5 Tips To Being The Best New Nurse On Your Unit
Being a new nurse on a unit is hard enough, right? Will you fit in? Will you remember everything? Will you be able to hold your own?
Every new nurse has some, if not all, of these questions floating around in their brain, I know I did. I want you to be ahead of the game and to annihilate these worries. That's why I have put together my top 5 tips to help you be the best new nurse on your unit.
Tip #1: Don’t be on your phone
I get it, we all are guilty of being glued to our phones at some point or another. But while you're on the floor is not the place for it.
Will you see other nurses on their phones? Yes. Absolutely. Does this mean it’s okay for you to do it? Absolutely not.
Seasoned nurses and other team members are always watching you to see how you behave. I mean, how many times have you been on your phone while someone is trying to get your attention but you’re in a total Instagram hole and ready to start drooling? Totally guilty over here.
As a new nurse you should always be putting your best foot forward, and having your nose in your iPhone is a sure way to let other nurses know that you don’t care, nor are you looking to be a great nurse. Even if this is not actually true, it sends the wrong message. Keep your phone away, check it on break or in the bathroom.
When you are on the floor, be present. Even when you are in the break room you have an opportunity to bond with the other nurses. If you're too worried about posting a selfie (take one before you leave your house #nurselife #imadeit #firstdayofdreamjob), you may miss out on getting to know the other nurses.
Tip #2 Always volunteer to take a patient
Tip #3: Introduce yourself to Every. Single. Person.
It is not the job of the current staff members to introduce themselves to you. Would that be nice if they all did? Yes, of course, and some do.
But it is your job to let people know who you are. Between medical students, PA students, nursing students etc... there are many new faces that come on and off the unit daily. Don’t assume people know who you are.
Have confidence. You have passed your NCLEX, crushed your interview and gotten a nursing job! Put on a big smile and walk up to people and introduce yourself. These people are now YOUR people.
So many times new nurses don’t do this very important thing. And to be honest, it is frowned upon big time by other nurses and staff members on the unit. And when I say everyone? I mean everyone. All the housekeeping/EVS workers who will be cleaning up bodily fluids from your patients, all the nursing assistants who will be helping bath, change, & turn your patients. The scrub techs who keep their operating rooms spotless so that your patient doesn’t get a hospital acquired infection... every single person matters.
When new nurses forget about the ancillary staff, it effects the culture of the unit, and guess what? You’ve just started off on the wrong foot with the support staff.
So, make this whole "new kid on the block" thing easier ,and just smile. March up to people and tell them your name and ask how their day is, and really listen to their answer. It goes along way.
TIP #4: Don't be late
I will just shrivel up and die if you are that new nurse that strolls in late carrying a Starbucks coffee! The daggers you will get may just pierce your venti salted caramel frappuccino hold the whipped cream, leaving it to drip all over your tie dye matching sweat suit.
If you’re on time, you’re late. I’m sure this has been drilled into you from nursing school. I still have nightmares about my alarm not going off and missing clinical. Maybe that’s why I have 17 alarms set in my phone for different things.
Get to work early. Why race around and speed, to save 10 minutes of sleep? Just get there early. Grab a coffee in the cafeteria and wait in the break room. Get your papers together, pens (that work, I’m guessing it will be the cool pen with the 4 color options, wink wink) and look over patients to see what patients would help you learn and challenge you to be a better nurse.
Other team members see you’re here and ready, especially the previous shift. Whether it is day or night shift, those nurses have been ready to go home. They are tired and done. Maybe they have to drop or pick up their kids, or rush to that dental appointment (night nurses will schedule doctors appointments right after night shifts sometimes so that they don’t have to wake up early for an appointment... I know because I did this several times), but they certainly don’t want to have to wait to give report because a nurse is late.
Will you be late sometimes? Yes, it happens. If you are going to be late... always call the unit so that the charge nurse can make arrangements.
Tip #5: If you hear beeping, fix it.
Everything beeps. I mean everything. Blood pressures, IV pumps, bed alarms, batteries, and so on. If you are walking past a room that is alarming or beeping, walk in and see what’s going on. Don’t just call the nurse responsible for that room and say, “Hey, something in your room is beeping.” If it’s the blood pressure cuff alarming because it’s too high or low... retake it. Assess patient for associated signs and symptoms. If it’s the pump beeping because the bag ran out then call the nurse and ask if it’s okay to replace it. Replace it and then chart it.
Little tasks like this are greatly appreciated by any nurse. This also goes for call bells. If a patient is calling and you are sitting there, go see how you can help the patient. If the phone is ringing, pick it up and see how you can direct their call or help them. Doing these small things will make a big impression with your new teammates. Trust me.
Being a new nurse has it’s challenges. But don’t forget, every single one of those nurses on the unit was once the new nurse on the block.
There will be a time, not too far from when you started, when a new nurse will come along. She or he will have all the same feels that you once did. Help them. Make them feel comfortable. Nurses share a bond, one that is strong and fierce. Choose to embrace it so that you can become a great nurse and live a life you love.
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