Nursing: A Sea of Options with an Ocean of Danger

Sarah was so excited that she secured her first job as a nurse before she graduated, even though jobs were scarce in her community.  Sarah was hired in the OR at one of her community’s largest hospitals. She was a bit apprehensive at first, because Sarah was shy, easily intimidated, and struggled with confrontation. Although she heard about how stressful working in the OR was, she was way more excited about getting offered a job!

On her first day, one of the cardiothoracic surgeons screamed at her for getting close to his sterile field. At the end of the day, the lead OR nurse told her she needed to “grow a thick skin” if she wanted to be successful. Sarah left her first day in tears. Within 6 weeks, Sarah felt she had no choice but to quit.

What went wrong?

10 Action Steps to Survive and Thrive Nursing School

I’ve been a nurse for more than 23 years yet I can remember almost every detail from nursing school (mental scars). Getting through my program was probably one of the most stressful and challenging periods of my life! The expectation of mastering a mountain of information, always being “tested” by your instructors, the constant worry that you’re going to make a mistake and the never-ending list of demands from your school – it’s a wonder that anyone graduates!

But we do. We somehow manage to survive.

Nursing school doesn’t have to leave you with mental scars. You and your classmates can do more than just survive school…you can thrive!!

Follow these steps for nursing school success:

New Nurse Success Tip: Standing at the Crossroads of your Career

When nurses graduate from nursing school, unbeknownst to them, they are standing at a crosswalk. Some nurses will go left and some will go right. This decision will determine how successful, happy and satisfied they are with their decision to become a nurse. This decision will determine if they will become successful and thrive or unsuccessful and burn out.

Which way will you go?

I study human behavior – in particular, successful people. I just love to read about how someone who was locked in a closet for the first 4 years of his life and fed dog food, grew up to be a world humanitarian while someone else who was provided all of the luxuries known to man become a drug dealer or psycho killer! Human behavior fascinates me.

Out of the 2,000 + books and articles I’ve read about successful humans, one common characteristic exists. It’s this characteristic that faces you at the crossroad…it’s this characteristic that determines how successful you become.

NEW NURSE: 3 TIPS TO AVOID GETTING BLINDSIDED

Ashley was blindsided by her boss during her 6-month review. As a new nurse, Ashley thought she was doing a good job. Her boss, however, thought otherwise and told her she wasn’t meeting expectations.

Expectations according to what?

MAKE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION IN 7 SECONDS: TIPS FOR NEW NURSES.

Most people will judge you within 7 seconds of meeting you. Successful people know this and engage in specific behaviors to ensure they are making a great first impression, especially in the work environment.

The first time I met Susan was when she was shadowing for an educator position we had open in our department. Immediately I thought, ”No way.” Why? Because Susan didn’t smile at all, didn’t look me in the eye; and appeared to be miserable and way too serious. You see…we injected a lot of humor into our department as a way of coping with the stressful environment (we liked to have fun) and I couldn’t see Susan fitting in.

Susan was hired anyway, despite my (and a few others) opinion NOT to hire her. As it turned out, not only was Susan a brilliant clinician/educator, she was funnier and goofier than everyone in the department combined! Seriously, I used to say that she should have been a comedian.

What happened?

NURSING SUCCESS: 5 TIPS TO NETWORK LIKE A PRO!

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, networking is the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. Although primarily used in business, networking is becoming a critical skill nurses need to master too!

NEW NURSE SUCCESS: WHAT "NOT" TO WEAR!

I wrote this blog a while ago on my RTConnections blog. It has been one of my most popular blog posts, so I've adapted it for my New Nurse Success Shop blog. Why? Because, if you want to have a happy and successful nursing career, you need to understand the importance of appearance and what NOT to wear!

One way we inspire confidence (or lack of confidence) in our patients and colleagues is by what we wear. Although as humans, we like to express our individuality, we need to be mindful of how we express ourselves in the work environment. By knowing what not to wear, as a new nurse, you can use this to your advantage and be viewed as a competent professional right from the beginning of your career.

2 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING NURSING ORIENTATION

New nurses begin orientation with some excitement yet a lot of apprehension. You finally get to take care of patients without getting everything okayed by your instructor!! Yay!!  However, many nurses are apprehensive and ask themselves questions like, “Will I make it? Am I good enough? Was I meant to be a nurse? Will I have a good preceptor or a bad one? Will I fit in? Will I be successful or not?” This internal conversation can sometimes cause unnecessary added stress on new nurses. After all, we know that some nurses don't have a successful orientation.

To stop the negative dialogue about making it and begin orientation fully prepared to succeed, you need to understand that… your success depends on the quality of feedback you receive throughout orientation.

NEW NURSE GRAD AND STILL CAN’T FIND A JOB? CAST AND FOLLOW!

Last year my daughter was frustrated because she couldn’t find a job.  My daughter is not a nurse (I wish she was!). She is a phys-ed and health teacher and was trying to secure her first full-time job teaching kids. She was frustrated because, according to her, she’s “applied for a gazillion jobs” but nobody was calling her back!

 

If you’re a new grad, this probably sounds familiar.

TIPS FOR NEW NURSES: BEWARE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA SIRENS

Social media is everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Diggs, Google+, etc…heck, you can’t even watch a television show without being bombarded by their social media marketing plugs. Almost everybody has at least a Facebook Page – schools, health care organizations and even the mom and pop shops are utilizing it to market their business. 95% of all students use Facebook and are on the site multiple times a day! It’s great isn’t it? You get to see what’s happening with your friends and family, check out the latest and greatest products and offers from the companies you like, learn something and even get a good laugh (or cry) from a great video post.  It’s mesmerizing and alluring. But be warned. Like the Sirens in Greek mythology who lured nearby sailors through music to their ultimate death, social media can derail your career as a nurse before it even starts – if you’re not careful.

TIPS FOR NEW NURSES: TOP 3 STRATEGIES TO PROTECT YOUR NURSING LICENSE

I’ll never forget the moment when my first nursing license came in the mail. I swear I stared at it for hours! I was never so proud of anything I had done up to that point. However, reality hit me when I started working in an acute care hospital.  I realized that I no longer had the safety blanket of my instructor to protect me - I was on my own as a professional RN and I was scared to death! After all, I worked really hard to get my license but I wasn't sure what to do to protect it.

We’ve all read the horror stories about nurses who lost their licenses and want to make sure that doesn't happen to us! 

TIPS FOR NEW NURSES: ACE THAT INTERVIEW

How exciting! You’ve built and written your resume, applied for RN positions, and now you’ve landed your first interview. Getting an interview means you’ve at least appeared qualified on paper. Now it’s time to knock their socks off in person. How? By preparing.

I’ve interviewed a gazillion new and experienced nurses and know how intimidating they can be for the candidate. After all, a stranger is basically judging you and making a decision about your future. However, careful planning and preparation can help you appear confident, competent and win over almost any interviewer.

THE KEY TO LANDING YOUR FIRST NURSING JOB: BE LIKE GUMBY

Many nursing students dream of getting their first job in the ICU or Emergency Room. These places are action-packed, full of excitement and considered “cool”. Some students know they want to advance their degree and become Nurse Anesthetists and truly need at least one year experience in a critical care unit – cool or not.  However, the job market today isn’t as open to hiring new graduate nurses into critical care environments. 

TIPS FOR STUDENT NURSES: GETTING GOOD REFERENCES

The job market for new nurses isn’t as wide open as it was several years ago. You’re not going to hired just because you’re breathing and can hold your bladder for 12 hours (recruiter joke). Getting past the resume review and interview is important; however getting good references and recommendations might seal the deal.

OVERWHELMED BY NURSING OPTIONS? MAP IT!

Yay! You've decided to become a nurse. The next question everyone will ask is this, "What kind of nurse do you want to be?" After all, there are so many different types of nursing! You can be a critical care nurse, nurse educator, researcher, advanced practice nurse, flight nurse, medical surgical nurse, etc. etc. etc. However, sometimes when you have so many different options, it can be confusing and overwhelming.

I was fortunate to discover NURSING LICENSE MAP from Georgetown University who posted a blog about the different pathways in nursing. I really liked how they created an infographic that shows the various requirements (and even salaries) via visual roadmap.

You can check it out the entire blog by clicking here!

Whether you're a student nurse, brand new nurse or experienced nurse, Nursing License Map is a site you'll want to check out! You can also find great information by following them on their main site at Georgetown University, and by connecting with them on their various social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!!

Thanks so much for reading. Thank you for choosing to become a nurse!

I'm cheering for your success!

Renee

For more great tips, make sure you "like" me on Facebook,"follow"  me on Twitter and YouTube and subscribe to my blog. Also, check out my new book on nurse-to-nurse bullying!