Nurses help patients; taking care of their needs and ensuring they have everything available is part of their job as a nurse. But what about assisting new nurses working with them? Is it part of their job to help them get accustomed to the new environment and ways of working? While this might not be an obligation, it is vital for working in the hospital’s highly challenging and stress-packed environment. New nurses are unfamiliar with various systems at their workplace. They may also get overwhelmed by the intensity of the work. Working as a full-time nurse is quite different from when you experience as a student during your nursing education.
In many cases, the existing employees can make the orientation period of new nurses extremely difficult with their cold behavior. But when the current employees realize their moral and professional responsibility, things can be pretty different for the new inductees.
Performing ideally, experienced nurses can be a great source of help. They can make the new ones feel welcomed and a part of the group. Working in a hospital is quite stressful on its own. Watching patients suffering from pain and their families wailing for their loved ones is quite traumatizing for everyone, including nurses. But, older nurses can help new ones get through these highly stressful initial days.
Ways Nurses can help the New Ones
While helping others is innate, nurses also learn to support their new colleagues through these stressful periods in their advanced professional nursing education. Advanced RN to BSN and RN to MSN degree programs train future nurse leaders. These nurse leaders are trained to help others get through difficult times, motivate them to perform better, and help them fulfill their responsibilities. With a professional leadership qualification, these nurse leaders know what problems new nurses can probably face and devise strategies to help them overcome these issues. They can provide the necessary coaching or connect them with other nurses who can mentor them. If you are a professional nurse or nurse leader, here are some ways in which you can help new nurses:
1. Let them know about the distinct culture of the workplace
Apart from written rules and procedures, there is a lot that is unspoken and contributes to developing the culture of your workplace. These are the implicit norms that shape the work of nurses in a hospital. New nurses coming to the hospital are oblivious to these norms and distinct cultural elements.
These norms may include having coffee together during breaks, sharing lunches with the team, arranging weekly team get-togethers, becoming part of pep talks now and then, and the like. As more experienced members of the workplace, you can convey these cool traditions of your workplace or department. By doing this, you can significantly reduce the transition learning period of new nurses.
2. Discuss possible mistakes that they can make
It is better to learn from the experience of others than make blunders yourself. Nurses can help the new ones by sharing their past experiences and discussing what slip-ups they made in their initial days. Making an error in a hospital can be much more costly than any other field because patients’ lives are at stake. A mistake often means a loss of life or a prolonged injury, and the resultant guilt can impact your emotional and mental well-being. So, it is always better to take help from experienced ones than go through the same trauma yourself. Experienced nurses can also support the new ones by sticking with them if and when they make any errors in their service.
3. Be patient with the new nurses
An experienced nurse can be a great source of help and relief due to their tolerant attitude. The new ones will make mistakes that might be silly for you, but it is part of the learning process. So, you have to be very easy-going with them. A nurse can never act as a mentor if they get irritated or angry too quickly; new nurses also tend to avoid such nurses. The ripple effect is that they won’t approach you when the issue arises. Instead, the build of stress and anxiety can lead to burnout in them.
So, make their learning process easier instead of a taxing time. A welcoming attitude will make new nurses come to you, discuss their problems, take your advice, and follow it to improve their service delivery. The ultimate goal should be to be with them without smothering.
3. Do not be judgmental
A judgmental attitude of the seasoned nurses can make the new nurses feel insulted and belittled—a blow to their self-esteem. Tearing down the new nurses, especially in front of everyone, is a death blow to their morale. In such a suffocating environment, they cannot excel nor learn from their wrongs. Everyone has their own pace of learning and responding to an issue, so you cannot compare one nurse with the other. A better strategy is to encourage them on their excellent work and advice on areas that need improvement.
You can only do so when you acknowledge the differences between nurses. Moreover, your perceptions about the ability of someone can be entirely wrong if you don’t give yourself enough time to know about them. As an experienced nurse, your false perceptions and judgments about the new nurses can develop their perpetual image. Others working with you may start to look at them differently. So, give yourself time to understand their behavior and let them know you intend to develop mutual respect and a positive and non-toxic work environment.
4. Help them build connections with others on the team
Building connections and networking is crucial for new nurses. It is essential for their short-term success in the workplace and long-term career trajectory. Experienced nurses already have contacts with colleagues inside and outside their immediate work department. Hence, they can also introduce the new nurses to these people and help them connect. These colleagues can be administrators, physicians, and other nurses.
Conclusion
Helping new nurses can help them learn the “ways of doing things” in a new environment. Your constructive criticism, praise for their good work, and sharing examples from your own experience can significantly shorten their learning curve. That being said, make sure they understand the culture, gel in with others in the team, and understand the hospital’s expectations.
