Nurses never learn all they need to know in nursing school. It’s just not possible. In a given graduating class you will find a wide variety of skills and knowledge base. Some of it is dependent on the students themselves and how aggressively they sought out opportunities, and some depends on the faculty and how well they assisted all students to find opportunities to observe and practice their skills and knowledge.
Nursing is also a lifelong learning experience. Technology changes, medical science advances, and new treatments and pharmacology become available constantly. What you have learned to date will change sooner than you might think.
 |
| stock.xchng.com |
For new grads the challenges at the forefront include passing the NCLEX and finding that first job. Try to take the NCLEX as soon as you can.
Remember that your first job isn’t likely to be your dream job (not even close ) so keep an open mind. It may take a few years before you can actually move in to that dream position. And you might even surprise yourself by falling in love with a whole different area of nursing.
Open your mind and your heart to new and different opportunities to share your skills with great nurses and patients. One of the options often recommended is to find a residency or extern position where you can continue to hone and learn new skills under the tutelage of great preceptors and mentors. But how do you find these programs?
I recently received an email from the marketing director of a new website RNDeer.com where you can find a database of over 600 new grad friendly hospitals and healthcare facilities. Many of these employers offer residency and externship programs to new grads. The site is very user-friendly and you can search by region or by individual states. The blog posts offer some great advice just for new nurses.
A whole world of challenges and successes awaits you!
