses become competent and independently care for patients?" 

As a new nurse, you may be asking yourself the same question. 

What determines new nurse competence?