Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Ask questions, be intentional, be willing to be curious. I love a curious person.
A lot of times it's not about skill set. I will precept anyone, but the one question that I always have is 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.
[00:00:35] Speaker B: 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, to get back to the human side of healthcare.
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.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: Welcome back to the All A Nurse Podcast. I'm your host, Chanel Tompkins, and I'm so glad you found your way back here in this. This is your first time, of course, go ahead and click that subscribe button, but let's jump right in. Fun fact, we just might have two Devins joining us soon. One is Dr. Devin Owens, our family member who is also a breast cancer survivor. And the other is our nurse tech entrepreneur Devin Patterson, who created Surtracker and I like to think of them as my ebony and ivory. Both inspiring women bringing different perspectives to this community.
Especially with this month being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hopefully we will be hearing from Dr. Devin Owens as she share her journey as a breast cancer survivor and how she's helping other women and advocating for those who also may take that same path. And we'll definitely hear from Devin Patterson about her entrepreneurial path as a nurse and her humble beginnings and how she founded Surtracker and what the future might hold not only for her, but anyone dreaming of becoming more, especially as nurses. Because we are so much more than a bedside nurse, right? And I truly believe, as my sister often reminds me, we can only appreciate someone fully when we know their origin story and how far they've come. But I'm excited to hear from both of these amazing women as they share their experiences and wisdom. Now let's talk about today's episode.
Lately I've been doing more solo episodes as your host, Chanel Tompkins, because I want to get more personal with you and let you know the real me. Because I'm not here to perform. I'm here to have honest, authentic conversations. Just like I hope you'll have with me. And you're like, chanel, how? How am I going to do that?
Well, there's the all one nurse private Facebook community where I'm always praying over this space and asking God to give me wisdom on how to steward and serve you well there. And in the group you'll find a weekly devotional on Mondays and we also have Thursday meetups, weekly meetups at 7pm Central Time via Zoom, except for the last Thursday of the month. But the group is a safe space to talk about our wins, our challenges, and to share some practical tips to help us succeed at work, in school, and most of all, in life. Right now, we are more than just our titles. I say that over and over again, we are more than just our titles. Whether you are just a stay at home mom right now or a nursing student, you are more than just that. So there's a whole world of things that impact us every day and mindset is a huge, huge part of that. And that's where this community helps too, to make sure that we can actually get out of our own way. And if you haven't already, I encourage you to check out last week's episode, Getting out of youf Own Mind, speaking of mindset. And it is a guide to faith, courage and a strong foundation.
Now, that episode is a great listen if you're ready to break through mental barriers. And today I want to keep things short and sweet, focusing on the season that you're in, especially if you're transitioning from nursing student to a new nurse. This week is all about supporting my nursing students who are about to graduate and step into their professional roles. Yes, congratulations.
There's so much that you might not know yet and I just want to share some insights as a nurse educator and of course a staff development specialist who help orient new nurses and nursing staff into the hospital setting. Because your success matters to me, believe it or not. Now here are a few things to help you start strong. Get your resume together. Go ahead and have somebody review your resume to look for typos and make sure that the letterhead looks good. Make sure that somebody's able to read it that is clear and it doesn't include things that the managers don't really care about. And make sure that it is geared toward the role that you are applying for. And I want you to. And then the next thing is keep a checklist. Keep a checklist of what you need and write everything down. Grab a notebook and use it. Literally. I wish I had my notebook here as I'm talking.
But write a notebook and use it and know that you'll receive a lot of information as you orient to your new job, the facility and your specific unit, especially in specialty areas. Just like in nursing school, I want you to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Growth comes in phases. Whether you're applying for jobs, practicing or studying for the nclex, or even retesting or preparing to retest at this time, give yourself grace and know that it's okay. You didn't come this far to give up, so stay focused. Again, I believe in you, so borrow some of my faith if you need it. Okay? I got enough faith for everyone. Now if you need a confidence boost, this week's motivational message or motivation Scripture is Joshua, chapter one, verse nine, which states, have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. And when you think about that passage that scripture, God told Joshua this not one time, but three times, be strong and courageous and that he will be with him. So not only do it takes Joshua to be obedient, to cross, to take over the land that God promised them, but he's also reminded three times that God is also with him. So in your obedience, in your as you're transitioning and applying for these different positions, know that God is with you as well and that he's going before you, before you even step into your first. That unit that you end up on, God is with you. That unit that you may be on right now or be working in right now, that position that you're in, God is still with you. Still with you. And as for job applications and applying for jobs, I want you to cast your net wide if you're in that transition phase and make sure that your choices make sense for you. And what I mean by that is don't let other people tell you what you ought to be doing because they dress it up really nice. Chanel girl, you should be an ICU nurse. Go ahead and go in icu. You'll only get two patients. When Chanel actually does not feel comfortable coming out of nursing school taking on high acurity patients at that level because Chanel understands her level of anxiety and abuse ability to take on more than just the job itself, right? So for Chanel, literally for me, I took on, I took the middle row, the med surgical step down unit coming out of nursing school before going into cvicu and I worked on med surg step down for four years total before going into the cvicu. And guess what? I loved it. I loved my med sur step down unit. I got to learn a lot. But do not let others tell you what you should and should not do when it does not make sense for you. But you have to do the self evaluation. I'm not saying don't listen because of course you're listening to me, but make sure it's good, sound advice that makes sense to you, even from me. Chanel. But yes, when applying for jobs, also consider some of the places that you've already had the experience to interact with others, like your clinicals or your internship. Do you love the unit that you're on? Did you love a certain internship or a certain clinical site? Those are places that you may want to look into if that makes sense for you as far as like commuting and if you have home, your home life. As a parent, as a single parent, does it make sense to you when you're applying for certain jobs as well because you're having to Prepare for these 12 hour shifts? Right. I was a single parent coming through nursing school. Single parent for the first two years of nursing. And we most of the time have to prepare as new nurses to work night shift. And I worked night shift for two years as a single parent, which for me it helped. I had, my son was in kindergarten by then coming out of nursing school, and so my sister actually kept my son on the nights that I had to work and I worked my three nights in a row. And when it comes to your, the facilities around you or the hospitals that you are considering as a place of employment, I also want you to not throw away the whole hospital because of one unit and maybe one bad experience that you had in that hospital or maybe two. But hopefully you don't throw away the whole hospital because every unit is different. You have a different group of people. There's a culture of the overall organization that the organization is aiming for, but you also have a certain culture on those units. And so if you get to don't throw away the whole hospital or everyone because of a few bad apples. And as you go into these spaces, if you're like Chanel, okay, well I got till next semester before I start applying and I'm actually in clinicals now, or I'm an intern now or a nurse tech now, then go ahead and get yourself out of the people, pal. Meaning stand out. And what's some things that make you stand out no matter where you are? What makes me stand out when I go to work or in different spaces is the fact that I want to be there with a good attitude and I want to give more. I want to make the spaces that I am in better because I'm there and not just take away from them. So think on things like that. Ask questions, be intentional, be willing to be curious. I love a curious person.
A lot of times it's not about skill set, it's about a lot of times, I think. And I'm not a manager, but as a preceptor, I will precept anyone. But the one question that I always have is, are they trainable? Will this person listen? And so make yourself trainable. Make yourself the type of person that you absorb everything that's coming to you, and you want to understand the why behind things. You want to connect with people. Not on a.
On a, oh, I just need to get to know you, because I'm trying to get here. But genuinely, hello, I'm Chanel. I'm working here. And what's your name? What'd you like most about this position? And go from there. If you're interested in another position. If you're in a cafe, if you're doing clinicals or you're working and you see a nurse in a department that you know, they work in that department and you're interested in it, ask, you know, introduce yourself. And then ask, how long have you. Are you in that department? Are you in the orb?
What do you like about the. Or what do you not like?
And I appreciate you sharing this information with me and go on about your business because you were genuinely curious about their position and you will remember them and they will remember you.
And that's one way to get out of the people, pal. When you're considering going into especially specialized units like the icu, labor and delivery, and yes, constantly look for applications to those areas, but always be willing to just get your foot in the door, go low. The word of God says that the Lord, those who humble themselves, will be exalted. So sometimes it just starts by just getting in the building, getting into the organization, and then making your way to that unit.
Now, as we wrap up, I want to remind you that we'll be sitting down with either Devin Patterson or Dr. Devin Owens, both incredible women in our next episode. And I can't wait to hear their stories. I can't wait for you to hear their stories.
And our next solo episode with just me and you will be about failing forward, where I'll share some tips and strategies to help you succeed and to help us succeed. Because a lot of times I'm speaking to me too. Sometimes I'm like, okay, Lord. Okay, okay. Whenever I open my mouth.
But remember, even when you face setbacks, even when we face setbacks, remember that we can always try again. You can always try again. And every experience is building our resilience. And if this episode resonated with you, please leave a five star rating and a glowing review. Share this episode with someone else who need to hear this and share this episode with other aspiring nurses and new nurses and I'll see you in the All1 Nurse Private Facebook community and in the next episode. Until next time, let your light shine. Bye.
