Congratulations! All your hard work and dedication has paid off and you are ready to embark on an exciting career in nursing, the world’s the most respected profession.  Our Nurses Advisory Board has assembled some tips that will serve you well in your first year as a new nurse and throughout your profession.
1. Be patient with yourself. Ask any of your co-workers.  They will tell you it takes at least a year or two to become comfortable and get a good handle on different situations.  As you become immersed in the daily routines, your comfort and confidence levels will increase.
2. Help others. Show your willingness to help your co-workers and you will find them willing to help you. Remember how you felt as a nursing student on the floor for a rotation, and extend a helping hand to those students who need it.
3. Build good relationships. Be outgoing – introduce yourself to your coworkers on all the shifts as well as the physicians and nursing aides. Learn your co-workers names and show interest in them as individuals.
4. Keep learning. Ask questions, follow and observe experienced professionals when you can and research things that are new to you or interest you. Remember, this is your continuing education.
5. Join professional organizations. Professional organizations offer educational programs and scholarships, and are a great resource for the changing trends in nursing. They offer the chance for mentoring and give you the broader picture of the profession of nursing.
6. Focus on the positive. Keep a gratitude journal.  Each day, reflect on your day and record the positive things that occurred – be it bringing a smile to a difficult patient, a compliment received from staff or patients or family members, or something good you did for someone. Write these positive things down and reflect on them as you prepare to sleep. Review this journal often – you find it a great stress buster!
We hope you find your new profession challenging and rewarding. From all of us at Barco’s Nightingales Foundation, thank you for joining this exciting and important profession
~Michael and Frida Donner