Day 6 on orientation

Nurses New Nurse

Published

I feel continuous stress throughout my work day, I feel rushed and my thinking is also rushed. I feel like I have to do everything quickly which doesn't give me time to think. I do things and don't know why I am doing them. I don't see the whole picture. I make mistakes bc of my hurried demeanor. Everyday there is a new task that is added on to the day.

My change of shift report is terrible and I feel embarrassed. I get stressed that I have to give report on a patient when I don't really get the whole story. I forget things. I think people talk about how inexperienced I am and laugh. On my off days, I still think about work and feel stress. I don't know what I got myself into. I am a mess. :(

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Oh and I forgot to add I cry all the time now. I don't cry at work... It's out of work. I went in for a dental procedure and cried. I had an issue with something else that caused me stress... Cried. When before maybe I cried 2, 3 times a year max!

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Specializes in Allergy and Immunology.

What kind of floor are you on? That sounds aweful...

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Specializes in Peds PDN, Med-surg.

I'm sorry :( just know you're not alone I'm a new grad too (start first job tomorrow!) and from what I hear from my classmates everyone is having a difficult time. They say the same things you described and some have made many med errors and paperwork errors. It will get better with time. Maybe you should find an activity to help you relieve stress like exercise, going out with friends, chocolate lol, volunteering, or just anything that makes you happy. Its only been a week and i'll bet you've already learned a ton. Hang in there and once you get a little more experience you can move to a different job that you might enjoy more. Whenever I'm struggling with something new I always rememer this quote, "your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers".

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Talk to your preceptor, manager and/or clinical educator. You are inexperienced, just like every new grad is. If you are overwhelmed then maybe your preceptor needs to slow down with the orientation.

You should enjoy your work, not dread it.

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