You made it through nursing school. You made it through your preceptorship. You made it through the job search. Now…you are about to start your first job as a nurse and you are nervous. Starting your first job as a nurse can be very nerve-wracking! Always remember that every nurse there that intimidates you has been in your exact same shoes! You have to start somewhere, but there are eight things you can learn or do before the first day that can help you feel prepared and calm your nerves.
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1. Make sure you have enough scrubs
This one might seem obvious, but make sure you have enough scrubs for every day. If you are working 12-hour shifts I suggest having 6 pairs of scrubs, but 3 will be just fine until you get a couple of paychecks into your account. There is nothing worse than working 12 hours only to have to come home and do laundry! There are lots of discount stores online that have a wide selection including Uniform Advantage, Scrubs and Beyond, and All Heart. Make sure to check them out, but know they usually have a pretty high price to qualify for free shipping so I suggest getting all your scrubs there or none. Amazon also has some great scrub options with free shipping!
One of the best things I did was go to a uniform store in my city and try on all different types of scrubs. I wrote them all down and that way I knew what styles I liked as well as the sizes if anyone wanted to get me any as a graduation gift, or if I saw some on sale.
2. Get a couple of supplies
While many things you bring to work are a direct result of your specialty, there are some items that every nurse needs to have!
- Badge Reel: you will probably get one with your badge on your first day, but it is always good to have an extra in your bag. Badge reels are not the most sturdy items and you always need to have one handy for the inevitable day that yours breaks. There are also SO many cute ones on Etsy that you can get, and they aren’t too expensive either!
- Mini Sharpie: you will use these for EVERYTHING. Go ahead and get a set so you can rotate them out when they either dry out or fall off your badge without you realizing it.
- Pens: I like colored pens for work because I like my plan for the day to look fun. Some people use a different color pen for every patient. Some use different colors for different tasks, some like to use the black pen they found in a drawer outside their patients’ room. Whatever system you think you want to try, make sure to have the supplies for it!
- Good Shoes: I seriously can’t emphasize how important this is. If your back, legs, or feet are hurting every day that you are working this is NOT NORMAL. Take time to find shoes that work for your needs. If you are wanting to go the tennis shoe route invest in a quality pair that provides ample support. I know people that love the Hoka type of shoes, and some like the On Running shoes. Personally, I like the Dansko XP professional shoes.
- Work Bag: Work bags are SUCH a personal thing. Some people love a good backpack, others love a nice ThirtyOne bag. Whatever you pick, make sure it is some sort of fabric that you can wipe down with sani-cloths so that you can take off all the germs!
3. Have plans for your off days
When you start your first job as a nurse, it is sometimes difficult to leave work at work. Nurses tend to overanalyze what has happened at work AFTER work. We tend to forget that we NEED those days off. Those days off are what give our brain time to process everything.
It helps to have things planned for your days off. It doesn’t matter if it is fun things or just random self-care things. Just have a plan so you don’t spend half the day pondering how your last 3 shifts went. I always liked to sign up for a workout class sometime in the morning on my first day off. This helped me get up and get into a routine no matter how tired I was from the last 3 days.
4. Go buy some Melatonin
At some point, you will probably have to work night shift. Whether you have been hired for nights, or you are just doing it for orientation, it is pretty hard to get around working night shift at some point. Go ahead and get yourself some melatonin to help you sleep. That way you will not be laying wide awake and have to go to the store when you could be getting precious sleep! Melatonin is also great for day shift when you have had an exceptionally rough shift and your mind is racing while you are trying to go to sleep.
5. Know that your first week (or more) will be filled with boring boring stuff
Seriously. The first week (at least) is filled with sitting in classrooms and in front of computers doing all sorts of necessary (but still boring) modules and policies. Know that it can only go up from here, and your days will get way more interesting.
6. Be prepared to learn A LOT
Seriously. You thought you learned a lot in nursing school? HA. You are working where you completed your preceptorship and think you know everything there is to know about your new unit? LOL. There is SO much to learn when you start your first job as a nurse, and no matter how much you think you know, it is so much different when it is on YOUR license, not your clinical instructors or preceptors. Don’t be afraid to absorb as much as you can, and ask as many questions as possible. A new hire that doesn’t ask questions is a red flag. Be open to learning anything and everything and never stop learning.
7. In most cases, it takes about a year before you feel truly comfortable at work
I know what you’re thinking. “A year?! No way.” While you will continue to feel more and more comfortable in your role, the general consensus is that it takes about a year before you feel like you could go to work and take complete care of your patients without double guessing about half of what you are doing. Keep this in mind as you transition from your first day, to your orientation period, to your fresh off orientation period, to your “expected to be able to handle it” period. It is okay to still feel overwhelmed at times, and it will get easier.
8. You will learn something new every single day
The best nurses are the ones that are constantly learning, constantly asking questions, and never assume they know it all. You will never know it all and that is OKAY. In most nursing jobs, you will learn something new every. single. day. no matter how long you work there. Know that asking questions daily is normal, learning something new every day doesn’t mean you still don’t know what you are doing and that you can always become a better nurse than you are right now. Going into your first job as a nurse with this mentality will really help your attitude throughout your nursing career.
