Question

My biggest fear about being a new nurse is not knowing what to do in the daily routine of being a nurse. We learn a lot in school about the meds and diseases but not a lot about day to day nurses work. This includes paging doctors, calling pharmacy about meds, making notes, giving reports, etcetera. I think working in a hospital will help with some of the fear because I have been able to see the nurses do these tasks everyday. While it will be different to do it myself I have at least been able to see how they interact with different areas. I can communicate with my preceptor about my fear by telling them that I have never done certain things before and asking to observe them do it first before I do it myself. I think this is something that I will get over relatively quickly after having some practice and seeing it done more.

Please response to the post above.

Answer 1

Yes of course, nursing is a profession in which you can improvise day by day. Each and every procedures which are new to you today can easily be handled by you later if you practice them more and more. Its always a good idea to inform you preceptor about your lack of knowledge on any of the particular procedures . Its much better if you assist any senior nurses on new procedures few times before you start doing it by yourself. But, never be reluctant to get start with anything.

As nursing is a medical profession, always remember that you are dealing with human lives. Therefore, always be prepared, careful and dedicated to your work. Always remember that, experience is the major factor in which you have to focus. With more experience comes more perfection. Before performing any practicals, always try to gain maximum theoretical knowledge on it. If you don't know a procedure, then clearly inform it to your colleagues or seniors rather than causing harm to the patient.

Don't be reluctant to ask doubts to anybody. Clearing even the basic doubts will determine your expertise in this field.