- 11 July 2023
- 7 min read
Challenges I Faced As A Newly Registered Orthopaedic Nurse
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Orthopaedic Nurse Jonathan talks openly about the challenges he faced as a Newly Registered Nurse, from the impact of staff shortages to developing confidence in your new role.
Working as a Newly Registered Orthopaedic Nurse means there are many pressures that come with the role, most of which are out of your control. Universities do their best to prepare you for life as a nurse but can’t explore all possible settings you could take your first nursing job role.
Lack of staffing and lack of training all impacted my first few months of being an Orthopaedic Nurse. Read on to see how it affected me personally and what you may be able to implement to prevent it from happening to you.
Pressures From Staff Shortages
When I started my first nursing job, there were around 35,000 open vacancies for nurses in the UK; staff were over stretched everywhere in the country, in all hospitals and all wards. I had a slight advantage compared to some Newly Qualified Nurses as I had completed placements in both year one and year three of my nursing journey, so I had a good idea of how the ward worked daily.
I remember being very nervous on my first day, but after a couple of hours I settled in quite easily and really enjoyed it. One of the first challenges I can remember was turning up to work a shift and being one of four members of staff (two nurses and two healthcare assistants). The staffing levels should be at least six members of staff, so I knew the shift would be tough.
I was responsible for looking after eleven patients along with a healthcare assistant, also knowing that there were some tasks I was unable to complete as I had not done the training/competencies. I survived the shift and looking back that really helped shape me as a nurse, as well as helping me to feel calm and in control in acute/emergency situations.
The pressures of a lack of staff impacted me quite a bit, as it meant my skills training was cancelled because I was required to cover staff shortages on the ward. That then put pressure on my colleagues as they had to manage tasks I was not qualified and competent for.
Issues With Training
There are skills which you need to learn by attending courses and in house training. Orthopaedic wards administer intravenous medications on a regular basis but unfortunately this was not part of university curriculum when I was a nursing student.
My first two course dates were cancelled due to staff shortages, meaning that it took me six months to do my training and get my competencies completed. I felt guilty about asking other nursing staff to do this for me, but now being qualified for almost 5 years find myself volunteering on a regular basis to help with others who to need get their competencies completed or if they are after some advice.
Orthopaedics also uses many pumps/devices etc to help with patient’s pain level which often includes epidurals and patient controlled analgesia, for example. This training was delivered in house by the Trust I worked for. Due to limited number of specialist pain nurses, the course was not very regular, and places were also limited.
Again, it took me around five months to complete the training and get my competencies completed. I have since completed some additional training around pain management and would certainly consider a specialist role in this field in the future.
Despite the challenges in my early months as an Orthopaedic Nurse, I truly believe this role has given me lots of inner strength and confidence...
About this contributor
Registered Adult Nurse
I qualified as an Adult nurse in September 2018 and took a job to work as a Trauma & Orthopaedic Nurse in the East of England. In August 2020 I left this role and went to the private sector briefly, but this did not work out. I am now currently working for NHS Professionals as a Registered Nurse in the East of England gaining experience around different specialties but can often be found on the Orthopaedic wards.
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