10 Things I’ve learned as a Nurse- 1 year Later
This past year working as a nurse has been absolutely insane. I mean I am just going to say it none of us went into nursing school thinking the world would become overwhelmed by a literal pandemic but hey here we are and my god had it been a year of learning (which is a very generous statement). Without getting into a long rant (edit: I take that part back) here are 10 things I have learned as a nurse, 1 year in.
I learned that It. Is. A. Job. Most people wake up make their morning coffee clock in, answer emails, complete projects, spreadsheets etc. Nurses quite literally stop someone’s heart with a medication to make it beat in a normal rhythm, run a code and crack someone’s ribs while doing CPR and then go home eat dinner, feed their dog, schedule a dentist appointment and read their child a bedtime story. What I am saying is that there is a disconnect. Remember vampire diaries? Where they turned off emotions? (If you have no idea what I am referring to well, honestly you are missing out). Anyways, what I am saying is nursing is not a normal job. It’s not glamorous or cute. We don’t get to sit and comfort patients before they have a critical surgery. We hardly have time to do the necessities. I was under the impression nursing would involve compassion and empathy but to be completely honest I get through my shifts and I feel sorry for us nurses and staff…it should not be like that. The global nursing shortage and staffing crisis is not only hurting the patients, it’s hurting us. Even the new fresh nurses are burnt out. This is a job. I have learned so much at my job, made good friends and appreciate every nurse on the floor. But at the end of the shift I clock out and have to make the 30 drive home without falling asleep at the wheel. I used to think about the patients, the things I could have done better etc. but…I have pretty much perfected the turning of the emotion switch and I know this is a dark first thing I have learned but seriously I hope someday we can have a nursing environment where I can ask my patients how their day is and get the 93 year old their morning the coffee with 1 cream 2 sugars that is quite literally the only thing a 89 yr old looks forward to every morning but god, until that time comes we have to look out for us. It’s just a job. Clock in clock out. Give your all by all means those 12 hours do your very best as a human being and a nurse but try to disconnect when you step into your car, when you scrub yourself in the shower. Disconnect or you won’t make it more than a couple years like this.
On a lighter note…. like much lighter because I am depressed just typing that… I learned if you don’t have good shoes your life will be miserable for 12 hours at a time. Invest in quality shoes. Do your research, spend some money. But seriously try them on at the store don’t do online everyone’s feet are different but really try to find a pair that works for you. Shoes affect posture, pain, core endurance and will make or break a shift. My recommendation brands are Hoka & On cloud. I would give more but those are the two I have used and like. Hoka is my #1.
I learned what my “professional personality is”. Kind of… after so many hours of exhaustion I can be a bit much but what can we expect there. Be friendly, but not too open. There will be a couple friends you make there and if those become trusting real out of work friends then that is not what I’m referring to. I’m talking about at work. Be kind and be yourself but don’t gossip, don’t disclose every aspect of your life. Be professional be mindful and again remember, it is a job. Not everyone is looking out for your best interest and to be honestly nurses be crazy. Just be mindful of your actions and words!
I have learned to ask a million questions and keep asking them without feeling dumb. There is no point in your career when you should feel like you should know everything. I have been a nurse for a year and just last night my patient was SVT in the 200s and needed a amino bolus and I forgot which fluid to mix it with and I quickly asked. I got help. It came to be after but sometimes in the moment you get overwhelmed! If you “guess” you are potentially killing someone. You can guess on if your patient asked for ice or no ice. Do not guess on anything else. I didn’t study once for a med surg test in school and guessed the entire time with a lot of “C’s. I got a 54%. Don’t cut corners with serious tasks. If you don’t have time to do it right, don’t do it. Delegate. You can rush a bath, not meds.
I have learned to adapt to chaos. You can plan every task for the night, the surgery is at 9, labs at 12 but 50% of the time that is not the actually outcome. Be willing and flexible if not you’ll go insane, especially if your a type A person (which is most critical care nurses, if you are ER… well then you’ll be fine here).
I learned how to read an EKG and differentiate a lot of different rhythms. In school we learned very basic and very similar visuals in terms of EKG strips. In real life they are genuinely harder to interpret. I often will ask questions or if I have a second research things on the spot. There’s nothing wrong with admitting you don’t know something. Some of those nurses have been there for 15 years. They truly do not expect you to know anything let alone everything.
I learned that burn out comes quick with this job. There is no possible way to be the best nurse you can be when you are filling your cup 30%. When my Grandpa was in the hospital I was so terrified he was going to get a “bad nurse” and by bad I don’t mean like unintelligent nurse. I meant a burnt out, depressed sleep deprived nurse. Nurses are not dumb. To get into nursing school is hard. To graduate is hard. To pass the NCLEX is hard. By the time a nurse starts their career they are way past the threshold of if they are smart or not. Nurses are qualified to be nurses by all means there name plastered on a diploma and license confirms it…. but after 4 shifts, no sleep, poor patient to nurse ratio, weakening resources and flat out exhaustion… that’s when we need to advocate for ourselves as human beings. Call in, sleep all day, take a bath, get drinks with friends, have sex, throw on a face mask, cook a real meal, call your therapist, FaceTime your mom, paint your nails, binge watch a Netflix series and read a bad romance novel. Fill your cup, first… there’s not many bad nurses, but there are depleted ones.
I learned not to take things personal. If you are an empath, and most nurses are, this job can eat. you. alive. Patients are in their most vulnerable, sick, and tired states when they see us. Keep that in mind and try to not take anything to heart. I had a man scream at me the other night over a glass of water. Little did he know I was next door trying to do a stat EKG. He screamed, I shut the door and told him to calm down or security would become involved. Did I take it personal? No. You can’t control how these people treat you. Don’t feed into the drama just state facts and be truthful. And if not? By all means AMA is a option…
I learned how to prioritize and time manage in nursing. I would argue that beyond the nursing basics this is the most important skill to learn your first year. You learn what patient is the most unstable (which may not be the person that looks the worst fyi), learn how to time batch charting, what tasks need to get done asap etc etc. This is sooo soo important in nursing, and most careers!
I learned life is short. Life is short, life is so so so short. Witnessing death, sickness, pain and even just old age brings you back to reality quick. Life is so fragile, it’s not promised. I was in a car accident on the way to work this past weekend. Call your friends, tell your family you love them, compliment that stranger with the cool shirt, eat the damn cookie, take a million pictures, book the flight, kiss someone at the bar, post what you want, and stop thinking about what people think of you. We will quite literally all be dead in a 100 years. No one really cares. Love passionately, you just never know.
