Disillusioned, stressed, regretting nursing?

[msygrnbw]

I try and be a pretty optimistic about my life and career, but as I go into the last couple weeks of my orientation as a new nurse I am having trouble keeping up my morale.

I know that new nursing can be hard. I have a number of nurses in my family and they all told me that it would be hard my first year, but I guess I never realized how hard until I'm actually living through it. It's a combination of things - I have had a full 5 patients every day since pretty much day two on the floor and a number of complicated patients. I realize that's how life as a nurse is, but every day I am left feeling overwhelmed and like I must have missed a hundred things. Many days most of my patients have medications every hour and though I'm running my butt off and trying to group med passes I still am missing things or ending up late on meds or whatnot. Not severely late, but late.

I have talked a bit about it with my preceptor and she says it will come with time, but I also feel like with running around as fast as I can to get everything done that I am not even having enough time to really interpret things as I want to. I need time to read through a number of notes at times to understand the plan of care and what has been done previously or what labs are really relevant and why they chose this med over that. I barely feel like I get a second here or there to do it. And don't even get me started on trying to get all my charting done - I have learned there are six ways to Sunday to chart each thing. I have always made at least some time for lunch plus bathroom breaks, but every time I sit down I can't get my mind off how far behind I will be if I don't get up on all the charting before my next post-op comes or whatnot.

I guess I'm wondering how you other new grads are dealing with this stress, and if other people are feeling really overwhelmed too? Or if any more experienced nurses have any strategies you could share with me? I am trying really hard not to take my stress home, but it's wearing on me. I dream about the things that I may have missed for days after shifts and I really am dreading going in to work. I often feel like I am stuck in the middle between all the care teams that work with a patient and that they say the plan is one thing without taking into account what is really going on with that patient and expect me to magically implement what they want. I am trying to get better about speaking up about this and advocating, but it's hard and it takes time, that I already feel like I can't seem to get enough of. I mean, since when does an hour actually only last ten minutes?

Sorry, this was a bit of a rant, but any suggestions or words of wisdom would be really helpful, because right now I am just feeling like I was not cut out for this and that this really is kind of a slap in the face from the reality of what nursing is like. Thanks.

[BusyBee91]

Omgyesssssss I love nurse eye roll! She's awesome.

[NoviceRN10]

Hang in there. I found nursing to be overwhelming as soon as I was off of orientation. Orientation was fun, getting off of it was a huge reality check. I went from 4 pts (days) to 7 pts on nights. It was hard. The first few months were an adjustment. I work on a surgical floor. Everyone is in pain, everyone has many meds to give, nobody realizes you have 5-6 other pts to care for. None of the pts ask the nurse aides for ice or an extra pillow, they ask ME! I am constantly running around doing my job and at least half of someone else's. I can't assume the pt is going to have water at their bedside so I can give them a pill, I have to hope. And no, not all pts can be convinced to swallow a pill with room temp water. It is a crazy job, to say the least! Not for wooses. I have seen at least 25 nurses come and go in 4 yrs on my unit. I finally snagged a job somewhere else, and am curious to see if the grass is greener at a different health system, with a different pt population/acuity. Anyway, your feelings are normal, how you handle them is up to you! If you can stay at least a year in your current position I would. If you are able to get into a different position I would definitely try. Being miserable sucks. I will say it can get better. You figure you're going to get screwed with too many pts or bad assignments each time you go in and then when you aren't you will be happily surprised! You learn to suck up a lot of stuff you initially didn't think you could handle.

[SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN]

YES!! i am in my 3rd week off orientation and OMG I want to cry after every shift! I know the hospital is not where I want to be, but, as previously said, I'm trying to get my experience in. The nurses I work with have all been awesome, but they have their pts to tend to as well. The place of work, meh. We get dumped on A LOT and I'm not sure why. It sucks though!

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

You've had a lot of good responses. I just want to tell you I'm a new grad, too. I empathize with how you're feeling.

I want to tell you that I used to wonder why I ever went to nursing school. But now, after 3 short months of being licensed and working, I feel much better. I actually look forward to work now.

I hope that you will feel better about the stress of nursing very soon.

[Flatlander]

I felt like that two weeks from end of orientation, too, but rather than finding things getting better, I found myself getting terminated. I'm just sayin'... Sometimes you have to read the signs and believe them. If this seems to be your situation, make time with your preceptor and manager immediately to discuss how to improve before it's too late.

[vnguyen3]

I feel the exact same way!! I'm a new grad on my last 3 weeks of orientation. The anxiety, the stress...one day I just came to the conclusion that I'm over it, it's not productive to feel that way. Every bad day is a chance for you to improve...smooth shifts don't make skillful nurses, that's my motto. Don't get me wrong, I still cry on my way home from work every now and then, but at least I'm controlling it lol. Another way I found out why I was so anxious was, because I did r know what I was doing. I would look up stuff when I get home, and the next day I'd find that my anxiety r/t that unknown is somewhat gone. Just know that "when you leave, you're handing the patient over to someone who actually knows what they're doing." Those were my preceptor's words. Stick it out with me, don't quit.