Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1241832
Robyn M. Nelson, RN, Ph.D., MSN Dean, College of Nursing West Coast University A new graduate should have the opportunity to pursue his/her passion without two years of med/surg! Service and academia should partner to offer accredited residency programs that provide a foundational transition into practice experience. Giving a new graduate a solid direct care, multiple-patient experience with the promise of specialty practice after six months to a year is a win-win. My opinion is that requiring new graduates to work in med/surg can lead to some new RNs feeling unfulfilled in their day-to-day work and disenchanted with their career choice. Some new graduate nurses may quit the nursing profession altogether before even moving into the specialty of their choice. With rising turnover rates for RNs and an average turnover cost (based on 2016 data) of $37,700 to $58,400 per position, why take that chance? Lauren Spilsbury, RN, MSN Vice President, Patient Care Services Redlands Community Hospital The common belief that new grads should receive their founda- tional orientation in a medical/surgical unit prior to moving to a specialty is based on two fallacies: first, that med/surg is not a specialty in its own right, and second, that people are not self- aware. People know what they seek in their lives. New grads don't want to delay launching into their chosen new careers. My own nursing journey has been blessed with many differ- ent roles in multiple specialties. I want to share that same pro- fessional joy with all our nurses. We offer a robust transition- to-practice new grad program to provide a solid professional practice foundation for our staff in their chosen specialty areas. When it is time to explore other opportunities, we also offer shadow opportunities to provide a taste of another specialty and transitional orientation for "new to specialty" staff. Irena Zuanic, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Vice President / Chief Nursing Officer PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital We do not require our new graduate nurses to start in med- ical/surgical units. I believe that a new graduate nurse can go into any specialty. I think that you can learn in every specialty of nursing and that you can transfer that knowledge to another field of nursing so long as you have a passion for the specialty. When you have an interest and a desire to learn, you are more likely to succeed in the specialty of your own choice. Linda Sarna, RN, Ph.D., FAAN Dean / Professor / Lulu Wolf Hassenplug Chair UCLA School of Nursing I highly recommend the award-winning book Educated, by Tara Westover. Educated is the memoir of a woman who overcame the survivalist life of her funda- mentalist family and ultimate- ly received a Ph.D. from Cambridge. It's a story about beliefs about health and healthcare, and about overcoming tremendous odds to receive the kind of education that so many of us take for granted. The story is a strong reminder that nurses need to understand and take into account that their patients can come from very different backgrounds that shape their views about health and ill- ness. Nurses must always assess beliefs about health using a holistic, nonjudgmen- tal approach. Jennifer R. Castaldo, RN, BSN, MSHA, NEA-BC Vice President / Chief Nursing Officer Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Over the years, I have become a podcast fan. Therefore, my advice to nurses is to find a podcast that you enjoy. You can listen in your car on your drive into work, as you relax at the beach or (like me) beside a nice warm fire with a hot cup of tea. One podcast I enjoy and recommend is called "NRSNG." The website (nursing.com) has a plethora of podcasts, but their flagship nursing podcast series is what they describe as an "eclectic look at the profession." On the "NRSNG" podcast, they talk about subjects like life hacks for nurses, anatomy and physiology of diseases and real-life nursing stories. They also interview various incredible nurses, authors and other successful people. CNO READING LIST cont'd.