Gimme 5 - When a Patient Asks a Question You Don’t Know the Answer To

Season 3 Update: We’ll Be Back in June!

The New to Nursing Podcast is taking a short pause while we work behind the scenes on Season 3. We’re spending the next few weeks creating new episodes, practical tools, honest conversations, and more support for new nurses navigating the transition from student to practice. We’ll be back in June 2026 with new content designed to help you move from surviving to thriving. In the meantime, this is a great chance to catch up on previous episodes and Gimme 5s—whether you need support with confidence, communication, difficult shifts, or just a reminder that what you’re feeling is normal. Thanks for listening and being part of our New to Nursing community. We’ll see you in June!

The Pause Between Patients: Mindfulness and Resiliency Practices for New Graduate Nurses

In this episode, New To Nursing welcomes four 4th-year UBC Okanagan nursing students (Esther, Luna, Bernice, Claudia) where they explore mindfulness and strategies for building resilience during the transition to practice as new graduate nurses They unpack common challenges such as stress, compassion fatigue, emotional burnout, and moral distress. They also discuss practical mindfulness activities/strategies to help ground you before, during, and after a shift.  This episode pairs well with the New Graduate Nurse Transition Program's (NGNTP) education session, Nurturing Resiliency: Responding to Compassion Fatigue and Burnout that is on the Interior Health (IH) New Grad Community Compass Page - (IH employees only).Responding to Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Resources: 1. To find the summary poster of this episode, please refer to 👉 Summary Poster [https://www.canva.com/design/DAHBC7ICu7c/LpG5gS4TKkPLiVT_7sA7aQ/view?utm_content=DAHBC7ICu7c&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h596bc27765] 2. Fill out the evaluation survey created by the students 👉 here [https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pWD2MSoZs02SuspCTxslnoXwm1BIHpxDgmROXSyEVzBUOTRVRVNRR0s3VUpBVUlWVUNPQ1E1S01UWS4u] 3. For the full transcript of this episode 👉 click here [https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canva.com%2Fdesign%2FDAHDBpgNGqE%2F5VuJFsKRrDzGn0Bn8D-Hhg%2Fview%3Futm_content%3DDAHDBpgNGqE%26utm_campaign%3Ddesignshare%26utm_medium%3Dlink2%26utm_source%3Duniquelinks%26utlId%3Dh078dc245a1&data=05%7C02%7Cjoanne.lee%40interiorhealth.ca%7C8f89c7acec0f440b481508de7ef5ad43%7C31f660a5192a4db392baca424f1b259e%7C0%7C0%7C639087790988314993%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pXV9EKfI0dvuPtuvFziBk15ajH%2F9gHbg6gi4CeAh%2FWM%3D&reserved=0] 4. For more information about the IH New Graduate Transition Program, refer to 👉  Interior Health's NGNTP [https://healthbc.sharepoint.com/sites/clinicaledPortalIH/SitePages/passagetopractice.aspx] or e-mail NewGradProgramppo@interiorhealth.ca [NewGradProgramppo@interiorhealth.ca]    References:  1. Loyd, L. A., Stamler, L. L., & Culross, B. (2023). Early career nurses and moral distress: An integrative review. Nurse Education in Practice, 73, 103844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103844 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103844]  2. Neff, K. (2024, February 20). Exercise 4: Supportive touch. Self-Compassion Institute with Dr. Kristin Neff. https://self-compassion.org/exercises/exercise-4-supportive-touch/ [https://self-compassion.org/exercises/exercise-4-supportive-touch/]  3. Provincial Health Services Authority. (2025). Moral distress A strategy-building guide. https://www.phsa.ca/our-services-site/Documents/Moral%20Distress_A%20strategy%20building%20guide.pdf [https://www.phsa.ca/our-services-site/Documents/Moral%20Distress_A%20strategy%20building%20guide.pdf]  4. TEDx Talks. (2017). 30 seconds to mindfulness | Phil Boissiere | TEDxNaperville [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad7HqXEc2Sc   5. World Health Organization. (2023). Stress. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress [https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress]

Starting Your Shifts Off Right

In this episode, Kelsey discusses how to start your shifts off in a good way. She reviews what you can try in your morning routine, how to engage in morning report and what you can do in the first hour of your shift to get organized. She sprinkles in tips and advice specific for new nurses throughout, so listen in to fine tune your start of shift routine!

Gimme 5: Transition Shock

In this brief 5 minute episode, Regional Educator Robyn discusses Transition Shock, a term coined by nursing researcher Dr. Judy Boychuk Duchscher. This episode highlights the common challenges new graduate nurses may experience as they move from the academic environment into professional practice. Robyn shares practical strategies to help ease this transition and points listeners toward further learning opportunities. Whether you’re a new nurse or someone who supports them, this episode offers insights to navigate Transition Shock with greater confidence and clarity. Check out: Home - Nursing the Future [https://nursingthefuture.ca/] to learn more about transition theory, find resources and more! From surviving to thriving. navigating the first year of professional nursi...: Library OneSearch [https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=0d158123-3c65-48df-9e61-b79b2b1d874c%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=ihlc.1886&db=cat08670a] Events [https://healthbc.sharepoint.com/sites/clinicaledPortalIH/_layouts/15/Events.aspx?Page=%2Fsites%2FclinicaledPortalIH%2FSitePages%2FClinical-Education-News.aspx&InstanceId=d3911b6f-6123-4599-a50a-ab070c4f0cf1&AudienceTarget=false]

Gimme 5 - When a Patient Asks a Question You Don’t Know the Answer To

Not knowing the answer in front of a patient can feel uncomfortable - especially in your first year of practice. But safe nursing isn’t about having every answer memorized. It’s about knowing how to respond with honesty, professionalism, and clinical judgment. In this 5-minute episode, we walk through a simple four-step framework you can use when a patient asks something you don’t know - plus how to recognize when a question moves from simple clarification to a clinical safety concern. You’ll learn: * Why honesty builds trust more than guessing * A simple bedside response you can use immediately * How to differentiate between informational questions and clinical concerns * When and how to escalate safely using structured communication tools like SBAR Because you don’t need to know everything — you need to know how to respond safely and confidently. 📝THE 4-STEP RESPONSE FRAMEWORK 1. Acknowledge the question (“That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked.”) 2. Be honest (“I don’t have the exact answer right now.”) 3. Commit to action (“I’m going to check your chart and confirm with the team.”) 4. Close the loop (“I’ll come back in about 10 minutes with an update.”) ⚖️SAFETY REMINDER Not all questions are equal. Some require clarification and follow-up. Others require assessment and possible escalation. When clinical interpretation or patient deterioration may be involved, structured tools like SBAR help ensure safe, clear communication with the team. REFERENCES & FURTHER READING Therapeutic Communication in Nursing Practice [https://pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/foundationsforsuccessinnursing/chapter/2-3-communicating-with-patients/] Foundations for Success in Nursing – Communicating with Patients [https://pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/foundationsforsuccessinnursing/chapter/2-3-communicating-with-patients/] Communication Strategies in Nursing (including non-therapeutic responses and avoiding false reassurance) [https://pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/foundationsforsuccessinnursing/chapter/communication-strategies/] AHRQ TeamSTEPPS – SBAR Communication Tool [https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps-program/curriculum/communication/tools/sbar.html] Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps-program/curriculum/communication/tools/sbar.html]