Your Nursing Survival Guide

CARRY PENS! AND OTHER THINGS I LEARNT FROM MY FIRST PLACEMENT Callum Mitchell Berry - Elsevier Ambassador

1. What on earth a call bell sounds like.

3. Carry a pen! Carry 600 pens!!

Now it sounds ridiculous, but it’s those tiny details that get taken for granted and subsequently missed. Which is precisely what led me to standing in the middle of a hallway like a deer in headlights thinking what on earth is that beeping?! It can take a little bit of adjusting to get used to the hospital environment: there are so many new sights, sounds, smells. So heads up, try to be a bit less daft than I was and find out what the call bell sounds like early on.

I am a firm believer in the idea that you can never have too many pens. Of course, they will absolutely all run out at once, but there are only so many safeguards you can apply. At least everything’s going electronic now though, right? For many years now, nurses have been Australia’s most trusted profession. This is actually reflected in the way the patients treat you. Sometimes you’ll have trouble getting the oxygen saturation because your patient’s hands are too cold, and some- times you just won’t be able to find a pulse. Don’t be scared of your patients - they want the same thing as you do; for them to recover. They won’t mind if you fumble a little, or take a bit longer than the RNs. They know that if you don’t practice, you won’t learn. 5. Bringing food for everyone to the break room is always a good idea. Seriously! Healthcare is such hard work! A little something to fuel everyone will not only get you in everyone’s good books, but more importantly, will show them how appreciative you are for everything they’re teaching you. 4. Your patients really will be patient.

2. Carry scissors. And tape.

I can guarantee you that there will be a point where you, or somebody around you, will need them, and they’ll be lost in that giant black hole that contains all the lost bobby pins and pens too. Speaking of which…

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