Nursevillage.com - Career Resources : Out of the Classroom Into the Hospital

With nurses being in such great demand, nursing students usually have a job the moment they graduate. This is, of course, good for them in the fact that their future is secure.

But going almost instantly from classroom to the high-pressure, fast pace setting of a hospital can have a drawback. If the transition isn’t smooth it can make the difference between a successful career and early burnout.

Recent graduates go suddenly from reading, training and practicing procedures to performing them on real-live human beings. The fact that someone else’s life is now in their hands is a frightening reality and one that’s not easy to deal with abruptly. In fact, many nurse educators believe that this is the reason why so many newly graduated nurses leave the profession after just a few years — 4% of new female nurses drop out within four years of earning their RN licensure and for males it’s 7.5%!

There’s No Substitute for Experience

It’s hard to teach people to think on their feet, which is why many professions have their students work in “real world” settings before graduation. Many nursing schools and healthcare employers feel that nurses deserve the same opportunity and are taking steps to create programs designed to better prepare new nursing graduates for the unfamiliar experience of working independently.

Programs where soon-to-be-nurses actually get to work in a hospital and shadow an experienced RN will introduce students to the chaos that understaffed units face on a regular basis. In the real world things happen in real time not in set steps like they do in textbooks. If students get comfortable with dealing with the unexpected they’ll have a much easier time transitioning.

Know What You’re Getting Into

After years of living on student wages it’s easy to jump at the first high-paying job that’s offered. But students should really learn to look beyond the paycheck and examine the work environment too. Getting to know an employer will help in making the transition smooth.

A hospital that is severely short staffed is probably not the best choice for a new nurse. Nurse-to-patient ratios will be higher and can make intense situations more stressful than they need to be. Also, it’s smart to look at the orientation program of a hospital — how long is it? Will you work with a preceptor or just be thrown straight into the thick of things? New nurses should also look into what the options are for cross training at the hospital and what the policy is on floating to different units.

Smooth Sailing

Ultimately, it comes down to the fact there is simply no replacement for hands on training. So whether you choose a nursing school that offers a work program or you have to go out on your own and find a position as a nursing assistant — get some type of work experience. It could help make the difference between having the job of your dreams or being stuck in a working nightmare.