10 Surefire Tips For Rookie Nurse Practitioners
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011Rookie nurse practitioners are thrown into a situation for which no amount of education could totally prepare them. This is true for all those in this situation so they can do just fine in spite of this. Still, these 10 surefire tips for rookie nurse practitioners can make the adjustment process and the job itself a lot easier.
Wear Comfortable Shoes
Rookie nurse practitioners tend to run around a lot. If you want to avoid hurting your feet with all this running around then wear comfortable shoes. Invest in some really good comfortable shoes. You won’t be sorry.
Learn Everything You Can
You learned a lot during your education but you have much more to learn in the field. Don’t get frustrated by how much you don’t know. Just become a sponge and start picking up everything you can.
Establish Good Working Relationships With Other Nurses
Sometimes titles can make relationships between different types of nurses awkward. Sometimes relationships between nurses are awkward for no reason. Make an effort to establish good working relationships with other nurses even if you’re the only one putting in the effort.
Double Check Things Whenever Appropriate
When you are new then you are more likely to make mistakes. Take the time to double check information, orders, and everything else that you can. Your rookie period is the time to be extra careful.
Take Deep Breaths
You can get stressed out being a rookie nurse practitioner and sometimes you may be too busy to even notice it. Take a few deep breaths whenever you get the chance to lower your stress level and give yourself a moment of peace.
Laugh At The Absurdity
Some days everything will go wrong. It’s good to laugh at the absurdity when everything seems to be against you. Find anything funny and remember that every nurse practitioner, rookie or not, has days like this.
Go Easy On Yourself
As long as you are doing your best then go easy on yourself. No one knows everything. No one is perfect. If you shift your focus from the things that you could have done better to everything that you did well then you will see that this list is much longer.
Know Your Role
Nurse practitioners can have many different levels of responsibility. Some operate independently while others work closely with doctors. Know what your responsibilities are and how independently you are expected to work.
As Questions
When you have questions then just ask. You may feel like you should already know the answers being a nurse practitioner but you know you didn’t suddenly forget all your training. Many things you just have to learn on the job so ask. It will help you to learn faster.
Learn To Let Go
Learning to let go is essential for every nurse practitioner. You will have experiences as a nurse practitioner that could haunt you if you let them. Don’t let them. Learn to let things go so that you are free to help the next person who needs you.
Thomas Rheinecker enjoys posting about ways to enroll in FNP programs.