Challenges As A Newly Registered Nurse

“Be kind to yourself and appreciate the new skills and understanding you have developed following a shift, instead of comparing your understanding to others.”

Becoming a Newly Registered Nurse is uniquely challenging yet worthwhile and rewarding step in your nursing career. In this article, Tom talks candidly about his NRN experience, from first shift nerves to finding the support you need to feel assured in your new role and skills. 

My first few months as a Registered Nurse seemed to pass in a blink of an eye but I'll never forget the anxiety I felt during my first "real" handover. As a Newly Registered Nurse, this will be a time filled with learning, development and pushing yourself but naturally, it is a time that comes with its own set of challenges.

Now I'm seven months into my role I wanted to reflect on the challenges I faced as a Newly Registered Nurse and offer some advice I wish I had been given at the start of my career.

The Overwhelming Feelings

I remember my first shift watching how busy the Accident and Emergency department was that day and thinking: "I don't think I can do this!"

Your emotions during your first few months as a NRN can feel quite intense, with a commonly reported one being anxiety. You're finally putting your training into practice and caring for a range of people with much less supervision than a Student Nurse.

Whether you're in the community or within a hospital this can be an overwhelming concept. I want to reassure you that these feelings are normal and that you feel this way because you care about the outcome for your patients.

However, it is important you speak with colleagues, family, friends, or healthcare professionals if you find this feeling becomes overwhelming. Keeping in touch with your mental health is so important as a nurse and the best way to control these feelings in my opinion is to lean on others for support. I even took up yoga during my first few months of nursing to preoccupy my mind outside of work which I found helpful!

The Steep Learning Curve

As a NRN it's common to feel like you should know every medication, procedure and clinical presentation that comes your way, but this is far from the truth!

It is true that the learning curve is steep within nursing, especially when you're new to an area- let alone the profession itself. Be kind to yourself and appreciate the new skills and understanding you have developed following a shift, instead of comparing your understanding to others.

Remember that learning Is lifelong and although you didn't understand something today doesn't mean with a bit of learning you won't know it tomorrow. However, being proactive in your learning is one of the best things you can do to flatten this learning curve.

Take opportunities to observe your senior colleagues and never be afraid to ask questions to enhance your understanding. Even your mandatory training and preceptorship days can be a great time to be proactive and network with your colleagues (many will be in the same boat as you!). These are skills that are not only beneficial as a NRN but throughout your professional career, so it's better to lay these foundations now!

Finally, consolidating your understanding is just as important as learning. Revisit conditions, medications, and procedures that you know well; some nurses find it helpful to keep a log of this and then focus their learning on new things once they feel more confident.

Making Mistakes As A Newly Registered Nurse

Along the lines of learning, I wanted to talk about making mistakes. Naturally, humans make mistakes and nurses are no exception to this rule.

As a Newly Registered Nurse it's imperative you don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake, always be honest to patients and colleagues if a mistake does occur as outlined within The NMC Code and make sure you reflect on this.

It can feel devastating to make mistakes at work but your resilience to reflect and learn from what happened makes you a safe nurse! Please remember 'near-misses' should also be reported, they not only allow you to learn from an incident but can ensure measures are put in place to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future.

Be kind to yourself and appreciate the new skills and understanding you have developed following a shift, instead of comparing your understanding to others.

Support As A Newly Registered Nurse

When you’re a Newly Registered Nurse, you will never be alone. During your first few weeks, nurses should be given a 'supernumerary' period. This is a time for you to shadow nurses and get to grips with the daily running of the department, service or ward you will be working in.

You will work very closely with a range of different nurses who will share their experiences with you and let you observe how a typical shift runs. Use this time wisely observe as much as you can and ask as many questions as you can (this is what the shifts are made for!).

During this time, you should be given the chance to take on patients under supervision and develop your time management and delegation skills before your first shift 'within the numbers'.

Although following these shifts you will not be under direct supervision, the support should not disappear. Keep in contact with your colleagues, line manager and the Trust's development team to ensure you have contacts available if you need support. 

Support outside of work is equally as important your friends and family know you best. I found filling my time outside of work surrounded by friends really helped me cope with the transition. If your friends are going through the same transition from Student Nurse to Registered Nurse, it can be really helpful to discuss your feelings during this time and lean on each other for some much-needed support.

Ultimately, there are plenty of sources of support if you find you're struggling during this time; please don't hesitate to admit you need some extra help.

You’re At The Start Of An Exciting Journey

Of course, everyone is different, and this is just bits of advice I have picked up throughout my transitional period.

I hope it has provided you with some reassurance if you are beginning your exciting journey into a very rewarding profession no matter where you are starting!

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