by CABG patch kid

Hey all, I am orienting in CCU, I have one week of orientation left and then I'm on my own (although you're never on your own, I know ) Anyway, the problem I'm having is that I'm so scatter brained at times. I feel like I have 20 things to do and I have a hard time prioritizing and coming up with a system. So far, I am using a piece of paper that breaks down what I need to do every hour and I update as the night goes by, but sometimes I don't pull that paper out of my pocket for a couple hours. LOL I don't know that its really helping too much.

I guess the best way to describe my problem is that sometimes I feel like I have too many things floating around in my brain and I can't really get a grasp on what needs to be done NOW. Sometimes I rush around like crazy and other times I try to sit for a moment and think things through, once again I'm not really sure what's working better for me at this point, lol. Also, I have a hard time knowing when to ask for help, as I'm nearing the end of my orientation and am trying to do as much on my own as possible.

I can see how I am very task oriented, I am LIVING the definition. I guess I'm just looking for some feedback on how to put it all together so I'm not so scattered. Of course, I'm sure most of this will come in time, I'm just getting those dreaded "Did I make the right choice" feelings as reality sets in.....

Re: Any words of wisdom?

Don't be so hard on yourself since you are new to the unit it takes time to get your own system down.

Re: Any words of wisdom?

Here's my advice- Have a good organized report sheet. It doesn't have to be fancy or special (I take a piece of paper, fold it in half, and write things down by system). At the bottom of the report sheet is my "to do list" where I keep a list of the important tasks that need to be done or any issues that are pending. That helps me keep track of the "tasks".

It's ok to be task oriented when you are first starting- but you need to develop a routine and a system to get past that. ICU nursing is more then doing a repetitive set of tasks. It may take a few months before you get past that but it's something that you will have to work on!

GOOD LUCK (the first time you are on your own is really freaky- don't be too hard on yourself)...and I LOVE your screen name