Help Advice And Tips For A Newly Qualified Nurse?

9 Responses to Help Advice And Tips For A Newly Qualified Nurse?

1. mistyblu says:

   August 5, 2009 at 1:17 pm

   Try to relax,
   Ask if you need help,
   don’t pretent to know things you don’t,
   smile and be yourself,
   Everyone is nervous when they start a new job it’s just like when you go on a new placement but you’ll stay and get really settled.
   Forget about loads of reading up, just know the basics and within a few weeks you’ll know what you need to read about.
   All the best of luck.
   Nursing is a great job. Cr*p pay,too much work and not enough staff but I’ve loved it for nearly 20 years!!!
2. RM says:

   August 5, 2009 at 1:43 pm

   Read up on neurology, especially stroke, and find out what happens when someone has a stroke, the different types of stroke, the different nursing needs of someone with hypotonicity as opposed to hypertonicity, visual problems such as homonymous hemianopia, speech difficulties, learn the difference between dysarthria and dysphagia or aphasia, find out how sensory loss will ultimately be more debilitating than motor loss, and what you can do to stimulate awareness of body parts.
   There’s so much you can learn – just be open to doing the background work. Being newly qualified is like having a blank canvas with the right paints at hand, you must now learn to fill in the colours and bring texture and life to it, and to accept that it’s always a work in progress. You’ll always be learning and expanding your abilities.
   Good luck!
3. Emily131 says:

   August 5, 2009 at 2:31 pm

   Be confident and believe yourself!
4. boogeywo says:

   August 5, 2009 at 2:31 pm

   Your best bet is to conference with all the therapists who provide care on the unit. They will be a valuable resource for all adaptations the patients need.
   Speech pathologist– all questions about swallowing/dysphagia and any aspect of communication/cognition.
   Occupational therapist– ADLs, functional transfers (i.e., from wheelchair to toilet), adaptive equipment.
   Physical therapist– strengthening, balance, locomotion and transfers.
5. nay6600 says:

   August 5, 2009 at 3:03 pm

   Read up on CVA’s, s/s or re-stroking. Be on time, be patient with your patients….treat them the way you expect your loved one to be treated.
   Nay
6. charnelh says:

   August 5, 2009 at 3:45 pm

   stroke /rehab…you need your brains and brawn….could be quite heavy, prepare yourself for the dirty jobs too…
   if in doubt, just ask questions and help from your colleagues.dont assume anything…
   take your time with the drugs- no space for drug errors.
   be systematic in your job, know your priorities
   most of all, dont forget your tlc….treat your pts as you wld like to be treated….
   best of luck and enjoy, have fun.,,
   smile/laugh, no matter how busy it can be , it lightens up the burden……………..
7. Dr Frank says:

   August 5, 2009 at 3:46 pm

   The days when being a nurse or doctor gave one a feeling of lifelong satisfaction and achievement went out with Dr. Findlay!
   I was lucky I had about 10 years of being in the Doctor in the House era. We loved it our moral was great we had genuine affection for our hospital. Everyone would do anything for anyone else, nurse, doctor, porter, cleaner even administrator. Doctors and nurses would have
   moved heaven and earth for their patients, even though at that time we worked 120 hours a week!
   It really has all gone pear shaped. There is no give and take, everyone spends their time watching their backs and nothing anyone does is good enough. I know we can’t go back to the days when the patient died and the relatives said ‘You did your best.’ The bureaucrats rule totally now, efficiency and savings are king, and the system moves the goal posts for the workers at least once a year. This is true for doctors, nurses and teachers.
   Do yourself a favour use your qualification to become a drug rep! The pay and conditions are better, you get a car and there is less risk that you will spend part of every week writing written answers to complaints.
   Cynic, that may well be, but only because I was lucky enough to see in my early career what it should be like.
8. Ktloop says:

   August 5, 2009 at 4:05 pm

   read up on CVA and TIA and their side effects, causes etc.
   Nurse training prepares you for the basics and you will learn so much so quickly, the best advice I can give you is it is not as scarey as you think, you will not be expected to know everything or run the ward for a while, hopefully your ward will have a preceptorship period, where you will have a mentor to help and guide you. just ask, ask ask and do not be afraid of looking stupid, the staff would rather have a nervous newly qualified nurse who asks a lot of questions than a cocky ;know it all’ who WILL make mistakes.
   I qualified 2 years ago and it was a very scarey time, but the staff on the ward were brilliant, and dont forget to also ask and take advice from ALL staff from doctors to HCAs even domestics !!
   good luck and enjoy
9. carol c says:

   August 5, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   just dont forget the patient comes first .they cnt help being the way they are .and dont ever forget how you started and spare a thought for a scared student and dont forget to thank the healthcare assistants they keep things going and if on side you will be okay