Customer Reviews

Your First Year As a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

And in the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

*Your First Year As A Nurse* was exactly what I needed when I needed it, but not for the reason you might expect. I will be 50 years-old this year. I practiced nursing from 1977 to 1991 and am returning to clinical nursing after I complete an RN refresher program. While I may not be "a new grad" I certainly feel new. So much has changed in the last 12 years. I am in need of a big dose of confidence and Ms. Cardillo's book is just the right medicine.

The book is well-written, organized and sprinkled with gentle humor. It addresses almost every aspect of feeling inadequate because of inexperience, but it doesn't dwell on negatives. Instead, it focuses on the joy and value of learning and emphasizes strong communication skills. I especially liked it because it is filled with personal stories, and comments from real nurses in the trenches.

The most amazing thing about the book, to me, is that it maintains a realistic outlook in a positve manner without sounding like it was written by someone named Pollyanna. Ms. Cardillo makes it all seem possible in the real world because she writes with honesty. She looks at difficult situations head-on and instead of asking "What's the problem?" she asks, "What's the solution?"

I left nursing in 1991 in a state of complete burnout. It was a time of change that I could not accept: the dawn of HMOs, DRGs and managed care. Hospital nurses were being laid off in great numbers to save money and replaced with technicians who had two weeks training. Delegation and case loads became the buzz words.

Because of a severe shortage of hospital nurses, there is a huge recruiting effort to get nurses who have left back into the workforce. You'll find everything from RN refresher programs to intense hospital-based internships for nurses who have been out of the workforce for more than five years.

Our finances have changed and I need to go back to work as an RN. I was very frightened by this possibility even though I have always kept my nursing license active. And then I found Ms. Cardillo's book.

I have cried in places while reading it. It is as though I am recapturing the sacredness of nursing that I had lost. It isn't written just for the beginner. It is also wonderful for someone like me who has been out for a long time and wishes to return.

No, I don't have a long time left to work as a nurse (maybe a decade, 15 years at most), and some of the chapters on career building make me very sad when I think of what could have been. (I would love to go back and talk to that young woman but I can't.) Still, *Your First Year As A Nurse* gave me another lens through which to look at nursing.

The author reminded me of why I became a nurse in the first place so many years ago. 9/11 affected me deeply. Because of this book, I will "dare to care" once again-and maybe, if I'm lucky, know the place for the first time. Thank you, Ms. Cardillo, for writing the book.

This book was a God-send. I was out of school only 4 months and was questionning my career choice. Someone gave me this book as a gift and it turned things around for me. It reminded me why I got into nursing in the first place and that I still had a lot to learn. The stories and comments from other new nures were both comforting and inspiring. It made me belive that if they can do it, I can do it, too, and I will. I refer to the book when I need some encouragement which is often these days! I am more determined than ever to succeed as a nurse. I highly recommend this book.

This book is so encouraging and gives great suggestions for the new nurse graduate. I, in particular, put into practice Donna's suggestions for becoming involved and doing things that promote being a professional. I would recommend this book for all new grads hired in the hospital as part of their orientation package.

Over the weekend I purchased Your First Year As a Nurse: Making the
Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional because I wanted
a new start. Let me just say that 1) it was money well spent and 2)
purchasing this book should be made a mandatory requirement to any
student who starts a nursing program.

So far, I have read half the book. Already I have found some renewed
energy, and my enthusiasm about nursing is increasing again. I
graduated five months ago and took a job in an ICU where I have been working for four months and half months. Recently, I made the decision to leave the ICU.

I am starting in a step down unit tomorrow and I am very excited about
starting over. I experienced all of the following prior to making this
decision: frustration, fatigue, anxiety, dreading going to work, fear of
making mistakes, and many other emotions. Had I read your book prior to
starting this position, I could have avoided this painful period in my
nursing career. Of course, I have learned many valuable lessons. But I
do think nursing would earn a better reputation if newcomers did not have
to go through this experience. And I know that I am not the only one who has felt this way. I have read countless numbers of blogs on the internet of new grads who described the same feelings I shared earlier.

Thank you Ms. Cardlille for all the wonderful advice that you have shared. I joined the ANA today and contacted my state's Nurse Association regarding future events. I am looking forward to networking because you make it sound so much fun and rewarding. Please continue the work that you are doing. You are very inspiring to new nurses.

A grateful new grad.

I bought this book as part of preparation to present a full day conference to Nurses in NYC on strategies for dealing with difficult patients and colleagues. Although I have worked with several patients who are nurses, I wanted to understand more about what different nurses experience day to day. I was immediately swept into the book and fascinated by the vibrant enthusiam Ms. Cardillo expresses about the nursing profession. I think this is valuable for any stage of a nurse's career. She covers numerous circumstances and challenges and offers practical and proactive suggestions. I like her upbeat writing style. I like to read beginners books in my profession too because it helps me rethink things with a fresh perspective. She writes so clearly about ways to establish good professionalism for each aspect of a nurse's career. Professional careers are very complex and the simplicity with which Ms. Cardillo addresses the topic is motivating and easy to assimilate into action. She uses examples from her professional experience that help illustrate her points. The book's format also invited me to take in ideas easily. She uses shading and boxes and different types of print for different types of material. It was fun to skip around to each item, I felt like each one was more interesting than the last. I included this book as recommended reading on a list I am giving out at my conference. I also recommend it to clients and colleagues of mine who I think would benefit from the material. I really appreciate Ms. Cardillo's passion for nursing and generosity in sharing her years of experience in the way she wrote this book.

I have been an RN for over 11 years and wanted to change the specialty I worked in. I had seen Donna Cardillo's column in Nursing Spectrum magazine and liked the advice that she would give to nurses with questions about career, etc... When I saw this book, I looked through it, and thought it would be helpful to me as I changed specialties. I love it! It was very motivating and kept me going as I oriented to the new area. I would recommend this to all new nurses as well as more seasoned nurses, who are looking for a change and need some extra motivation. The book is very easy to read and provides invaluable insights.

I cannot begin to tell you what an impact reading this book has had on me. I am about to finish my RN year and start a new job working nights in a small rural hospital. I am scared, needless to say, to get out into the workforce. This book is really
helping me to realize that an order to learn we must venture out and take risks along the way. And that we are NOT expected to know everything. I have been telling all my friends and classmates about this book.

Donna Cardillo, RN succeeds in capturing the experience of "your first year as a nurse." Her book provides first hand accounts from recent graduates, practicing nurses, and Donna's own experiences. Donna guides you through the steps of getting your first position, finding resources to help you succeed, and communicating with coworkers, patients, and their families. Her comprehensive book even includes a chapter on stereotypes, annoyances, and myths which will resonate with every nurse both male and female. That chapter also provides the reader with some clever ways to respond to stereotypes. Seasoned nurses will find Donna's chapters on staying connected and taking your career to the next level filled with invaluable tools to help them flourish in their career. In a time where the nursing profession is entering a shortage, and working conditions for nurses have been less than ideal, it is refreshing to read accounts of nurses that maintain a positive outlook and can share their coping strategies with the reader.

This book has given my a great boost of confidence as a new nurse. It made me realize my feelings of anxiousness and just being apprehensive about my new career are totally normal and felt by many others. I feel by reading this book it is going to be a an asset to my carreer.

Donna Cardillo is truly a inspiration to the nursing profession. Her words of wisdom have encouraged me tremendously. This is surely a book I will reference many times in the future.

I have seen Donna speak several times. My most memorable was the first time hearing her speak at the National Student Nurse Association convention. She was so inspirational and helpful. Donna personally signed a copy of this book that book got me through some of my roughest times as a new nurse. Yes, her advise is logical common knowledge to some, but when your are new to a profession and somewhat timid, the words are a great gift of help! Thank you Donna for helping me survive my first year. Now, 5 years later, I am a thriving nurse that continues to reference the book at times as a refresher. I also encourage as many new grads as I can to read it.

Nursing is so fortunate to have a person like Donna to positively promote the profession.

Additionally, I educate nurses about bullying and typically refer my audience to Donna's site and her article "Do Nurses Really Eat Their Young." It's a great article and I agree with Donna wholly that there truly are more helping nurses than bullies. Unfortunately those few bullies have a large impact on the nursing profession. I attempt to help nurses "bully-proof" themselves and see there are ways to avoid the bullies and those bullies are not the majority in nursing. Donna has encouraged me in this endeavor. She also encouraged me to reinforce to my audience the new mantra she would like to create for nursing..."Nurses nurture their own."

All in all, what I have tried to get across to you here is:
1.) Nursing is a great profession,
2.) Donna is a great mentor for nurses,
3.) THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ!