INTRODUCTION
Becoming a nurse is not easy at all. The journey from entering the course and then finishing it is surely full of hurdles, sacrifices, and competitions. But, this is not the end as once you enter the practical side you come across all those difficulties and more. The real thing is to bring all your theory that you’ve learned into practice, which is way more overwhelming and unpredictable. This is because real-life scenarios involve actual people their emotions and are completely different and challenging than the theories. So, this time of your life is filled with promises and so many expectations from your patients and their families.
Although a degree of nursing sounds very good, it takes complete hard work and dedication to come this long, you have to be very goal-oriented and a people’s person to earn an academic degree known as a bachelor of science in nursing, which is an essential need for your nursing career. If you are a promising student, then you are going to take this career way too far.
As a new nurse, being nervous and anxious about doing things the right way is no big deal. Everyone knows how difficult it is to step into a professional world directly from student life. And on this stage of life, you feel embarrassed about not knowing what to do next. But you know what? You don’t have to feel that way because there are many tips for nurses like you that can help you with a successful career.
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ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN
Asking questions is one way of knowing things thus you should never be afraid of asking queries no matter how experienced or confident you are. There is always a lot to learn in the field of nursing.
Sharing knowledge is attuned to increasing your knowledge so don’t be shy or afraid of asking questions from your coworkers and always try to learn something new. Be curious about things you don’t know because most of the coworkers or seniors appreciate you asking questions than rather doing things wrong as someone’s life is dependant upon you.
Of course, you don’t want to put your patient’s life and safety in danger, so simply go seek the concerned authority in search of the right answers. There are so many nurses out there who learn most of the things from their workplace rather than from a nursing school. You should be taking advantage of the learning opportunities you are provided with as it will grow a chance for good networking and tell others that you are sincere and responsible for your profession. Even experienced nurses and doctors believe in the power of communication and learning new things by engaging themselves in new employee orientations and regular meetings.
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A WISE MENTOR
Every professional growth involves counselling from a dedicated expert because a good mentor can help you a lot through-out your career. Observe and network with people to find yourself a mentor, and just follow their footsteps on the go. If your mentor is good at their work and job and you like what they do, all you have to do then is watch and learn how they deal with the challenges of this field to ensure smooth running.
This way, you are going to learn things by just watching your mentor while they deal with patients and themselves. Get under the wings of your mentor in order to develop bonding between you and your nursing career.
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CONNECT WITH YOUR TEAM
Socializing is important and somehow helps a lot in every stage of life. Get to know your team-mates well and help them in difficulties as a favor, they will surely do the same in return someday. Connect with them, talk to them as you can learn so much by listening to their experiences and you’ll also get to know about your working place environment.
Offer your team-mates or coworkers to help, pitch in, or volunteer. This will make you look cooperative and that you are available to help in all sorts of situations. Good bonding with colleagues means a lesser chance of uncertainties, and work becomes much easier in a friendly environment.
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KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES
Prioritization is very important in your nursing career. You always need to know what patients of yours need more serious medical attention than others, this is possible if you will read their history first before treating them. And if you can’t handle the situation then learn how to delegate that task on someone more senior and capable.
DO NOT SPEED UP
Patience is the key factor in the nursing profession so no need to rush or stress about things you don’t know or are confused about. Doing things faster than usual will make you feel stressed out or panicked. A patient might think that you aren’t so sure about what you are doing with them which can leave a bad impact on your image. Rushing will take you nowhere but lead you to mistakes and eventually a feeling of guilt. Hence, instead of speeding up or panicking, trust yourself.
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TAKE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF
A hard-working job like nursing can be stressful and can leave you tired and out of focus with a lack of sleep. Take out some time from your restless routine for yourself and make sure to give time to your friends, family, your hobbies, and take enough rest to work passionately and actively the next day.
Also, avoid too much caffeine as sipping coffee all day might help you with enough energy to deal with the next patient, but it also dehydrates your body. You need to drink water at any cost. Your body needs water to keep itself hydrated and energetic. While taking care of the sick learn to take care of yourself too, because you deserve it.
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LEARN HOW TO ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES
Admit your mistakes. By avoiding them you will not only make things worse for yourself but also end up putting someone else’s life in danger which will cost you a lot. Besides, it is totally unacceptable to cover up your mistakes instead of accepting them like adults. Accepting your mistakes will make your seniors or mentors guide you and lessen the damage.
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BE KIND
Try being nice and kind to your patients when they all need is care. Sometimes all a person need is someone empathetic and nice to talk to rather than some medications or pills. Be the kind of nurse that you would like to have as a patient. Act polite and gentle when dealing with really sick patients no matter how stressed you are. “GIVE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE”, the Buddha.
CONCLUSION
First studying hard to become a nurse and when you finally become one, everything seems so welcoming and stressful. Instead of stressing out on little things, try working on yourself and maintain your schedule.
Never be afraid of asking questions when you need to. Always be open to learning new things, no matter it is coming from your senior or junior. Find yourself a mentor to whom you can follow and observe them while they perform operations or deal with some patients. Keep a strong bonding with your team in order to help and to receive assistance in return. Never hurry in critical situations, always think before doing a task and forget to panic. Above all be kind to every person you come in contact with, especially your patients and coworkers.