Description
Packed full of personal accounts, hints and tips to help student nurses and newly qualified nurses as they progress from graduation to revalidation.
Being a Nurse will help both student nurses and newly qualified nurses in their progression from graduation to revalidation.
It takes a special sort of person to be a nurse and starting a new career can be a daunting prospect for anyone – this book will prepare you for the transition from student to registered nurse and help you make the most of your time as a newly qualified nurse. The book provides advice to new starters on dealing with the challenges of being a nurse. It covers important topics such as:
- first-day nerves
- the value of teamwork
- how to avoid burnout
- coping with a bad day
- how to know when you’re ready to progress.
The author takes a jargon-free, supportive approach that aims to help you develop your confidence as a nurse so that you in turn can offer the best care for your patients.
Lauren Philpott recently qualified as a registered nurse and has drawn on her own experience to write “the book I wish I’d had”. In the words of one reviewer, “it’s like she’s taking you by the hand and helping you through the transition that she went through herself”.
From reviews:
“Being a Nurse is a great resource for anyone starting out in their nursing careers. It offers sensible down to earth advice, drawing on the author’s real life experience of what it is like to work as a Registered Nurse for the first time. The author tackles some really challenging topics, such as dealing with difficult situations/people, burnout, having a bad day (and importantly how to get over it!) as well as emphasising the many positives that nursing brings. She takes the new graduate through their nursing journey, from the first day on the job, to developing in confidence and how to work towards revalidation, taking a pragmatic, yet very readable approach. This would make a great gift for any soon to graduate or recently qualified nurse.”
Liz Williams, Assistant Professor, Year 2 Clinical Skills, University of Nottingham
“What I like about ‘Being a Nurse’ is that it is a first-hand guide to being a newly registered nurse; it gives helpful information about all those things you didn’t learn about when you were a student nurse. To name a few; annual leave, revalidation, finding your role within the team and CPD.
…The content of ‘Being a Nurse’ is written in such a way that it very much feels like an informal chat with Lauren herself, and this makes for a comforting read. Its easy layout is set with bullet points and ‘top tip’ sections which can help you easily summarise each chapter. There are also quotes of real-life situations and cases, which always helps put theory ideas into reality. Although Lauren is a children’s nurse, the topics discussed in the book are easily transferable to other branches of nursing.
I would recommend this book to any student nurses, especially students about to qualify.”
Online review from Diary of a Chief Nurse Junior Fellow
Me and my book
Chapter One: First day
nerves
Your first days
Am I ready?
Going it alone
A shaky start
On a positive note
Common worries answered
Chapter Two: Teamwork
The importance of teamwork
The nursing team
Finding your role within the team
Lone working
The multidisciplinary team
Communication
Team building
Teamwork in an emergency
Chapter Three:
Patient relationships
Therapeutic relationship
Building relationships
Boundaries
A positive relationship
Establishing a good relationship
What if I don’t strike a relationship with a patient?
Social media
Chapter Four: Difficult
situations
Emotional difficulties
Uncooperative patients
Dealing with challenging people
Politics
Disagreements with colleagues
Breaking bad news
The death of a patient
When mistakes are made
How to cope with difficult situations
Chapter Five: Good days
and bad days
Good days
What makes our shifts good?
What do you think?
Bad days
Why do bad days happen?
How to help yourself have a good day
Sick patients
How to recover from a bad day
Chapter Six: Progression
and confidence
Preceptorship period
Confidence
Study days
Learning ‘on the job’
As your confidence grows
Caring for sick patients
Becoming a mentor
Chapter Seven: Work/life
balance
Work/life balance
What is burnout?
How to avoid burnout
Hobbies
Leaving work at work
Saying no
Take your breaks
Take time to rest
Annual leave
Look after yourself
Supporting your colleagues through burnout
Chapter Eight:
Revalidation, and everything in between
Revalidation
Everything in between
Acknowledgements
‘Being a Nurse is a great resource for anyone starting out in their nursing careers. It offers sensible down to earth advice, drawing on the author’s real life experience of what it is like to work as a Registered Nurse for the first time. The author tackles some really challenging topics, such as dealing with difficult situations/people, burnout, having a bad day (and importantly how to get over it!) as well as emphasising the many positives that nursing brings. She takes the new graduate through their nursing journey, from the first day on the job, to developing in confidence and how to work towards revalidation, taking a pragmatic, yet very readable approach. This would make a great gift for any soon to graduate or recently qualified nurse.’
Liz Williams, Assistant Professor, Year 2 Clinical Skills, University of Nottingham
‘What I like about Being a Nurse is that it is a first-hand guide to being a newly registered nurse; it gives helpful information about all those things you didn’t learn about when you were a student nurse. To name a few; annual leave, revalidation, finding your role within the team and CPD.
The content of Being a Nurse is written in such a way that it very much feels like an informal chat with Lauren herself, and this makes for a comforting read. Its easy layout is set with bullet points and ‘top tip’ sections which can help you easily summarise each chapter. There are also quotes of real-life situations and cases, which always helps put theory ideas into reality. Although Lauren is a children’s nurse, the topics discussed in the book are easily transferable to other branches of nursing.
I would recommend this book to any student nurses, especially students about to qualify.’
Nursing blog, Diary of a Chief Nurse Junior Fellow
‘Lauren writes in a way that is like talking to a friend or mentor, making you feel comfortable and supported. The book contains sections on how to cope with a bad day and first day nerves. As a third year student nurse, I worry about first day nerves especially as I am going to work in a trust that I haven’t had a placement in and this section of the book really resonated with me as I’m sure it will other third year student nurses.
The book is written in an informative way without using jargon and confusing language, containing hints and tips from Lauren herself on each section. My favourite section is how you know when you’re ready to progress, I have a career plan which I would like to stick to and this section was really interesting to read.
This is a book that would be good for all student nurses to read, especially third years who are close to qualifying or newly qualified nurses!’
Student nurse blog, studentnurseandbeyond.co.uk
Amazing talent
‘Amazing read, highly recommend for any newly qualified nurse (whatever field of nursing) and also students, I’m just over 2 years qualified and wish I’d had this to help guide me through, there are aspects of it that are still applicable...talented writer with great sense of humour.’
Amazon reviewer
