 Hi everyone and welcome back. If you're new, a huge welcome to you. If you want to subscribe, then subscribe and you'll get a notification when I post my videos. But if not, as always, don't worry about it. Just pop in when you can. It's fine. So today's video is all about how to survive as a newly qualified nurse when you very first start. And I hope I can give you some tips and advice to help you out. So when you first start, it is going to feel very much like you're still learning, you're still that student. So don't do what I do and forget your pen and notepad. Take a pen and notepad and write everything down, any routines down, any like medications down, computer system stuff down. Like I've filled my book with step-by-step instructions of how to do things so that I don't have to keep asking people. I can just refer to my book and then carry on. It's honest to God, it will help you out so, so much if you do this. So another tip is on your first day, know where everything is, know where your resource trolley is, know where your policies and procedures are, know where your telephone numbers is in case you need to ring, the emergency protocol, the fire safety stuff, because you never know what's going to happen on that first day. You might be newly qualified, but the patients there are still patients and the colleagues around you are still your colleagues. Things could happen and you need to know what's going to happen. So when you get there, find out. My next tip is just relax and I know it's going to be really like, oh my god, overwhelming, stressed. It's like starting a first placement, oh my god, but just try and just calm those nerves, calm yourself down and just take everything as it comes. It's not a race, slow and steady wins the race. You don't need to rush into everything. You don't need to get full on, get in there, stuck in, day one. Please just go as comfortable as you can go. As long as you're confident and comfortable to do things, do them. If you're not comfortable, if you haven't been shown, if you haven't been trained, please don't do them. Ask for advice, ask for training, ask for help and you'll be okay. Because at the end of the day, this is real life, it's real patience and patient safety always has to come first and we have to work within the NMC code as you know. Remind yourself that it's okay not to know something. I've been reminding myself this all week, this is my second week now as a newly qualified nurse and there's been times when I've looked at something and I was like, I literally have no idea. It feels like I've forgotten everything from the last three years and it's okay just take a deep breath, think about it logically and if you really don't know it, ask for help. There's no harm in that at all because we are still learning and it is better to ask for help, get advice than get it wrong and the patient suffers as a consequence. So please, it's okay if you don't know something, remind yourself that and that's what we've got the nice guidelines for, that's what we've got Public Health England, the World Health Organization, all of those things there as well as a backup so that we can go by evidence-based practice, research so that we can back up why we're doing it so we can rationalise why we're doing it so and you've got the team around you, you've got the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, admin, receptionists, if you don't know something one of those guys is going to know something so please go easy on yourself, it's okay and that tip leads me really nicely on to use and abuse the people around you, you've got an amazing team of pharmacy, admin, reception, even your matron, you've got healthcare assistants, you've got phlebotomists, you've got all of these people, I'm really sorry if I haven't mentioned you, housekeeping, sorry housekeeping, you've got all of these people around you that have been there for so long, they know things that you might not know, ask them whoever they are just no matter what role they're in, if you need help ask somebody and I think sometimes we forget the input that these people can have, I feel like they're so undervalued when they're absolutely amazing, every single team member I've worked with, especially in GP, they know so much is amazing so ask your teams, do not forget to introduce yourself, tell them who you are, where you've come from, all of that jazz, I find this is the best way being honest so with my patients I've been like I'm a newly qualified nurse, I'm here in practice, I hope it's okay, I can take your bloods, I can do your wounds dressings but don't worry I'm completely competent in this, I've been doing it for so many years and patients are fine with that, they love it, they're always like well you've got to learn somehow so honest to God, be honest with your patients and they will love that, they love open honest people are found, next thing is always get their name and date of birth, make sure you have got the correct patient because I haven't forgot to do this but at the very start of the consultation I haven't checked this and then sort of as I've gone in I've sort of went oh my god I'm really really sorry let me just check your date of birth that I'm speaking to the right person, check the date of birth and it was them, you're sort of you're getting into a new routine because you're newly qualified, you have to get into that routine of what you say, what you do and how you sort of do it and then once you've got into that routine it's going to flow so much nicer but get into a routine or from the start introduce yourself, get the name, get the date of birth so you know you've got the right patient, it'll just make your life so much easier I promise and you won't look silly halfway through the consultation and the next tip is it's kind of going against what I first said about take it slow and go easy but get stuck in if you are confident enough, if you are comfortable, if you're confident, be trained to do so, do it, don't sit back and let someone else do it, get stuck in and do it because the only way you are going to learn is by doing things and that's the way we learn and yeah you will absolutely make mistakes, trust me I've already made a mistake this week which luckily wasn't a life or death mistake, it was something really really simple but I felt more to provide that I'd made a mistake but this is all about learning as long as you're open, honest, reflect on it and improve and don't make the mistake again I suppose, that's absolutely fine but yeah get stuck in, make your mistakes, learn from your mistakes, reflect your mistakes and just learn and grow and I think you're just going to be amazing honestly and next I just wanted to say that if you see something you're uncomfortable with, you're not happy with, you're thinking oh why are they doing that, ask the question, if there's a safeguard and return report it, do not be too scared to report things if you see something like that out there because that's not on, we need to stop this behaviour so please report it if you're not happy with something or if you need help with something please get advice, always get advice is like the biggest tip, don't feel stupid ask lots of questions because those people around you they're all newly qualified at some stage, they were asking those same questions so please be safe and keep yourself safe and keep your patients safe. Oh and just on that safeguarding concern there is an NHS safeguarding app that you can download, the amazing Kenny who's on Twitter has shown me this I've downloaded it, it's amazing, download the app so that you know that you've got the list of numbers and emails and people to refer to if you need it but fingers crossed you will never need it but if you do they are there, they're a massive support even if you just want to question them about something, if you're not sure about something maybe the patient self-neglecting family member anything like that pick up the phone and ring someone that is your job you've seen it you need to report it and raise that concern so please protect your patients. And just some very very final last advice for you don't worry again don't worry you're newly qualified you're still learning there's that saying nursing is lifelong learning and it is every day is a learning day you will see things that you've never seen before you will do things you've never done before and you will start to think oh am I a nurse because that is how you feel I have felt that this week trust me I've seen things and I'm like how am I a nurse when I haven't seen this but if you think about the 101 conditions that are out there the 101 things that are being discovered still the 101 things updates policies guidelines changing all of the time you are never going to know at all you will there will be so many things you have not seen out there so please love yourself be kind to yourself and know that it's okay not to know something and yeah you're going to honest to God you're going to be amazing just forget those doubts and just know that you're doing amazing know that you are still newly qualified you are going to be learning still you are going to very much feel a little bit like a student until you have been working there for so many years and yeah get into your routine and you can do it with your eyes closed like some of the people that you'll be working with and don't compare yourself don't compare yourself to anybody because we're all different we all work different we all have our own ways of doing things and that's what makes us us that's what makes us unique and that is your superpower so please last note be kind to yourself don't panic about it and seek advice if you need it