The new graduate year: How to survive and thrive

The first year of a new nurse’s practice is one of the most transformative of their career. It’s an important time to establish a healthy foundational practice that can provide positive rewards years into the future. Here are some helpful tips for turning overwhelm into success!

1. Participate in a residency if available. These not only help connect new graduate nurses to build friendships, but also learn the expectations, culture, and resources of the workplace.
2. Manage work-life balance. Learn to “leave work at work.”
3. Take all breaks as available under law and employment contract. Breaks help nurses stay alert, refreshed, and rested. Washington state has specific requirements for meals, rest breaks, and overtime protections written into state law.
4. Focus on prioritization, time management, and delegation as key strategies to help ensure successful shifts.
5. Seek out a mentor, preceptor, or trusted colleague to provide feedback on progress or opportunities for improvement.
6. Utilize bedside shift report to improve communication, perform a quick visual assessment, and build rapport with the patient.
7. Build sustainable and healthy mental and physical health habits.
8. Allow time to hardwire foundational nursing tasks in the first year and build a foundation of nursing practice, before reaching for additional responsibilities and roles.
9. Connect with the local bargaining unit and/or professional association to network, build friendships, and find mentors.