Nursing Registry specializing in Per Diem Nursing, Travel Nursing, Cardiac Cath Lab, International Nurses, Allied Healthcare, Employment Services and more.

Our March newsletter has gone to press! Please click the attached link to find out what is going on at a Westways branch near you.

Westways has three new facilities in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area that are in need of Great Registered Nurses. If you are interested in working at these facilities or would like more info, give Carlos a call in our Phoenix office at 602.218.7770.

…because you want to, not because you have to. Westways knows that you have lots of choices when it comes to picking the right nursing agency. To help make your decision easier, we our offering a SIGN-ON BONUS to NEW RN’s and a REACTIVATION BONUS to former Westways RN’s from February 8th – May 31st, 2010. Feel free to call your local branch office or our corporate office at 800.575.9674 for more details.

Still a dedicated Westways employee? Then don’t forget about our RN REFERRAL BONUS program.

Although it’s rare these days to encounter a new graduate nurse, since so many hospitals have canceled their New Grad Training Programs, you might find yourself assigned as a preceptor to a new, or recently reentered to the work force, nurse.

I would hope any Westways nurse placed in that position would rise to the challenge. The following article is worth reading and remembering its tips. – Donna Couturié, Director of Clinical Operations

Integrating New Nursing Grads

Do you remember what it was like to be a new nursing graduate? One day you were a student, and ‘poof,’ one day you were a nurse. Expectations ran high and responsibilities ran even higher. The cushion of just being a student, and having your instructor ultimately be responsible, is gone in an instant. Do you remember the anxiety, fear and unsure feelings of those first few months?

When you are well into your own career and overloaded with your own patients, it is easy to forget what it was like in the beginning. But wait, we need your active participation to help us integrate our new staff, now more than ever! In a profession that is one of the most trusted and respected in the world, it is embarrassing that we have a phenomenon known as nurses eating their young. The well known, but little talked about, epidemic of senior nurses making work life even more challenging for their young counterparts. I am hopeful that the general public is unaware of this, as it would be rather embarrassing for us!

Why do you think this exists? Do we feel that new grads must pay their dues, that because no one supported us, we don’t need to support them? Is it our own insecurities? Are we worried they have newer, fresher knowledge, and that they will want our jobs?

Whatever our reasons, whether conscious or not, many of us are hurting, rather than helping, our new nurses integrate into our institutions. With the shortage of nurses so prevalent, wouldn’t it be in OUR best interest to help these ladies and gentlemen through their first, and possibly most challenging, year in the profession?

Dr. Judy Boychuk Duchscher, RN, PhD, has made her life’s work helping new nurses transition into the workplace. Beyond this article, her compelling research and tools for integration can be found on nursingthefuture.ca.

What’s in it for you? Well, supporting the profession, giving back to the nursing community, and doing the right thing, for starters.

To help your new staff not only survive but thrive, communication, patience and empathy need to be evident. While you are busy with your own case load, consider a small amount of time and energy well invested by helping them. You can help by:

Validating where they are coming from – I remember how hard it was to be new.

Make yourself available for questions or venting – Would you like to have a coffee together?

Enthusiastically include them in social activities outside of work – Come with us, you can ride with me!

Anticipate their needs – Are you comfortable doing that procedure on your own?

Be ultra-patient with their questions

Let them accompany you when you have a unique assessment, but don’t tell them everything. Let them assess – Do you notice anything unusual about Mrs. Jones today?

Praise and compliment – Good job on that!

Trying to keep their assignments/units consistent for at least the first 4 months.

Do not schedule them as the sole nurse for breaks or for high acuity patients, and have seasoned staff close at hand.

If you can help a new nursing grad transition, not only will you likely have a fan for life, but you will be contributing to the profession; they will be more likely to pay it forward when they are senior staff, and you will be helping patients/residents/clients by ensuring that they have competent, capable and confident care.

If you can help a new nursing grad transition, not only will you likely have a fan for life, but you will be contributing to the profession; they will be more likely to pay it forward when they are senior staff, and you will be helping patients/residents/clients by ensuring that they have competent, capable and confident care. – Stephanie Staples [via nursetogether]

Welcome to Super Bowl 2010. I know this is Super Bowl XLIV, but what makes this one different from the others is that for the first time in their franchise history, the New Orleans Saints have made it to the Super Bowl. With Hurricane Katrina damaging the Super Dome in 2005, the Saints were left without a place to play. Prior to hiring head coach Sean Payton in January, 2006, the Saints hadn’t been a dominate offensive team. Coach Payton’s goal was to establish an offensive powerhouse around quarter back Drew Brees. The Saints are now ranked with the NO.1 offense in the NFL and a ticket to the Super Bowl.

With a new year upon us, it’s a perfect time to set your goals for the year, for the decade, or for the rest of your life. After all, if you don’t set goals to determine where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? Much like the Saints, achieving goals produces significant accomplishments. Setting goals is about plotting the incremental, but necessary steps, to start the journey. If your dream is to dance the hula in Hawaii, you will have to start saving money for the trip and sign up for a hula dancing class. It all starts with these small first steps. Instead of a remote dream that will never be realized, suddenly the trip has the real possibility of becoming part of your life experience.

While or after enjoying the Super Bowl, make your mind up as to what it is that you really want. Like Coach Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints, you need to decide what is right for you. This is an important first step toward success, both personal and professional. You’re not just wishing for success, but working steadily toward it. Remember, accomplishments will keep you motivated and moving forward. – Harold Sterling, CEO