No doubt your head is already full with everything you need to remember about the patients you’re caring for, the doctors you’re babysitting for, and that new nurse you’re covering for.
Good thing you have this handy list…filled with advice from those nurses who can share from experience!
Top 10 things all nurses must know
1. Wear good shoes—you’ll rack up the miles in the hallways.
2. Bring bite-sized food you can eat at a second’s notice.
3. Put pantyliners in your underwear if you can’t hold your bladder for five-plus hours.
4. Practice smiling in the mirror (make believe you won the lottery!).
5. Learn to balance lunch trays, water pitchers and a clipboard while running for the telephone.
6. Always ask the doctor their name (doctors, residents, med students and NPs assume you know them by name!).
7. Practice saying, “I know how that must feel” to grumpy patients—especially since you do, from working overtime again.
8. If you’re really sick, that’s the time to do all your errands. This is your rare “personal time” to get them done at home. Just try not to die.
9. Learn to record your favorite TV show—work might call you back in. It’s the only way to stay on track with your favorite new series.
10. Love your co-workers. They can be your second pair of hands until you’ve mastered doing more than five things at once.
This list is by G.L.O.R.I.A., RN.
