Surviving SW Nursing School : What's It REALLY Like? Student to Nurse: Our Graduates Speak.

Beyond SW

Working

From B:

I work in a specialty ICU where I take care of some very critical patients after surgery. Unlike nursing school a care plan is done with just a few clicks of the mouse. I Titrate vasoactive drugs that can rapidly increase and decrease a patients blood pressure which can be a little nerve racking. I feel that my experience as a LPN and the new knowledge I obtained at SW has prepared me to improve myself constantly.

From S:

From Registered Nurse to Real Nurse.
Did nursing school help me prepare for the real nursing world? Is nursing anything like I expected? Not a chance. Nursing school is a crash course in basic training and as long as you get out of school knowing what is "normal" then you will be able to differentiate from the abnormal.
There is a reason that nurses have a long orientation process during the transition from school to workforce. I have been out of orientation and on my own for 3 months, luckily For me on my own does not mean "by myself". I have seen some nurses try to "eat the young" and some of my friends have experienced this. I don't know if my "always assume positive intent" makes me experience the seasoned nurses differently or if I am just luckily that I have a great unit I am working on. My unit has welcomed me with open arms and my preceptor was amazing. I have heard many stories of different experiences.
I am on a specialty floor and am learning more and more everyday. There have been a few times I have left in tears and I even experienced a panic attack but I think most of the stress is self induced and I have seen seasoned nurses of 10+ years leave in tears so I know we all have bad days.
Time management has been my biggest problem and charting takes forever. I wish I could perform more patient care and less paperwork. I had a nurse ask me "did you give good patient care?" - yes, "does your patient feel like you have taken care of their needs?"- yes "then you are doing fine". I am working on my self confidence and learning to trust my instincts. I have learned a few pointers as a new nurse- learn to cluster care, the patient doesn't want you in their room any more than you need. Try your best to make your patient feel like they are your only one while you are in their room. This builds a lot of their trust in you. And it's ok to be worried that you will do something wrong... That means you are doing it right. When you stop worrying you need to stop nursing.

From K:

I am halfway through my orientation in a pediatric critical care unit. So far I feel my SW education has provided a good foundation, but I have MUCH to learn. My first week I participated in a code, had a patient desat to the 30's (on a vent), and took care of a patient on ECMO. Nursing school didn't prepare me for these experiences, but I did the best I could at my level of training, and asked lots of questions later. There is so much to learn in this unit and the first few weeks were very overwhelming. From the diagnoses to the medical equipment, most of it was new and intimidating. I would advise nursing students to jump at every opportunity presented in clinical. There's so much to see and do, and not enough time in clinical to learn everything. Never thought I'd say that! Another area to really try to excel at is dosage and calculations. I did well in the class and understood the concepts, but in pediatrics especially, a med error can be fatal, and when you're giving a 0.12mg dose to 3kg baby you really want to be sure of yourself. This is one area that my preceptor "encouraged" me to be more confident. The first day or so I asked her to double check every medication I gave because I was so paranoid. I realized I could work out a word problem easily but to look at the pharmacy label and do the calculations (concentration, mcg/kg/min-->mcg/hr-->mg/hr) without writing anything down was more difficult for me. I learned quickly when you have a patient on 12 different drips in addition to scheduled meds and PRN's you need to be able to do fast AND accurate drug calculations. I've found that each week I improve a little more. I may understand a diagnosis better, calculate dosages faster, chart more accurately, or manage patient care more efficiently. One thing about starting so "fresh" like I did is that there's LOTS of room for improving! I try not to be too hard on myself but it's hard to remember that those seasoned nurses started at the bottom too. I'm fortunate that my employer offers a long (20wk) orientation period, a nurse residency program, and continuing education, but if my nursing school experience taught me anything it's that you have to pursue your own success. For me that's going to mean doing my own research, asking a lot of questions and taking advantage of every opportunity to learn something new.

From T:

It can be tough at times, but for the most part it is very rewarding. You get to play a huge part of so many lives outside of you family and friends. The impact you have on them, will be largely in part to your actions whether positive or negative. You must learn to treat each patient and their circumstance as individual and as if this were someone very close to you. This will assure your care and actions actions are that of a genuinely compassionate caregiver.

Never be afraid to be your patient's advocate whether involving decisions in their care or asking a family member to please leave becuase they are upsetting your patient. Remember, sometimes we are the only voice they have!

Yes at the beginning of my career is was strenuous. I felt I had made the wrong career choice. I had a very hard time adjusting. In your textbook, you learn about renal failure and treatments for renal failure, but your textbooks/ instructors can never prepare you for real life. They can not prepare prepare you for who you are as a nurse, nor can they prepare you for the nurse you will become.

Finding who you are WILL be your greatest feat. Loving and taking care of people are your defining pillars. Build from this foundation and remember this and all I've said so when you have your "rainy days in nursing" it will redirect your path where YOU needs ought to be. If you love what you do, you will never work a hard day in your life! Lastly, Nurses are of a special bread of human, we take care of EVERYONE even when no one else will! God bless!

THIS:

Is a freaking AMAZING book. Amazing.

Another Useful book:

and one more:

Your first 100 days at a new job could be daunting---unless you go in prepared. First Year Nurse places the wisdom and warnings of hundreds of experienced nurses right at your fingertips. You'll learn all about how to start off on the right foot; plan and prioritize; communicate with your colleagues; cope with challenging patients; keep your energy up (and stress down); and set a course for professional growth.

Best of all, you'll be inspired by the compassion, insight, and enthusiasm you'll find on every page of this charming, helpful book.