INTRODUCTION: Erin Smital, Nursing Professional Development Educator & Nurse Residency Coordinator, RWHC

We offer a Nurse Residency Program that is designed for the new graduate nurse. It is structured around monthly learning sessions, with a focus on providing an interactive, reflective and enriched learning environment. The program is designed to enhance recruitment/retention of the new graduate nurse and support their transition into a competent practitioner. I am proud to announce that we recently completed year 18 of this program. I asked our participants to write an open letter to "The nurse struggling right now... ". These kind words of support and encouragement are meant for every nurse, in every position, in every stage of their career.

You freakin’ did it! That was hard, wow! School might have been sucky but the learning was great. The learning doesn’t stop but now you might have to find it for yourself, test yourself. You decided to pursue nursing for a reason; hold onto that. There will be days when it’s hard, it sucks, and it feels easy to just quit, but try one more day. Ask for help. Find a nurse to talk to; keep asking questions.

ADPIE is a verb. Apply it to yourself in your career. What do you want? What are you doing to get it? How’s that working for you? Keep trying. Understand that your goals may change or shift. It’s okay to explore along the way. Take it easy, get some sunshine. Be nice to people and yourself. Everybody was new at one time.