New Grad Radio

Welcome back to another episode of the New Grad Radio podcast. In today’s episode, I’ll be talking about my first experience of responding as part of the Rapid Response Team. I’ll go over what this team does, who makes up the team, and what my role is as an emergency nurse as part of the RRT.

ALS, or Advanced Life Support, is an essential piece of training that most Australian nurses will undergo throughout their careers. In today’s episode, I break down what ALS is, what the training day involved, and what I’m able to do, within the Emergency Department, now that I’ve competed the training.

Following on from the previous episode on what I have loved about starting in ED; today, I’ll be going over a few of the things I have noticed to be immediately different regarding the switch to the Emergency Department. Again, I absolutely love my job as a Registered Nurse; and I’d say a few of these are just acute reactions to the very big transition from ICU.

Welcome back to another episode of the New Grad Radio Podcast. In today’s episode, I talk about the different areas that encompass the ED that I work in. I also quickly highlight what happens in each area, and what my role entails as a Registered Nurse. Remember each ED is different; a metro major trauma centre will be different in regards to resources, staffing etc than a rural regional centre; however I believe the basics of each area should be highly transferable as to what to expect.

Welcome back to the New Grad Radio podcast. In this episode, I talk about my experiences so far of mental health within the Emergency Department. This is predominantly an outline of how these patients progress through the ED, from prehospital setting, all the way through to the ward. It allay be a little long-winded, but I really wanted to re-emphasise the fact that there are excellent resources at our disposal, and that the majority of the time all goes without a hitch.

Welcome back to another episode of the New Grad Radio Podcast. It is with my pleasure that I introduce my first special guest to be on the podcast: Hannah Cotterell. After completing our university together, Hannah was accepted into a prestigious graduate program into the Emergency Department at one of Australia's leading children's hospitals. In the episode today, Hannah elaborates on her own nursing journey, including a job she held whilst at university which has helped her immensely; an exciting two-week placement in Cambodia; as well as some first-hand experiences and advice that I think is absolute gold for anyone to hear. Whether you are a student nurse with an upcoming paediatric placement; a student, or registered nurse considering a transition into paediatric nursing; or simply after a little more information on the career of a nurse working in as a paediatric nurse in a busy Emergency Department, I believe you will have many take-aways from Hannah's words of wisdom. As always, thank you very much

Welcome to Season 2. In today’s episode, I start by going over some of the many reasons I have loved the move to the Emergency Department. I have done this by breaking it down into three headings: Skills, Exposure and Processes. By no means is this list exhaustive, but I feel it’s a pretty accurate start.

Welcome back to another episode of the New Grad Radio Podcast. As you know, I’ve recently made the transition from the ICU, to the Emergency Department. Through the second season, I hope to paint a picture of what it’s actually like to work in this area of nursing. Not only will I be doing that through sharing my own experiences, but I’ll be bringing to some special guests, from areas such as Rural and Remote, Paediatric, Pre-Hospital, and Ward nurses, who will each share with you their own perspective and experiences; in an attempt to deliver what it’s actually like to work in ED. If you’re interested in listening to Season 2, head over to where you’re listening to this episode right now, and Type in ‘New Grad Radio: Emergency Nurse’, click subscribe, and you’ll receive the wide array of episodes that are to come.

Well everyone, after twelve months, and 102 episodes, this is the final episode of the New Grad Radio Podcast. In this episode I reflect on why I started the podcast, and how I intended this to be a resource for others long into the future. I also share what my next big venture will be once I return from holidays. Thank you so much for listening along!

Over the duration of this year, I’ve had the pleasure to work with some of the most incredible doctors. Saying that, I found it fairly nerve-wracking to communicate with the doctors when first starting. In this episode I break down some of the different types of doctors I work with on a day-to-day basis; and provide some specific examples and tips on how to provide updates and information to the doctors.

Welcome to Episode 100!!! As you’ve probably noticed, it’s been a few weeks now since I’ve published my last episode of the NGR Podcast. That’s because the last few weeks I’ve been working hard, preparing for my final 12 month CPAT. In today’s episode, I’ll reveal how I went on the day, and talk about the progress I’ve made in the lead up to the big event.

As you’ve probably seen, today’s episode is quite lengthy. Why is this? Well, I go into detail of HOW I do things day to day regarding writing notes and delivering Handovers. These were some of the things I really struggled with when I first started, and I made this episode to hopefully ease the process for new nurses starting into ICU.

As I mention, it took me almost 11 takes to produce this episode. That’s because there is just so much that could be said about mechanical ventilation, and the concepts behind its use, that it made it hard to concisely produce an episode on the topic. So, in today’s episode, I break down my own personal experiences using the ventilator; I explain a few concepts behind it’s use; and in general, share my thoughts on how I’ve progressed over the last 12 months.

In the second episode of the End of Year Reflections, I reflect on my experience of starting as a Graduate Nurse starting in ICU, and the challenges that it had brought. As you’ll hear, it has been the things that I did not expect to be a challenge, that have been the most challenging. In this episode, I really tried to let down my guard, to bring you an episode that is as transparent, and as true of how I’ve felt as possible. I hope you enjoy.

Now that I’m coming into the final few weeks of my graduate program, I thought I’d take this opportunity to update a few of my older episodes, and reflect on some of my biggest learning opportunities, and where I am now in comparison. This small series is called End of Year Reflections. To start with, here is an episode all about my experiences with Inotropes and Vasopressors. If you have any questions at all from what I discuss in this episode, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the NGR Facebook page.

After recently receiving the news that I have passed my final transition assignment; today’s episode is all about one thing that you could do right now, that could help you to prepare for post-graduate level study.

One of the most common questions that I have received this year, by far, is about my experience of receiving the Defence University Sponsorship Scheme by the Australian Army, to be a Nursing Officer. In this episode, I outline: What is the DUSS, What it involves, The Application process; along with my own personal experiences through university, my graduate year, and what will happen from here. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to send me a message via the New Grad Radio Podcast Facebook page. Have a great day, and I hope you enjoy.

Sometimes on a night shift you have a bit of time to re-organise equipment, and set up for the next nurse. As you’ll hear, there are a few things you could do that will help out the morning shift big time.

I’ve probably painted the picture that my time in ICU has been non-stop every shift; with rapidly commencing interventions and patients in a constant state of deterioration. Yes, sometimes that is the case, but for the vast majority of the time, whilst I’m still keeping a VERY close eye on my patients condition, some shifts are a lot more ‘regimented’. Some of my favourite memories from my Graduate Program have been my sit-downs and chats with family members. Whether it be making them a cup of tea, or simply sitting beside them next to their loved one; I truly feel as if I’m making a difference during this uncertain period. In today’s episode, I reflect upon a few examples of times I’ve sat down with family.

After signing on to my morning shift, I saw it written down that I was to perform my 9-month CPAT. Whilst it was a little nerve-wracking, I was also excited. In today’s episode, I recount some of the biggest lessons I learned about myself, and what I’ll focus on now to prepare for my final 12 month assessment.