Find Online CNA Classes

How to Get Along With Coworkers as a New Nurse

Get Your Degree!

Find schools and get information on the program that’s right for you.

Powered by Campus Explorer

Just starting off, you’re probably feeling a little nervous about joining the team, which is why you want to learn how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse. You want to prove to your coworkers that you are great at what you do and that you can get along with the others just fine. But as many know, seasoned nurses are known to pick on new nurses who are on the same level as them. This is what’s known as “horizontal hostility“, and it happens when nurses display aggressive behavior toward other nurses in the same position–especially new ones–in order to discourage them. This is mainly what can make the transition from a student to a professional nurse tough. So, if you’re just beginning the job, the first thing you’ll want to do is to start off on a good note with your fellow coworkers. Overall, it will help to make your work less overwhelming as well as give you the proper support you need from your colleagues. So, here’s how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse.

How to Get Along With Coworkers as a New Nurse

Find Others Who Can Understand You how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse

While you were in school, it was probably easy to get along with the other student nurses since you could relate more. But now that you’re a professional nurse, relationships can be harder to form. But if you can find others who understand you well, you’ll find your job that much easier. So, it’s important to find coworkers you can trust and that can help you through your initial phase as a “new nurse”. Those people are often the head nurse and nurses who are just starting off as well.

Connect Beyond the Workplace

One of the best ways to form meaningful relationships with your coworkers is to connect on a higher level. Being that you’re a nurse, your coworkers will be like your second family, as you’ll be putting in long hours in the workplace. And although it can be tough and stressful at times, having the support of other nurses can help to boost you up in times of difficulty. So don’t look at your coworkers simply as coworkers, they are your friends and family who are there to support you. So go out for lunch, work out together, or invite each other to events. It’ll make a world of difference and will bring you and your coworkers closer together.

Handle Your Business

As a professional nurse, you will need to handle your portion of the tasks as effectively as possible. If you constantly ask others for help, their performance will inevitably suffer and that’s not something you want. It is okay to ask for help the first few times as you learn to perfect your skills, but asking constantly will mark you as an inadequate nurse and will get you quickly shunned. The same can be said towards helping others; helping out in the beginning is perfectly fine, but if a nurse depends on you to get their part of the work done (to the point that your work suffers), you need to cut the cord or else they won’t grow. A necessary trait for successful nurses is the ability to adapt quickly to different situations.

Deal With Conflicts Rationally

This is an important step in learning how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse. If you are having problems with a fellow co-worker or something is bothering you, deal with it in a rational manner. For example, if a nurse is treating you unkindly, don’t gossip about it to the others. Actually talk to them instead of avoiding them and find out why they are mistreating you. Keep the problem between the two of you, don’t make it a problem for the entire office. Often you can maintain healthy relationships this way without burning bridges.

nurse hostility - how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse

Don’t Bring Your Drama to the Workplace

When you step into the workplace, you are a professional nurse and so are all your coworkers. So with that in mind, act like a professional nurse. Meaning, you should not bring your problems into the workplace for advice and consultation; your coworkers are not therapists by trade. The other nurses are probably dealing with their own personal problems as well, but as a nurse, you must put that all aside if you want to do what you do well.

That’s all the tips we have on how to get along with coworkers as a new nurse. Of course, there are probably more ways out there, so go ahead and try to think of creative ways on your own and apply them to the workplace!