Hey, I’m Trine and I recently completed my first year working as a qualified Veterinary Nurse. After graduating in December 2021, the general practice where I completed my placement kindly offered me employment as a casual nurse in the same month. Receiving employment so quickly was incredibly exciting, but yet still a little intimidating.
Being the over-thinker that I am, all these doubtful questions began filling my head. Am I ready for sudden employment? What if I don’t live up to the other clinics’ expectations of me? What if I make mistakes? However, at the same time, I knew that I was ready to start my nursing career and help many animals!
While working in the general practice clinic, I was lucky enough to also work as an Animal Attendant at my local animal shelter, the Animal Welfare League of Queensland (AWLQ) for the past 8 years. I’ve always dreamt of one day being able to work in the shelter clinic, however, due to the clinic being such a small team with fewer resources than the average general practice, a very high volume of animals and a policy of not taking on students/new grads due to time and training constraints, I thought I would need to get at least a couple of years of nursing experience under my belt before I even had a chance of getting a job in the shelter clinic.
Therefore, my plan was to continue working within the GP clinic, in addition to keeping my animal attendant shifts at AWLQ as shelter work is my passion and where my heart truly belongs.
Then all of a sudden, things took an unexpected turn when one of the nurses in the shelter clinic resigned with very short notice, and I was basically thrown into this full-time role as a nurse to fill the now-empty role. I was absolutely over the moon to be offered this position and I couldn’t believe that what I only thought of as a dream for the distant future, had just become a reality in the blink of an eye. It was an intense few weeks of learning the ropes of my new role with minimal training (due to the fact that the clinic doesn’t technically have the capacity to take on new grads).
However, although it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced, I had never felt as motivated and determined as I did at the time. Even though I had just spent the last two years studying almost every day and completing countless hours of placement, alongside working in a GP clinic for a couple of months, I was suddenly left to stand on my own two feet as a full-time nurse, in a whole new clinic and I quickly realised how much more I still had to learn.
I, therefore, found myself doing anything I could to learn as much as possible in the little time I had outside of work, whether that was listening to animal health and behaviour podcasts, watching webinars on my weekends or reading books at the beach. If I came across something I didn’t know much about at work, I would go home and look it up and learn more about it.
Following a few months of stress, sleepless nights, self-doubt, proud moments, really great days and experiencing the biggest learning curve of my life, I was becoming more and more confident in myself and my capabilities. After all, making mistakes and having bad days as a new grad is inevitable, it will happen no matter what, but instead of dwelling on the fact that you did something wrong, or that you had days where it felt like nothing went right, learn from it, and move on.
While reflecting on my first year as a new grad I can say that it’s been a very tough year, but I am incredibly proud of myself, and I almost can’t believe how far I’ve come in such a short time.
If I were to give advice to anyone who is currently studying and worried about starting work, thinking they won’t be prepared enough, it would be to just accept that you’ll make mistakes, and you will find yourself doing things at a slower pace than more experienced nurses. Keep asking questions, don’t be afraid to ask for help and admit when you’re not confident in doing something.
If you need guidance, it’s okay to step back and ask for assistance. Take note of what areas you’re not so good at or know enough about and take some time to research it to turn it into a strength instead. If you are currently studying, or thinking about enrolling in a course or degree, but are feeling doubtful, just know that as long as you set out clear goals and keep doing something every day, you will eventually get there and reach your goal.
Be your own best supporter and take time to look after yourself as well, because if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to look after others.
Written by Trine Frostrud
