New Nurse | Just do these things first. 3 tips to avoid burnout
Hello, this is Natsu.
Thank you as always for your likes and follows.
When I first started working as a new nurse,
honestly, it was really tough.
I didn't know what to look at,
I couldn't give a good handover,
and I was scolded every day, dwelling on it even after I got home.
But strangely, I never thought about quitting.
What I realized later was,
there aren't that many things
you need to do at the start.
In fact, if you go about working hard the wrong way,
you'll burn out all at once.
This time, I've summarized what I
“wish I had done”when I was a new nurse.
To put it simply, these three things are important.
You don't have to be perfect.
The pressure of "I must not make a mistake"
is what stresses a new nurse out the most.
But since we are human, we cannot make zero mistakes.
What's important is to report it immediately if you notice any changes or something feels off.
1. Become someone who can report things
“Not making mistakes” is less important than “not delaying reports.”
Just by being able to do this,
both safety and trust will increase significantly.
Build relationships before honing your skills.
Honestly, nursing is a job where you often struggle more with human relationships than with technical skills.
Rather than being good at drawing blood,
it is much easier to work if you have good communication with your seniors.
You don't have to polish your technical skills right now;
it's okay to do that much later.
2. Build a 'cooperative relationship'
You don't need to be 'liked'.
However, communicating well with your seniors and
building a relationship where they will cooperate with you
leads to protecting yourself.
How you ask questions changes how you are evaluated
If you just say, 'I'm sorry, I don't understand,' it can be
difficult to get your point across in a busy clinical setting.
For example,
・'I understood up to this point, but I'm unsure about this part.'
・'The textbook says this, but how is it done on this ward?' etc.
3. Add 'how far you have thought about it'
Just doing this will significantly change how your seniors react.
Finally
If you are currently,
・Unable to sleep because you are afraid of making mistakes
・Feeling physically ill before going to work
If you are in this state, it is not a lack of effort, but an 'environmental problem'.
Nursing environments vary greatly depending on the workplace.
It is not the case that 'if you fail here, you fail everywhere'.
Changing your environment before you break down
is not running away; it is a valid choice.
It is normal not to be able to do things yet.
But let's grow little by little together so that you can keep going properly.
Once again, hello, I'm Natsu.
Thank you for finding this note.
I am a nurse in my 12th year.
I have experience in respiratory medicine, respiratory surgery, COVID wards, outpatient clinics, etc.,
and now, while on maternity leave, I am creating a GPT for nurses.
▼ As a self-introduction, I have briefly summarized my career so far
▼ The guide for this note is summarized here.
▼ I have compiled recommended articles for new nurses.
▼ Recommended GPTs for new nurses are here.
In addition, other articles and GPTs for new nurses are summarized here.
I would be happy if this reaches people who are struggling with the same things.
I would appreciate it if you could follow me.
Thank you for reading this far.
If you have any questions, whether they are related to this article or not, please feel free to ask.