I was unaware of the reputation nurses have of “eating our young” as a Graduate Nurse in 1985.
As a new graduate, I did not have the benefit of a long orientation or internship to facilitate the transition from student to registered nurse.
Upon graduation, graduates went en masse to Macon, Georgia to be locked in the Macon Coliseum as we took the 2 day NCLEX exam. 2 number 2 pencils were required. We received a temporary license and worked as a graduate nurse pending NCLEX results (typically 6 months).
As a graduate nurse, even the call light struck fear in my heart. What if someone said, “Help! I am dying!” I was not sure I would know what to do or remember what to do correctly. I was also the nurse in charge due to staffing shortfalls on the staff med/surg floor where I worked.
It was common at the time for new grads to work a year on med/surg before going to a specialty unit. Patricia Benner’s research on first-year nursing students by suggest it may be better for graduates to start on a specialty unit with more homogenous patients such as labor and delivery or pediatrics. Benner states, “If you take a position on a general medical/surgical unit, the range of patients is quite broad. If you work on intensive-care or coronary-care units, you will have more of a controlled patient population.”
My expereince had the potential to affect my entire nursing career. I remember feeling as if my family had to pry my fingers off the door jam and force me to go to work each night. I remember after one disastrous shift realizing I could lose my license which I had not even received yet. Burn out was a new concept, but fortunately I knew this was a problem.
I had received a scholarship from this facility and was required to work one yeard for each $1,000 they supplied for my nursing education. I dropped a check in the mail and quit. This is a problem in nursing as it is easier to quit and go elsewhere rather than stay and be an agent of change.
With my new job, I also gained a mentor. (Barker 2009) found having a mentor is invaluable to a young nurse to gain confidence and sharpen skills. I am certain that I am a much better nurse because Carol K. Cobb took the time to nurture me.
This workplace environment was influential to my long-term professional values and character and will continue to build until I retire. I desire to treat all patients (indigent and private) with the same respect. My unit was chronically understaffed as it was the indigent floor. Our patients were extremely high accuity. I also strive to help new graduates or those at novice level feel welcome without being overwhelmed or stretched to the limit
Beth Ulrich applied Morris Massey’s three stages of value (development-imprinting, modeling and socialization) during a child’s formative years to the growth of a nurse.
Imprinting occurs as students’ values shift toward those of their faculty even when the faculty members are not intentionally trying to change the students’ values. I can still hear the voices of my instructors in my head. This has tremendous impact as I complete my nursing education degree.
Modeling begins when the students move heavily into the clinical area and intensifies as the new nurses compare what they have been taught with what they in practice. Experienced nurses serve as role models. Not surprisingly as a twenty year old new graduate, I found the nurses who had been a nurse my entire life resented my being in charge. Fortunately one seasoned LPN, Wanda Shipman, would gently guide me, saying, “The RN usually………..”
Socialization in nursing occurs as the new nurses gain sufficient experience to ask meaningful questions about the profession and test their beliefs with other nurses. For me joining my state nursing association and specialty associations provided a safe environment to receive valuable responses to such questions.
I was younger than my oldest son is now when I entered nursing. I could give narcotics but not drink legally. The system placed new graduates full of new knowledge, hope and excitement and placed them and their patients into almost impossible situations.
As a preceptor, I strive to model behaviors that will serve novices well throughout their careers. Novices possess useful talents and ideas. I strive to provide clear expectations and feedback, citing their strengths and weaknesses.
As they ask questions and test newly developed values and beliefs, I will listen attentively and respond in a thoughtful manner. I will encourage them to further their education and join their professional organizations.
Barker, A. M. (2009). Advanced practice nursing: essential knowledge for the profession. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Six Tips to Survive Your First Year as a Hospital RN | Monster. (n.d.). Career advice, interview questions, salary comparisons, and resume tips from Monster. Retrieved from http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/workplace-issues/six-tips-to-survive-your-first-year-rn/article.aspx
Ulrich, B. (2001, May 14). Fertile ground Healthy mentoring begets a stronger generation of new nurses. Nurse Week. Retrieved from www.nurseweek.com/ednote/01/051401.html
