Let your first year set the stage for a successful career
Any new graduate will have a tough transition from classroom to work place. That is doubly true for nurses, who have to grow up in a career where life and death issues are the norm, not the exception. According to author Barbara Arnoldussen, RN, MBA, the pathway to a successful nursing career starts long before your first day on the job. To insure that you get started on the right foot in your new career, Arnoldussen advises newly minted nurses to be deliberate and prepared at every step along the path to landing that first job.
In her book, “First Year Nurse: Wisdom, Warnings, and What I Wish I'd Known My First 100 Days”, she advises you to question, question, question everyone you meet during the application process for any job. Starting with the employment department, ask specific questions about those policies and practices that could have serious long term consequences on your work environment. To make sure your job is a good fit, include these questions as you meet with the employment department and clinical teams.
· How does the employer orientate new nurses. Is there a formal orientation period? Will you have a mentor or preceptor?
· How many other nurses work in the same capacity as the job you are considering? How many are also new grads?
· How much time off is allowed for continuing education? Are your reimbursed for any training expenses?
· What is the staffing ratio of nurse to patient?
Of course, you will want to ask about the shift schedule. How many hours are nurses schedule at a shift? Are weekends and holidays rotated among the nursing staff? Do you have any choice about shift length or starting time? Make sure you get your offer, including salary, and benefits, in writing before you accept the job.
How will you know when you have started that perfect job? Arnoldussen give you some signs to look for. A jewel of a job will have:
· Room to grow professionally
· A strong team approach among the nursing staff
· A role model or mentor assigned to all newly graduated nurses.
· Support and resources devoted to ongoing education services
· A welcoming atmosphere that invites questions and input
· Variety in the tasks to which you are assigned
· Appreciation by senior staff for your talents and contributions.
During your first 100 days, or sooner, you’ll begin to understand the difference between nursing school and the real world. Expect a seemingly endless string of eye-opening experiences. Just keep focused. Remind yourself that for the time that you are on the job, your patients are most important thing in your life. Your observations, even as a new nurse, can be critical to their recovery.
Then, when your shift is over, t leave your work at the office or hospital. Your career may depend on it. Nurse burnout is a serious problem, causing a steadily increasing exodus from the profession. A study done in 2007 by Dr. Christine Cover reported that 13% of new nurses left their primary job, while 37% were planning to leave. A minimum, those nurses are essentially wasting four years of a costly university education. More importantly, they are closing the door to the many opportunities that nursing can offer. To keep from joining the exodus, be selfish about your free time. Give yourself plenty of opportunity to unwind, particularly after a difficult shift. Find ways to relieve stress when you are away from the job.
Consider the first 100 days as an important transition in your career and your life. The best pathway to success during this time is to go into your job well prepared with information you have gathered during your education and the hiring process. Watch, listen and learn. And realize that this period is an important part of your professional growth.
