The first day of your new job is surely a mix of excitement and anxiety. It’s not uncommon to want to prepare for your first shift. This week Kati, Amber, and Chelsea discuss what you can and cannot prepare for, as well as how to handle the transition from nursing school to working full-time as a nurse
New Grads
For the Overwhelmed New Graduate Nurse
So you’ve just started your new job as a new graduate nurse. You have a great preceptor, you like your unit, and your manager seems pretty cool. But you dread going to work. You get report and you’re already an hour behind. You’re already an overwhelmed nurse. There are so many things to do right this second that you shut down. You can’t do this. It’s too much. You struggle through each day, just trying to get to the end of the shift. You are elated for days off. You dread going back. Is this really what you signed up for? Will this EVER end?
S5E49 What Does a High-Performing New Grad Look Like?
Your idea of a “high performing” new grad might not be the same as what your leadership team actually expects of a brand new nurse. In this episode we hear from Amber and Chelsea, who lead a nurse residency program, about what qualities make a really great new grad nurse.
How to Assess An Unconscious Neuro Patient Like a Neuro ICU Nurse
Disclaimer: this is a short and sweet explanation of a nursing assessment of an unconscious neuro patient. References are included at the end with supplemental information. Always refer to your hospital’s policies and procedures to guide your practice. This post contains affiliate links. A neuro assessment is a critical skill for any nurse (not just neuro […]
Organization Tips for New Nurses
Feeling frazzled? These organization tips for nurses will help you maintain your sanity and stay in control.
I know how it feels when it seems like everything is spinning out of control. Life is moving on and you are just holding on, trying to keep up. And it happens to all of us, not just the new nurses!
The Ultimate Resource for New Nurses – The FreshRN New Nurse Master Class
The Ultimate Resource for New Nurses – The FreshRN New Nurse Master Class When I graduated from nursing school and passed boards, I was so excited to finally be a nurse. Only, I didn’t feel like a nurse. I felt alone. I felt like somehow everyone else knew exactly what they were doing and […]
Season 4, Episode 8: How to Trust Your Nursing Judgment
About the FreshRN Podcast Your first year as a registered nurse is challenging. This podcast is hosted by Kati Kleber, BSN RN CCRN, and Elizabeth Mills, BSN RN CCRN and features experienced nurses from FreshRN.com, who discuss the basics of that first year. From nursing orientation, code blues, tricks of the trade, and personal experiences, […]
Season 3, Episode 5: Understanding Nursing Leadership Podcast – an Interview with Megan Brunson
About the FreshRN Podcast Your first year as a registered nurse is challenging. This podcast is hosted by Kati Kleber, BSN RN CCRN, and Elizabeth Mills, BSN RN CCRN and features experienced nurses from FreshRN.com, who discuss the basics of that first year. From nursing orientation, code blues, tricks of the trade, and personal experiences, […]
How to Trust Your Nursing Judgment
I’ve received a lot of questions from new nurses saying that one of their biggest struggles is when they’ve learned a lot but are having trouble learning how to trust your nursing judgment. You think you know what you’re doing, but you’re not sure…
How to be the Unit’s Favorite New Grad Nurse
Graduation is upon us and there will be many new grad nurses among hospital units very soon if they have not started already. Starting a job in nursing can be very overwhelming. I would argue that learning the ropes of the healthcare culture is quite possibly one of the most difficult jobs. In addition, the […]
Student Loan Forgiveness and Management for Nurses
You can rely on two things once you earn your degree, a new profession and lots of student loan payments. Student Loan Forgiveness and Management for Nurses….
S2E4- New Grad ICU Nurse Tips
About the FreshRN Podcast Your first year as a registered nurse is challenging. This podcast is hosted by Kati Kleber, BSN RN CCRN and Elizabeth Mills, BSN RN CCRN and features experienced nurses from FreshRN.com, who discuss the basics of that first year. From nursing orientation, code blues, tricks of the trade, and personal experiences, […]
Episode 015: Neuro Nurse Tips for Newbies Part 3: Meds, Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Surgeries
This episode discusses some important meds (mannitol, hypertonic saline), different kinds of monitoring (ICP), diagnostics (CTA, MRI), and surgeries (craniotomies) that are pertinent to the neuro nurse. This episode is hosted by three neurocritical care nurses. A word about show notes: our goal is to get show notes up on this blog for listeners as […]
Episode 014 Neuro ICU Nurse Tips for Newbies, Part 2: Disease Processes
This episode discusses a few diseases processes that are typically seen by the neuro ICU nurse as well as a neuro floor. We chat about subdural hematomas, epidural hematomas, seizures, brain tumors, and diffuse axonal injury. And as always, this episode is hosted by three neuro ICU nurses! A word about show notes: our goal is to […]
When My Alcoholic Uncle Died: And How It Impacted Me as a Nurse
When My Alcoholic Uncle Died As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Tumblr. I follow many nurses, physicians, EMT’s, nursing students, and other healthcare professionals. I am a fan of the short posts with great images and rarely sit down and read long posts. However, when I started reading this nurse’s […]
Episode 013 Neuro Nurse Tips for Newbies, Part 1: When to Worry, Disease Processes
Welcome to Season 2 of the FreshRN Podcast. This episode features neuro nurse tips and discusses the main questions newbies to neuro have: if neuro changes are subtle, when do I worry? We also discuss common neuro disease processes including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, and more. This episode is hosted by […]
Advice for a New Nurse From Those Who Have Been There
At some point and time even the most seasoned nurse was a new nurse. They too were bright eyed, anxious, excited, and scared to death they were going to mess it all up. I recently asked on Facebook for one piece of advice for new nurses. The response was so great that it just had […]
A Nurse Practitioner’s Medical Mission to Africa
This week I am featuring an interview with my sister in-law, Elizabeth Fields. She recently went to Bora, Ethiopia with the medical mission group Health Gives Hope. Last week, I interviewed their founders, one of whom is actually a Nurse Practitioner! Click here to check out the previous post. To give you a little background about […]
Health Gives Hope: An Interview with a Nurse Practitioner Who Co-Founded a Medical Mission Organization
Last month, my nurse practitioner sister in-law went on a medical mission to Ethiopia with her husband. She had an unbelievable time! I have been asked about medical missions before so I thought I would do an interview with the founders of the organization and my sister in-law. This post is my interview with the […]
Professional Nursing Organizations: Why Every Nurse Should Be a Member
Please note that this post is sponsored by Capella University. All opinions are my own. Please check out this video about my 2016 partnerships and why I’ve decided to work with these amazing organizations. When I graduated from nursing school I was given a packet of information about the various professional nursing organizations. I was […]