May the (Nursing) Force Be With You

The Biggest Challenges New Nurses Are Facing Today In The Healthcare Galaxy

“How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.” -Florence Nightingale

Being a “newbie” nurse during a pandemic has to be a surreal experience. COVID-19 has revealed much dysfunction in healthcare. A lack of supplies, stability, training, an over-abundant population of sicker patients, and admirative staff that just don’t care! How is a young “Jedi” nurse supposed to survive?

It’s tough enough for a “Jedi” nurse to embark on their new nursing journey in the hospital galaxy. And now, COVID has added new challenges. Has healthcare become a “dark planet?”

Do Or Do Not; There Is No Try

New graduate nurses must “hit the ground running.” Studies show conflict between the needs of new nurses and the realities of the workplace often creates role confusion and tension in new graduates and threatens employers’ ability to retain them. COVID cut clinical time for many student nurses or eliminated them completely. Lack of patient care experience, SIMS, labs or clinicals were just some of the complaints noted from ‘Jedi’ nurses on a Facebook chat site coming into the profession in a COVID world.

“There is a huge nursing shortage in our Medical Surgical and Telemetry units,” a nurse reported. “Turnover is ridiculous, mainly from new nurses. Nursing is hard work and many nurses work short staffed on a regular basis.”

New Nurses Are Struggling

New nurses are reporting being sworn at and berated by patients. One new nurse stated she was threatened, demeaned, and bullied by multiple patients on a cardiac telemetry unit. As Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side.” But how can a ‘Jedi’ nurse not be afraid of going into a healthcare setting with these terrifying obstacles?

Healthcare Needs More Yodas

Being forced off orientation earlier than normal due to staffing issues and lack of mentorship can bring much anxiety and fear to new nurses starting out. Now more than ever, new nurses need strong ‘Yodas’ – mentors, mentorship, and leaders to support them. However, the common complaint on Facebook chat groups regarding this topic states that mentorship in the hospital realm is lacking, especially for new nurses working on the night shift. Instead, these new nurses are being berated by their mentors for lack of training and knowledge.

“I’ve had nurses make me cry because I’m new. I’ve had nurses tell me that I should have known to do something that a seasoned nurse would have known,” lamented a young ‘Jedi’ nurse on a Facebook chat site. Since the 1980s the common phrase “Nurses eat their young” has become a virus of the mind that plagues the nursing profession. The phrase should not make the act of bullying and lack of team camaraderie acceptable, but unfortunately it’s been used as an excuse for bullying for too long.

Another new nurse on the Facebook chat site stated “I cringe at some of the preceptorships I’ve seen. Old, outdated information is clashing with the new nursing scope of practice guidelines.” There were over 900 comments on the FB chat group that varied regarding the time new nurses spent on orientation. The consensus was that the approximate time in orientation spent during the COVID pandemic for new nurses was between six weeks to three months.

Young Jedi Nurses Must Have Realistic Expectations

All too often, expectations of what the hospital realm is like can become warped. This can overwhelm new nurses and cause anxiety. How can you succeed without the proper tools?

The new ‘Jedi’ nurses are hardly to blame. Many nursing students complete most of their clinicals in a simulated laboratory with mannequins. It’s sad to say that the first time a new nurse will even touch a real live breathing patient is when they start their first job in a hospital or clinic. Poor work ethics and lack of clinical skills may follow this pattern. Some new nurses don’t know how to talk or even listen to their patients. After all, mannequins have very little to say.

Unfortunately, the main focus of nursing schools has been solely placed on passing NCLEX exams and not on patient care. Nursing schools are adding fuel to the already failing healthcare system fire. Instead of empowering new nurses to be strong healthcare providers and patient advocates, the nursing school system is setting up new nurses to fail.

It’s a very dark time to be a new Jedi nurse. Hospital systems and nursing schools must make changes on how they train and retain their new nurses immediately. Nursing turnover is costly and can endanger patients’ lives. Nurses are at the heart of patient care and must not be made to fear the healthcare profession.

Administrative staff must ensure a safe and empowering environment in order to promote longevity and positive mental health for both new and seasoned nurses. May the force be with every new Jedi nurse embarking on their new career path journey. It’s a tough battle, but with the proper guidance and “Yoda” it can be won!