Student Nurse to Real Nurse: How to Transition into the Real World of Nursing
September 12th, 2008 | The Blog
As an old veteran, graduate nurses who are entering into the profession frequently ask me for advice. A newly minted graduate nurse asked the following question on NursingVoices:
“I am about to graduate in December from an ADN program and now I am beginning to wonder if it is wise to take a position as a Graduate Nurse and then take the boards. Or, should I take the boards and pass before I take a position anywhere?“
There is nothing like old fashion experience to help a new graduate nurse get ready for their nursing NCLEX. I advise new nurses to immediately line up a nursing job so they can jump right into nursing after they get out of school. Most hospitals offer extended hospital orientation programs for new graduate nurses, as well as other opportunities, such as nursing intern. Nursing internship programs provide the novice nurse with the knowledge base and skill sets needed to transition into the real world of nursing. This helps new graduates gain nursing competence in a clinical setting while preparing for their state boards. Nursing internship programs also teach new nurses how to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team. The programs serve as a bridge that fills the gap between undergraduate education and real life professional nursing practice. Working as a nurse is stressful, and hospitals are doing whatever they can to help new graduates avoid real-world culture shock and burnout.
Good hospital orientation and nursing internship programs last at least 6- to 12-months. These programs are designed to help new nurses feel less overwhelmed as they enter the real world of nursing. A preceptor and a new nurse work in a buddy system. This allows the new nurse to gain experience while building his or her confidence in the workplace. The ultimate goal of the preceptor is to teach their partner how to apply nursing theory at the patient bedside. This experience is invaluable to anyone who is preparing to take his or her state boards. Nurses who work in hospitals also get many other benefits such as tuition reimbursement for academic advancement, tuition for CPR, PALS, and other certification programs, and monetary rewards for receiving specialty certification or academic advancement.
The best way to prepare for the nursing boards is to dive right into nursing. If you’re still looking for your first job, check out NursingJobs.org. Moreover, if you’re a new graduate nurse who needs some advice, come talk to the nurses at NursingVoices. You can always find someone there who understands what you’re going through. We want to hear from you.
Terri Polick has been a nurse for thirty years, and is a published author living in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. She is currently working as a freelance writer, and is a frequent contributor to Nursing Spectrum Magazine. Terri works at a local community hospital as a psychiatric nurse.
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I don’t totally agree with jumping right into working as a nurse before taking the NCLEX. There have been times that I have missed questions on test because I remembered the way a nurse performed a procedure, basically getting book work confused with real life work. The NCLEX is based on what you learned out of a book, not what you learned from your clinical experiences. I am a recent graduate from a technical college and have thought hard and heavy about this subject. I do very well with book work and with clinical, but it is hard because there is so much to learn and it’s so easy to get things mixed up. I for that reason have decided not to jump in and work. I am going to take the NCLEX-PN get my license and then I’m going right back into school to achieve my RN and Sonography degrees, and then take those boards before working. I will then take online classes for my bachelors and eventually become a nurse practitioner. Hopefully, by the time I get through with my RN/Sonography degrees I will have enough knowledge from all the books to not get confused later. I guess everybody is different when it comes to things like this. I have talked to several different people in the medical field and most say take the test first, but there are some that say go to work….I think it may just depend on where you go to work and if those places perform their duties properly. I have seen some procedures/protocols done like they’re supposed to be done. I have seen way more that are done totally different. I have seen things that were down right wrong! I, being the person I am have pulled a doctor to the side and asked why didn’t you fix that, or why does everybody that comes in the ER have to be someone looking for drugs? My instructors say I definitely need to get a higher education because I’m not one to sit quiet in the corner when I know something isn’t right. I do love nursing, and I am getting off the subject a little now…..I don’t agree with the way the medical field is heading in my area. I’ll just say south Georgia. I am first and foremost an advocate for my patients and I guess some may see me as difficult, but I see myself as compassionate and believe in quality patient care, and that includes as a whole. The whole multidisciplinary team working together and doing what is right morally and ethically. I was taught that one person can make a difference in an environment like these clinical sites I have been to. I have also been taught that no matter what to always hold onto the beliefs you have and not to let the beliefs of others rub off on you. Sorry, I got carried away. I would love to believe that there is a place that does strive for the patient, if there is such a place I pray that I land right in it. So if anyone else has encountered some of the things I have, I would advise them to take the NCLEX first.