By Marielle Cabalquinto, RN, BSN

After an arduous journey called “nursing school” followed by a licensure examination, I was thankful to be hired as a new nurse on Madison 5- Adult Psychiatry  at The Mount Sinai Hospital. While I am not new to the hospital (as of March 2015 I will have been on the same unit for 10 years), I am new to the nursing profession. I am blessed to have such an amazing nurse manager, MaryJoy Adverderada, MSN, RN-C, and preceptor, Melody Cubas, RN. I am eternally grateful for their compassion and their patience. I have known both of these nurses for nearly 10 years and have learned the meaning of compassion and dedication from them.

After three weeks of classroom training, I continued my orientation on the floor with a preceptor who assisted me as I learned my day-to-day role as a psychiatric nurse. Beyond handing out medication, doing the assignments and charting, I learned how to communicate with my patients and colleagues, to be flexible and to work as a team player. All of these skills are highly important when it comes to the nursing profession. Each day I worked was a learning experience, whether it was good or bad. I often worried, “Would I learn everything?”

As a new nurse, I was enrolled in the Mount Sinai Transitions Program. A group of new nurses and a wonderful mentor, Medel Paguirigan EdD, RN, CNE, CNN, met throughout the year to discuss our experiences, present cases and learn about different aspects of being a nurse. I enjoyed the camaraderie and was comforted by knowing other new nurses also felt anxious, unsure, were afraid of making mistakes and yet were excited, and open-minded about the new role. We are the future of nursing.

I am a new nurse, building confidence with each new situation I encounter. At times I may be uncertain of what to do, but I know that I am surrounded by colleagues and managers who are willing to help me provide the best possible care for my patients. With each day as a nurse, I learn about helping others and learn even more about myself.

I’ve heard somewhere that “nurses eat their young” but here at Mount Sinai, the more experienced nurse very willingly assists the new nurse. I love being a Mount Sinai nurse because being at Mount Sinai, I feel the hospitals take care of their nurses. I see how much work the nursing administrators put into maintaining ANCC Magnet Recognition ® and in taking nursing to a higher level by encouraging nursing research and higher education. It is inspiring to work in a place with such vision and I hope to meet my own expectations of being an excellent Mount Sinai nurse.

Marielle Cabalquinto, RN, BSN is a new graduate nurse on Madison 5, one of Mount Sinai Hospital’s adult psychiatry units. She graduated from the Rutgers University School of Nursing with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing in 2012. She holds additional degrees in English and Art History. She has been employed at Mount Sinai since 2005, previously as a Business Associate.