10 Words of Wisdom for New Nurses

8. Going home in tears is not necessarily a bad sign.

You will be so overwhelmed, stressed out and exhausted that you will occasionally sag against the wall of the elevator and weep. This is a normal part of the stress that comes with being a nurse. It becomes less frequent as you learn more. It’s okay. Here, have a cookie.

9. People will occasionally do mean things or be inappropriate with you.

Wackos can smell a new nurse. I got odd suggestions, inappropriate physical contact and outright bullying more in the first six months I was a nurse than in the next three and a half years. Be patient. Eventually you will develop that Nurse Callus that allows you to see the loonies coming and deal with them. In the meantime, lean on your charge nurse and your colleagues to help you get out of rooms unscathed. And if you’re getting consistently shitty assignments with a higher-than-normal proportion of weirdos, complain. It’s not fair to saddle the newbie with all of the nut jobs.