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First Post

I am completely new to this type of social outlet, but I found that there is relatively little focus for those individuals who just graduated nursing school and are trying to transition into the profession of nursing. Of course the major nursing organizations and many schools of nursing give great advise on this transition from student to health care practitioners, yet I believe there isn’t enough focus on the difficulties nurses face in their novice and advanced beginner stages, as Dr. Patricia E. Benner, RN, Ph.D. described them in 1982.

Although we all have different reasons why we studied the science of nursing, it is safe to assume we all have had some challenging days, in fact some of us have even questioned why we pursued this health care discipline. On top of the already challenging profession, the world of health care is ever changing. New health care laws, medical research and nursing practices can become difficult to keep up with when some of us are in residency programs or going back to school to get a higher degree.

Being new to the profession and fresh out of school some of us still have unanswered questions about nursing. We may ask ourselves if we really need to join a professional organization or nursing union. Do these associations really benefit us? Where are the jobs that college recruiters and the media told us would be available for nursing graduates? It is frustrating when most health care facilities are unable to hire a large portion of individuals who are graduating due to financial constraints. Wasn’t there some kind of nursing shortage? Some new grads are left unemployed; others are required to take a non-nursing job or a nursing position that they do not like.

As new grads we also face lateral bullying, physician or patient abuse, and mistreatment from managers. Working in personally undesired units, decreased nurse-patient interaction, high nurse to patient ratios, and having little to no professional autonomy is just some other challenges faced by nurse, beginner and experienced alike. According to a study by Beecroft, Kunzman & Krozek, published in 2001, 35-60% of new grads leave their first nursing job due to burn out.


The purpose of this site isn’t to discourage new grads, nursing students and those who may consider the nursing profession. Its purpose is to bring new grad perspectives of the profession of nursing and the health care industry.

 Beecroft, P., Kunzman, L., & Krozek, C. (2001). RN internship: Outcomes of a one-year pilot program. Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(12), 575-582. 

Comments

  1. Alene Gone BadMonday, March 24, 2014 at 12:35:00 PM PDT

    This is a great start to a blog! Roberto, anyone going into the nursing profession or considering it as a career needs to know what they are getting into. Nursing school offers a taste, in some ways, of what nursing is like, but it's hard for a student to sort through all of the information and emotions they go through in that short time. I kept a blog throughout nursing school and my first 2 or so years on the job, and it was my therapy, but looking back, I am torn between wishing I had listened to my gut and not gone into this profession, and glad that I did and the avenues it has opened for me, complicated and painful as it's been. I have to say that knowing what I do now. I would not encourage most people to go into nursing, or health care at all, even though it is so important to care for other people when they are at their most vulnerable. People need nursing care desperately, but the way nurses are being forced to practice in these times of so-called health care reform is not conducive to providing high quality, safe patient care. So I'm not sure what the answer is, when someone wonders whether nursing is for them. It's a rough road and some parts I will never regret, other parts I wish I had never experienced. My hope for the future of nursing is that we (all of humanity, not just nurses) somehow get away from prioritizing money and power and start focusing on the needs of all human beings. That's idealistic but I don't see how under the current system that patients, nurses, or any health care workers can benefit (except for executives, insurance companies, and medical device and pharmaceutical companies).

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