Does Your New Nurse Need a Confidence Boost?
Nurses are in the thick of COVID-19 as we write this, making it a tough time to enter the profession. Any new employee can lack confidence, but in the busy and complex world of nursing, many new nurses can feel uncertain when they first start the job. This article will share some tips with your organization on how to boost new nurse’s confidence to help them acclimate more quickly to their first role with your organization.
Benefits of Helping New Nurses
Organizations that make a little extra effort to boost any new employee’s confidence will see the benefits. In the healthcare field, working to acclimate new nurses offers some significant benefits such as:
- Improves nurse satisfaction
- Increases patient satisfaction
- Delivers more organizational value more quickly
How can healthcare providers reap these benefits by quickly acclimating new nurses and boosting their confidence?
- Assign them a mentor. A recent case study illustrated the idea and benefits of “each one teaches one” in nursing. There are intangibles in the nursing field that vary by location. Having a mentorship program for new nurses will boost their confidence by sharing information that only experienced nurses have. As the new nurse evolves with experience, they too, can serve as mentors so that this cyclic flow of information can continue.
- Create an environment where questions are welcomed, not discarded. In healthcare, no one knows everything; every patient is different, and technology and accepted treatment modalities change all the time. Creating a collaborative team environment where questions are welcomed is an excellent way to build the confidence of new nurses—instead of shutting them down. Look at it this way; it’s always better to ask a question than make a mistake in the healthcare field.
- Open the door to better communication between managers, new nurses, and even administration. Healthcare organizations are like any busy bureaucracy; managers take their cues from the top. While it might not be possible for your hospital CEO to make the rounds to talk with workers every day, this sort of open dialogue, when reproduced across the hospital setting, will make any new employee feel more at home. Managers must be trained in open communication and active listening, which will do a lot to support the new nurse struggling to learn everything he or she needs to know.
- Offer continual feedback to build self-confidence in the new nurse. Feedback improves performance, and positive, supportive feedback, given consistently, can boost the confidence of the new employee. This should include showing appreciation for good work as it happens while providing constructive feedback quietly but supportively. New nurses may be more prone to mistakes, but the last thing you want to do is call them out publicly. Instead, make your feedback quietly consistent to build up the confidence of your team, including any new staff members.
Is Your Team Looking for a Nurse?
If you’re seeking a nurse, we’d like to encourage you to call the Custom Group of Companies. Our healthcare teams have worked with clinical professionals for years, and we understand who you are looking for. Talk to us today about potential candidates today.
