Thriving in Your Grad Year - Our Best Advice and Tips!

We have jammed this episode full of a mix of tangible and loving advice, tips and wisdom for your grad year

If you've already been through the exhausting but amazing rollercoaster that is your grad year, share this episode with someone who is yet to embark on that journey 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

My name is Georgia. I'm one of the co-hosts here on the Vitally Unstable podcast. And I begin today's episode by acknowledging the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of the lands we record on. I pay my respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today. Always was, always will be. Because even like as a grad, like you're not used to handing over all your patients. So like some of your handovers are gonna suck. But like some of my handovers suck still. Like when you have one of those ships, like, you know, things have been so hectic. I mean, it's a bit different in ED because you don't have to hand over. Like a lot of the patients have been and gone, so like you don't hand a lot over, but it's just hit the bed. It's just hit the bed, so I know nothing about him, but I hate when people say that. He's gay. Classical music.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

He's like, eh, my mum was from Harlem.

SPEAKER_03 0:55

Alrighty, so we still don't have an intro for you, but we do have an amazing episode planned. Obviously, in case you haven't figured out from the title, this episode is all about grad years, our advice, tips and tricks, tips and tricks. Wisdom, sure. Um, for those of you in your grad year. So if you're not in your grad year but you know a grad, like share it, pass it along. Otherwise, if you are a grad, first of all, we are very excited for you.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

Congratulations. You have officially started your nursing career, which is a very exciting time and an overwhelming time. Yeah, it can be daunting. It's scary. Oh yeah. Uh, and it's so okay if that's how you feel at the moment. If you mostly feel overwhelmed or scared, that's alright. But we're here to help you with some little nuggets of wisdom, some tips, some advice to sort of get through your grad year as well as possible, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Yeah, the transition from student to registered nurse is huge. It's wild. It's a big jump.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

It's like they flick a switch. They're like, now you can do everything by yourself. And you're like, what?

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Excuse me.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

Sorry, what?

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Last time I was in a hospital, you didn't let me do anything by myself.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Last time I was here, I was telling another person the expiry date and a drug, and now I'm doing everything myself.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Panodol, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

Double checking Panadol. Not anymore, sister.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Not anymore.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Give it all yourself, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 2:22

So yeah, let's impart some wisdom. We've got a couple different topics that we'll talk about throughout this episode.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

But just before we dive in, I just wanna I just wanna say that like probably a lot of things that we're gonna say are things that other people are going to say to you, and it's because this is the most relevant advice to have as a grad. You will hear these things that we say probably from your educators, your senior nurses that you work with on your ward, your managers, and it sounds like cliche advice, but it's not, it's just genuinely what you should know as a grad. So if you've heard some of this before or you hear it again, don't roll your eyes, because like I know I did that when I was a grad, where I was like, yeah, whatever, like I've heard this before, and like that was like not a good thing. Like, just take it in and listen to the words coming out of our mouth. So, with that being said, sorry, Tom, what is I guess one of your like pieces of advice for grads?

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Yeah, well, this is the first thing that came to mind when we were riffing ideas, but my best advice that I could impart is to find your support person and try and find them early. Obviously, hospitals will give you support people, you'll have educators, you'll have people like me, facilitators, uh, you'll have a program in which you learn, and your nursing unit manager is usually pretty understanding and supportive of you as a grad as well. But aside from all of those, try and find people that you either connect with on your ward or who you believe are skilled nurses that are approachable. Um you know, some, you know, some nurses, uh I hate to say it, I think this is any in every every profession though. Yeah. Some people just aren't approachable or aren't as approachable as other people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

And you sometimes that's like your educators or your facilitators.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

It can be, and that's unfortunate. Yeah. But hopefully, fingers crossed, there will be one or multiple people that you can. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything formal. You don't ever have to say like, hey, can you mentor me or anything? It's more about picking up on kind of the little skills and tricks that you observe them to be doing and taking their positive things and making them your own and kind of learning how you like to do things.

unknown 4:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

And also just having the person that you know that you can go to, like, like you said, that you will have official people like your managers or your educators or your facilitators, but like I even know, like in my grad year there was some of the really senior nurses who were like mums to me, and like I knew that I could go to them and ask them questions, or like if I was ever like really struggling on a shift, like they would check in with me, and yeah, it's just like yeah, you you just you'll find your people as you go in your graduate, and like we're not saying don't go to your facilitators or your educators or your managers, but like, yeah, it's just important to find the people that like you gel with and you know are gonna give you helpful and reliable advice.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Um and look out for you, and I think this is a skill that you should try and develop early because even you take you you take away your grad year, like even for me, like after I finished my gray moving into emergency, it was great to then find my people in emergency and who I could learn off them.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

So I think it's something you continue throughout your whole career.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

And the sooner you can figure out who the good ones are, the better.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

Absolutely. And I like I remember in my grad year, I had two educators, and one of them, like they were both amazing, like knew so much stuff, very skilled people, very skilled nurses. But one of them was like super chill, so easy to ask you could you could ask him anything, and like I never felt like scared, whereas like the other educator was just a bit more um I don't know, just like it was just a bit more daunting to ask her questions, and so like yeah, it's it's okay if like you like that's not a bad thing. No, it's okay to get along with other people in the world. Exactly, or like find people more approachable, whatever, like just yeah, find your find what works for you uh and lean on them because you are a baby nurse and you will need support. Yeah, it's not an easy profession, especially not starting out, it's overwhelming, is oh shit, it's overwhelming.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

And I guess this kind of leads into our next point of You're not supposed to know everything on day one or ever.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

Like when you're a student nurse, you look at these senior nurses and you just think like, wow, they know everything. Like, but trust me, like they don't, we don't, like I don't know everything, you don't know everything. Nope. Any nurse that thinks they know everything, I'd be like, hella cautious of them because it's just like not possible. Yeah, there is always something new to learn, and obviously that curve feels a lot more steep when you first start out in your grad year, but like you're not supposed to know everything on day one. So don't put that pressure on yourself because it's just going to make you feel more overwhelmed and stressed for no reason. That's not to say that you shouldn't, like, you know, maybe put in some effort, like for example, if you know you you knew you were coming to cardiology and like it's not a bad thing to like do some study before you start your grad year and like look into the heart again and refresh your memory and stuff, but don't walk into your grad year thinking that you should know like ECGs just straight off the bat because it's just not gonna happen, and you're then just gonna put this pressure on yourself and make you feel like you're not good enough, and that's just not true.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

No, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 8:20

And I think like like stemming on from that is like something that I like I tell you know, grads and new nurses all the time is like you're the only one who thinks that you should be perfect or like you should know all these things. No one else thinks that because everyone else knows that you're a brand new baby grad. Like, if it's your first ever shift where you have patients by yourself for your first time, literally no one is being like, oh, they need to be perfect, they need to do everything right on time, they can't hand anything over. Like, no one has that expectation of you, but like you probably have that expectation of you because you're like, Well, I'm a nurse now, so I should just be able to do all these things, and it's just not the case because it is a new thing for you. And you obviously care a lot, you know, you've done a university degree, you've done all these hours of potentially unpaid practice, and you've worked hard to get where you are, and it's it's okay that you have high expectations of yourself, like you and I are both very high achievers. And I felt like this when I was a grad where I was like, I don't want to be, I do I just didn't want to be a grad, I wanted to be a super senior nurse, and like that literally cannot happen without being a junior nurse first. So, like I wanted the impossible to happen because I wanted to be like really smart and really competent and really confident with all these things, and unfortunately, it just doesn't happen without that blundering, not blundering, like that that first phase of like your nursing career that is a bit disjointed and because you're not you're not good yet because you haven't done it yet.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

No, I hope. Do you know what I mean? Oh yeah, 100%. I I kind of have a story that's related to this point. I remember I was in a bathroom with a patient who was an elderly patient, and I remember they nearly had a fall, like it was a near-miss fall, and like I had obviously the whole adrenaline rush over my body, that like fight or flight feeling, and I remember it was like almost like a light bulb moment. I was like, oh wow, like I am the nurse now. Like if she had had a fall, you know, that would have been like I would have had to do all the process and everything.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

And I guess when you experience all those first things for the first time, like even stuff like I guess, you know, the first time you have to do IV antibiotics by yourself, or the first time you have to escalate a patient to a num for a met call.

SPEAKER_03 10:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

They're all firsts.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

They're all gonna be your first sorry, like hiccup as I said that. They're all gonna be your first, and it may be a little bit overwhelming the first time you do it, but the more times you do it, the better you'll get.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

Yeah, it's all just repetition, and so when you're first in your grad year, you are going to have so many firsts, and they're all gonna feel overwhelming. Like, I remember, like clear as day, I remember my very first like non-supernumery shift. My patient, I've probably said this before, but like my patient had a headache, and I was like, Yeah, okay, sure. Like they buzzed and I went and they were like I've got a bit of a headache, and I was like, Okay, sure. And then I walked out of their room and I was like, mm-hmm, okay. And then I went to my preceptor and I was like, So, like, you know, my patient in room three, uh, they have a headache, and she was like, Okay, like, why are you telling me? And I was like, Yeah, yep, I know that. Um, she's like, What do you want to do about it? And I was like, I've checked the drug chart and I want to give Panadol. And she's like, Yep, again, you don't need to be telling me this, but it's all good. Like, you know, very supportive and all of that. Um, and the first drug that I ever gave by myself was Panadol, and I think I said like out loud like 67 times, like I was like, 500 plus 500 is 1000 milligrams, the order is a thousand milligrams, the indication is pain, they have a headache, like it was so a thing. Whereas now, and like you know, I take Panadol as a grown-up, like you know, other guy, it's it's not like crazy not like it's nothing crazy, but like because it was the first time it was up to me, and I was doing it by myself and no one else was double checking it. I was like, oh dang, like I'm the nurse. Like the patient buzzed me, and I answered the buzzer, and now I'm giving them the drugs because like this is my job now.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Like it's it is and you want to be like that to begin with. You don't want to be like that. You should be like that.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

You don't that's one of my points.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Yeah, you don't want to be the opposite of that where you think you're so good at it, and you end up making a medication error. Yeah, that's worse than something like giving an extra panadol or something.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Yeah, definitely. It's it's yeah, like perfect segue, a a key thing that I want every grad to know, like just to their core, especially when you start out well through through your whole career, this is true, but especially when you first start out and you are, you know, very junior and still getting used to everything, is that being safe is more important than being fast. So, like, you know, a patient being like, Oh, I've got pain, and you being like, Yep, no worries, I've got all these other things I need to do, and I I don't want to hand anything over because I'm trying to be this like superstar nurse on my first day, and I'm just gonna give them Panadol, and then you realize afterwards that they had Panadol an hour ago, and you've just made your first medication error on your first day. Like being safe is more important than being fast, and therefore you are probably going to be a bit slower when you first start out in your grad year, and that's okay. It's better to be like that than it is to be like, oh yeah, like I got everything done, but I made 16 errors. Yeah, I guess it's all your patients are like on the floor and you're like, Yeah, they all fell, but like I flush their cannula.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

Yeah, you'll learn eventually over time, like safe ways to go fast. Oh yeah. This is like a weird analogy I'm about to use. But like, if you're like a chef and you're just starting out, you're probably gonna chop onions slower than the chef who's been cutting onions for 15-20 years.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

Literally, though.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

And the chef who's been cutting onions for 15 to 20 years can do it fast because he knows how to do it safely at a very fast rate.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

Yeah. And has been doing it for 15 to 20 years.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Yeah, and the same applies to nursing. Yeah. You'll find your ways to do things fast, safely over time. I also can do it on your first couple days.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

Yeah, I also say the exact same thing when it comes to ECGs. Like when I teach people my like five-step ECG interpretation method, like with ECGs that aren't like, you know, crazy, crazy complex, I can do that process in like 20 seconds. But like when you first learn how to read an ECG, it is gonna take you time because you're not used to it, you don't know what you're looking at. Whereas I can look at it and be like, oh yep, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, yep, that's fine. Or like, yep, they've got a left bundle, or like they're having an inferior stamina, we need to do something about that. But that own is only because I have done it so many times and I know more stuff. I know what is safe and I know what I'm looking at and what to miss and not what not to miss. Sorry, not what to miss, what not to miss. Wow. So yeah, just like be kind to yourself in and know that you're gonna be slower than the experienced nurses, and that is actually a good thing because if you're being super fast, I don't know, just that makes me nervous. Yeah. Because you're probab you shouldn't be super fast because you've just started.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, you know, yeah, and realistically, at the end of the day, nine times out of ten, your patient will be fine. Yeah, you don't have to go lightning the queen speed, you know, unless the patient's fucking dying.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yeah, yeah. But then just hit the button, you know, everyone will calm.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yeah, and yeah, I guess this kind of leads into our next point of and this applies to your whole nursing career, that nursing is a 24-7 job. We han we can hand over stuff. I see this not even just at the grad level, this just applies to every uh every subsect of nursing. Is we feel as nurses that we need to do every single thing on a morning shift before we hand over to the late, and the late's feel like they need to hand over every little thing. I mean, they need to do everything before they hand over to the night shift. And it just shouldn't be that way. Nursing is a 24-7 job. We can feel okay handing stuff over. You don't need to feel guilty if you didn't get to do a shower on bed four or make bed five's bed.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

You know? It's at the end of the day, it's gonna be fine. And some nurses might make you feel guilty, but that's on them. Yeah. That's not on you.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Absolutely. I made a post about this like years ago. It's like one of the, you know, I know this probably sounds like uh not shallow, but just like a like a like a vanity metric, but like it is one of the most popular posts I've ever made as as nurse civs, and it literally is just a thing that says drop the sass at handover. And like it got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of like, likes, shares, saves, and like the comment section was like, you know, going crazy with people having like good conversations, like about well, good and bad, conversations about that whole concept of like when you hand stuff over to people, if they're sassy to you, like just first of all, don't ever be sassy to anyone at handover. Like, if someone hands something over to you, unless, like, unless you know for like with unequivocal certainty that for a fact they've just sat there and done nothing, which that just doesn't happen. But like, unless they've literally done nothing and they're absolutely taking the piss and they're like, oh yeah, I didn't do obs or meds or anything, and you're like, uh, okay, these things were due six hours ago when I wasn't here, like that's a different story. But like, don't be like people, people do their best. Everyone comes to work and they do their best, whether you're a grad or not. You know, we all have things happening in life. We also have those shifts that are just absolute doozies. Like, just don't be sassy to people at handover. People handing things over, like you said, is not a bad thing asterisk to that, unless they're like, oh yeah, I missed everything, I did nothing. The person's dead. Like, that's a different story. But like, you know, it's not a bad thing to hand things over. And I just I feel like when people are sassy at handover, we'll just keep using that terminology, it says less about you and more about them. Because like, either A, I don't know, they don't want to do the work, or B, they maybe feel really anxious when they have to hand things over, so then they kind of like project something onto you. I don't know, it's it's it's just not a vibe, it's not necessary. And I think if you're a grad and if you're getting that from people, like people are being a bit like not nice when you hand things over, like don't be don't be shy to like you know, politely and professionally be like, sorry, like this is my like third shift, yeah, and and I like I did my best, and you know, can you just like maybe cut me some slack kind of thing? And then also just to s build on that, if it's like a reoccurring thing, I get like so protective, sorry. But if it's like a recurring thing or like with a recurring person, you probably should mention that to your manager because it's just not on, it's just not necessary, and if you're doing your best, especially as a brand new grad, like that's all you can do.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

And yeah, I'm gonna, you know, divulge a little bit here, but you definitely want to be the person that when you're giving hand like so. If if you're like a new grad or if you're a nurse and you see that you're handing over to a particular person, you want to be viewed as the person who will happen like they'll understand.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

They'll understand if you've been busy, they're not gonna judge you, they're not gonna say, Oh, why did you miss this or miss that? You would rather be that person that everyone loves on the ward and who is supportive versus the person who judges others for And everyone dreads handing over to them.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

So it's literally the child concept, treat others how you want to be treated. Like when people hand things over to us, that's like water off a duck's back. We're like, no worries. I like I I don't care if things get handed over, I just need to know, like you just need to know if things were done or not.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

And then like obvious, yeah. I feel like there's like there's obviously nuances to like everything. There is nuances, but in general, yeah, people hand stuff over, you're like, no worries, no worries, no worries, no worries, no worries. Sounds like you had a bit busy shift. Like go home and I don't know, put your feet up, have a shower, have a bath. Yeah, chuck a little a little lush bath bomb in there. You know, you deserve it. Like, and that's and people will remember that.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

I do. I always wanted to be the person in emergency that you know, I'd come into a resus room, and you could just tell that the evening staff had had the worst shift ever, and they've intubated two people, and the room's a mess, and they look at you, and you can tell like they obviously don't want to be handing all this over. And the last thing you want to do is add to their stress of a day and shift that they've had.

SPEAKER_04 21:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

You know, nursing's 24 7.

SPEAKER_04 21:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

So don't feel like it's a bad thing to handle. Stuff over and also that right, didn't I?

SPEAKER_03 22:04

I think so. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

I just don't feel like it's a bad thing to hand things over. Yep. And yeah, if people are making you feel a certain way about that, as George has said, you know, you can say something politely to them and if you need to escalate it further. And that's on them, it's not on you.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

Because even like as a grad, like you're not used to handing over all your patients. So like some of your handovers are gonna suck.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

But like some of my handovers suck still. Like when you have one of those shifts, that like you know, things have been so hectic. I mean, it's a bit different in ED because you don't have to hand over like a lot of the patients have been and gone, so like you don't hand a lot over, but it's just hit the bed. It's just hit the bed so I know nothing about him. God, I hate when people say that.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

He's gay, classical music.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

He's like, and my mum was from Harlem.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

But yeah, like I've I I've handed things over before where like I've just looked at whoever's come on and I'm like, it's been a doozy of a shift. I'm gonna tell you everything that I know, I'm gonna tell you everything that I've done. Like, ask me questions, but like don't ex don't expect a solid answer. You know, like you haven't eaten, you haven't done a Wii, like nothing, and your brain's just like can't compute. So yeah, some of your handovers are gonna suck, and like that's like so fine. Yeah, um, something that I think is like also really important to know as a new grad, and this is like kind of ties into some of the things that we've said, is like asking a lot of questions is a good thing, like including at handover or like when you know someone gives you handover and you're like, I don't know what that thing means. Like, just ask them what that thing means. But like in general, in your grad yeah, asking lots of questions is a good thing, and the opposite, asking zero questions is a bad thing, and a red flag. Like as a senior, like being like an AM, or sorry, like when I was an AM, um, or like you know, CNC, CNS, whatever, like senior nursing positions, when you have junior people start, the like you know, my boss wants to know how they're going kind of situation. Like, if they're asking lots of questions and you can see that they're like putting in effort to like learn this new thing, even if it's taking them some time to get it, that is better than people coming into like some specialty area, or I guess you know, in your grad year, you're you any every well, any area is gonna be kind of new, so like coming into that area and never asking any questions, huge red flag because you should have questions because you've never been a nurse. You know what I mean? And I've facilitated like done some like grad facilitating stuff before, and that's been a thing. Like the people that ask lots of questions and are seeking you out to clarify things or do skills with you for the first time and all of that, you're like, Yep, cool, they're safe, they're learning, they're being appropriate. The ones that don't ask any questions, or you check in on them and they're constantly like, Yeah, I'm fine. Nope, not a single question. And you're like, I've come by for like three or four shifts in a row, and it's like your second month as a nurse, and you're telling me that there's not a single thing that you want to ask.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

It's just it's it doesn't add up.

SPEAKER_03 25:17

It doesn't add up, and it's just potentially unsafe. So, like, try like use your grad year as that time where you can ask a million and one questions because that is that that's what it's there for. You have extra support from like educators and preceptors and facilitators for a reason. Like, use and abuse them, baby, ask them a million questions.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Oh yes, yeah, and I think leading on from that, I think we've talked about this in a previous podcast episode kind of briefly, but you're gonna learn lots no matter where you are, wherever you've been put. You it might not be the place that you want to work, it might not be the place where you spend the rest of your career, but regardless of where it is, you're gonna learn a lot. You're gonna learn your time management, you're gonna learn how to interact with patients, you're gonna learn how to hand over all your basics, all your basic stuff. So if you're a little bit disappointed that you didn't get ED or that you didn't get cardiology, it's alright because this is just a year for everyone to learn.

SPEAKER_03 26:22

Yeah, absolutely. And I think if you have that attitude, that whatever area you're in, like say you get put in like a I don't know, like an endoscopy unit or like a day surgery unit, and you think like, well, why just do the same thing every day? Like you get patients in, you cannulate them, you do your checklist, you get them ready, and then you send them off, and you and your attitude is like, oh, like anyone could do this. Like, okay, cool. Well, can you do it like perfectly? Are you the best at it? No, okay. So why don't you have the attitude of like I want to be the best in this area and get good at whatever you can get really good at in that area, get good at that. So, like, if that is cannulating, amazing. Like, use your use your graduate or that rotation to like become the best cannulator possible, or I don't know, like, even if you're in aged care, like you no, you wow. We have talked about this on episodes before, where like you and I being from crit care, then getting thrown into like aged care kind of settings in agency, we were like, Oh, we suck at this. Like, we were like, hoisting? What? How do you and no, don't like don't ask me, like, people would be like, do it what way do we put it on? We were like, uh. Duh. You know?

SPEAKER_04 27:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:43

So like that, like even if you are somewhere like aged care or you're in ED or you're in, like, wherever you are, just try and have this attitude of like, I want to learn as much as I possibly can in this area, so that when I go to my next area, I have that skill set, and now I can take it to another one, and then that's how you become this like amazing, incredible nurse that can do anything. Because instead of going into it being like, Well, I'm not gonna learn anything here, you're like, Well, there is something to learn here, and I'm gonna learn it and I'm gonna be good at it.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

So Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

It's all about your attitude, baby.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

It is like get get good at the things that you do every day, and I can guarantee you there's even stuff like there's even stuff like clinical handover. Almost no one does the every checks that we need to at handover. I rarely ever see it happen. I rarely see people check armbands and read MRNs and then check all the emergency equipment. So, you know, just get good at doing all this. Whatever you can.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

Literally, get good at whatever you can in your in your graduate. And probably one of the most important things to like round out this episode is that it's okay to make mistakes. Like you're gonna get things wrong, it's just a natural thing. Like, I made I made mistakes in my grad year. Uh I had some near misses, like I had an almost medication error that luckily I picked up, it was like the wrong klexane in the wrong spot on the shelf or something, and I grabbed it and then got to the bedside and was like, oh no, this is not the right dose. Um, but you know, like we've both made like you you're gonna make mistakes because you're doing something that you're new at and it's okay, but like we said right at the start, the more that you can slow down and like just try and focus on being safe, the less likely you are to make mistakes. Um, but it is okay if you make mistakes.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

It is.

SPEAKER_03 29:37

And just try and be like really kind to yourself every day because while we don't want to sound like it's an like we don't want to make this sound overwhelming, but like your grad year is overwhelming, it's a kind of daunting time. You're taking in so much information all day, every day, you're on all day, every day. They make you do like assessments and all this extra grad stuff, so like it is going to be a little bit of an overwhelming time for you, but we all started there and you will get there.

SPEAKER_04 30:12

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

Every single day, like you're gonna be getting better at your job, and that's amazing. It just takes time. Yeah, good things take time.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

You'll be surprised of how you feel in a year.

SPEAKER_03 30:23

Yeah, absolutely. With all of that being said, we hope that you enjoyed this episode and either found it helpful for yourself as a grad or maybe for a fellow grad that you know that you want to share this episode with. Thank you so much for tuning in. We are forever grateful for all of our listeners. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow the podcast so you don't miss out on what's coming next. And if you do have a spare minute, we would really love it if you could leave us a quick review. It really does help other nurses to find this show. If you have a question or maybe a grad year story or anything like that that you want to share with us and have us discuss on the podcast and give you our two cents, feel free to either message me on Instagram at NurseSibs or email me nurssibs at gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. And until next time, remember you are human first and nurse second. So leave the vital instability to us and make sure you're looking after yourself as well as you do your patients.