Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Did you know that first year nurses experience the highest turnover of any group?
That reality is staggering, but it also tells us something important.
You are not alone and your growth matters.
Welcome to the All One Nurse Podcast, where we are bridging the gap between the stethoscope and the soul through real nursing stories and nursing conversations.
Here, our mission is simple.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: To get back to the human side of healthcare.
[00:00:35] Speaker A: I'm your host, nurse, Chanel Tompkins, and I'm also your mentor and nurse educator. And this space was created just for you to breathe, to learn, to grow, and most importantly, feel supported no matter where you are in your nursing journey.
So take a deep breath and let's step into your next breakthrough.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Hey there. It's summertime and a lot of you are walking into your big girl or big boy roles as a nurse and I'm here for it.
Welcome back to another awesome bonus episode of the All One Nurse Podcast. I'm your host, Chanel Tompkins, and today we're diving into three key areas every new nurse needs to master. And that's confidence, compassion, and communication.
Because this transition isn't just about a new job. It's also about becoming the nurse that you were called to be and actually enjoying it.
Like, keep that same excitement when you got accepted into nursing school, when you pass nclex, or when you will pass nclex, and as you carry on the career that you have chosen, or it may have chosen you.
Now, for those of you that are new here, welcome. And for those of you that have been with me for a while now, I'm still just as glad that you're here.
And either way, be sure to subscribe and share this episode with someone else if it resonates with you.
And also you let other people know by subscribing and leaving a review from wherever you're tuning in from that this safe space exists just for you. So today's topic, transitioning from nursing student to professional nurse. Big emphasis on professional. Now you've taken the nclex or maybe you're preparing to take, to take or retake it, but either way, you're stepping into your nursing role. Like you're preparing to fully step into that role. And whether you've accepted a position in ICU Med Surg, the ed, the or, which is operating room or on a progressive care or ICU step down unit. Guess what? I am here cheering you on. And when I graduated in 2011, I started in a ICU step down unit that also cared for post op heart surgery patients. Those with coronary artery bypass grafts and I absolutely loved it. I loved all the chest tubes and all the things and I loved it so much that I eventually moved into the CVICU and I stayed there for about five to six years before transitioning into my role now as a Staff Development Specialist where I am now overseeing new hires and especially new nurses in their orientation as they enter the ICUs and ICU. Step down for general ICU and neuro ICU at this time now my desire for you is that I want you to leave this episode feeling informed, encouraged and resourceful, which leads to increased confidence and faith in what you're doing. And even when you don't know, hey, I have resources because information matters, but misinformation can cause unnecessary stress like you don't know what you don't know. And I feel as if it's my job to share what I do know at this stage in your nursing career and because I've been there and being able to just speak light on it. So from applying applying for your first position to navigating your licensure and onboarding like let's talk about those things. Because if your state offers a temporary license or internship role, then I really want you to go ahead and start learning those policies early on, especially for the organization in which you would you desire to work for or you applied to. Because I've seen many new grads struggle during this transition phase. It's especially when trying to balance work, family and prepping for nclex. So know what is expected upon graduation. Know what your policy says if you're working up under a temporary license right now and preparing to take boards and know what all should be done upon obtaining your licensure as well as what you can and cannot do if you are if you by chance failed boards and you no longer have that temporary license. Now those of you who are actually studying for NCLEX or preparing while working in your full time role, then I encourage you to create a study schedule and test soon after receiving your authorization to test because it has been proven that you tend to perform better on the NCLEX versus those who delay taking NCLEX while also trying to figure out this full time job with these full time hours with a temporary license that the organization may be crediting to you as your actual nursing orientation time.
So hopefully that makes sense and it helps. And then also know your learning style if tutoring or structured study helps you when prepping for nclex. If you're still prepping, then invest in it and passing your boards confidently will set the tone for the rest of your career. Just as well as making it through nursing school.
You, you know, you build some confidence and then they tear you down and you build back up. But also, as you're transitioning into your full time nursing role, get to know your preceptor teaching style and be open minded. Be very open minded and communicate openly. Ask them to show you how to do the task and then perform it in front of them. And when they say, oh, you got it, do not let them assume that, that you know something, even if you do know it, let them validate that you are actually doing it the right way.
Because there has been instances where someone has taught someone else the wrong way to do things. And guess what? That becomes the culture. And nobody actually realizes that, hey, that's not actually how you do that task.
So be sure to get validated as well.
And that's also the benefit of working with other preceptors or other nurses when your preceptor is out. Because now you can get to see. Because we're all doing the same thing and the goal is to do it safely when we're providing patient care at the bedside.
But sometimes you get to see the variation in how it's done versus, I mean, compared to like sterile procedure. Like you can't break sterile procedure. Just let me make that disclaimer there. Okay? But hopefully that helps. Now again, simple things like flushing an IV port correctly are safety checkpoints. And never hesitate to ask questions or request feedback because your patient's best advocate is you is it's you. And orientation is your time to build confidence. Okay. And a lot of things that you, there may be some things that you may not see in orientation, but that's okay. Now one thing that I've saw is that you can usually expect 10 weeks of orientation time with the last few weeks being possibly on night shift and then day shift orientation.
Just know that it helps you see the unit at its full capacity and you're learning the workflow leadership and you're locating the testing areas for those late night stat procedures like mri, scene CT scans, especially if you're the one transporting your patients. If you're working in a critical care area or in the ed. So be sure to be mindful of that. And then give yourself grace to find out what works for your household too. As you're transitioning, you may need to sacrifice your weekends or adjust your schedule to family life. Whether you work Sunday through Tuesday or Monday through Wednesday just or Thursday Through Sunday. Trust God with the process for me. I was a single mom, so when I was out on my own, I started working Thursday through Sundays on nights. And as you're starting in orientation, go ahead and ask up front for your preceptor schedule and your own to avoid conflicts later. So compare it.
Compare your preceptors schedule to your life. Like, one thing that's understood is to mention vacation time if you're getting married, if you're going out of the country. So it's important to communicate those things now. What happens when your personalities clash between you and your preceptor if you do not mesh? I always recommend having a private conversation first because many tough preceptors end up being the ones that you appreciate the most because they teach you resilience, for one, and precision. And if issues persist, then communicate respectfully to your leadership with your manager in private. But one thing I do discourage is having conversations with other peers on your unit.
That may be something that you need to talk to that person privately with. And then if you need to go from there, communicate with a witness. And it could be a peer talking to your preceptor. Or then go to your manager or leadership regarding the issues. And it's okay to get a new preceptor. The goal is that y' all are all working together. It's not about everybody being one big family. Teamwork is important.
Safe patient care is important. So lean on that. And how we talk to one another matters, because it doesn't matter what you say.
And nobody and a person may not remember what you said, but they remember how you made them feel. So that goes both ways when you're talking to others as well. Now, piggybacking on scheduling. I talked to you about avoiding scheduling conflicts. Well, what if you just feel like this is not working out for me and you want to do something differently?
And the organization in which you apply to or you're working with is such a big organization.
I always encourage you before applying for another position within the organization in which you're working with, always talk with your manager first, because your manager is going to find out.
The manager that's receiving your application will reach out to your current manager and ask about you. And that's just an expectation they want to know.
Tell me a little bit more. Tell me a little bit more about Chanel before she transfers to the pacu, for example.
And so what do you think your manager is going to think or feel when they have no idea that you actually applied? So you don't want your manager to be caught off guard when someone else is asking about you and actually referring to your your character for one.
So be sure to always say something. And the goal is to always keep those professional relationships positive and open. And another thing, if you are getting ready to apply for a role and you're just like, I don't know what nursing role to take, whether it's ICU or Med Surg, I want you to consider your capacity and your interest when it comes to icu. It offers that deep critical care learning, but it demands focus and emotional resilience. And with Med Surg, it builds strong time management and foundational nursing skills, hands down.
But both paths are very valuable. So choose what aligns with your goals and your growth and what's best for you. I chose ICU Step down and because I did not want to be responsible for critical care patients at that time. But I can tell you after working on Step down, which was a good middle ground between Med Surg and ic, once I transferred to the cvicu, I was able to run circles around them as far as nursing skills, but I still needed to learn the critical care aspect as far as monitoring, actually having monitors without those monitors. Your nursing judgment is so good. I'm using my assessment skills now, focusing on the three things that we talked about, confidence, communication, and compassion. I want to talk to you also about competence, compassion and the Code of Ethics. The Nursing Code of Ethics Psalms 25:21 says, May my integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.
So I want you to leave this episode by letting your integrity and your uprightness go before you no matter what, because they'll protect your license and your peace. Because you always want to do the right thing when no one is looking.
And remember that you're caring for lives that depend on your skill and your heart, especially when it comes to that compassion. And like I mentioned before, you are the advocate for your patient. You are the stop sign, the yield sign, and the influencer who helps your patients rest and heal.
So I want you to know that nursing is about serving others well, whether it is through healing or transitioning. Meaning patient passes on. And my final thoughts for you is that I love to hear how you're actually transitioning into nursing and how it has been for you. Do so by joining the All1Nurse private Facebook community or follow All1Nurse on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. I'm also on YouTube, but I don't do as much on there. And as we wrap up this episode next week. My bonus episode is focused on I failed nclex now what?
Now, I personally did not fail NCLEX the first time I actually passed. But I have mentored and been a listening ear to many new nurses who failed nclex and through the lived experience of others that I have interviewed here on the podcast or met even in my nursing career over the past 15 years who have failed NCLEX one time or multiple times and are awesome nurses. So can't wait to dive into that episode. Because more importantly, I have some words of encouragement for you that if you don't leave that episode feeling confident, then you better let me know now. Until next time, this is Chanel Tompkins on the All One Nights Podcast and I thank you for being here. And remember, let your light shine. Sam.
