first week on my own off to a BAD start...

Nurses New Nurse

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Well, my first week on my own is probably ruined. Apparently, I was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I didn't know that I was scheduled for Friday night and so I get a phone call at 7:15pm wondering if I knew I was on the schedule. I told her that I shouldn't be scheduled as I work Saturday/Sundays. She pauses and says, "Well you are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but you were also supposed to work tonight. Can you come in?" I told her that I was unable to. I had no babysitter set up and my hubby wasn't even home yet.

I feel really bad. I know how hard it is when someone doesn't come in and what a mess it makes. I am not sure why I was scheduled. I actually didn't even look at the paper schedule because the head night supervisor and I made my schedule together for the rest of that schedule and she has me down for Saturday. I scheduled myself on the next schedule when it was being made for Saturday/Sunday every week. I hope that I don't get written up. What a way to start off my first week on my own.

Tonight is my first night by myself and all I had was nightmares last night. That it was 3am and I hadn't even finished my baby assessments was the one that basically kept repeating. I guess my worries about properly managing my time. Yikes. Hopefully it will all work out.

Specializes in Med-Surg.
Well, my first week on my own is probably ruined. Apparently, I was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I didn't know that I was scheduled for Friday night and so I get a phone call at 7:15pm wondering if I knew I was on the schedule. I told her that I shouldn't be scheduled as I work Saturday/Sundays. She pauses and says, "Well you are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but you were also supposed to work tonight. Can you come in?" I told her that I was unable to. I had no babysitter set up and my hubby wasn't even home yet.

I feel really bad. I know how hard it is when someone doesn't come in and what a mess it makes. I am not sure why I was scheduled. I actually didn't even look at the paper schedule because the head night supervisor and I made my schedule together for the rest of that schedule and she has me down for Saturday. I scheduled myself on the next schedule when it was being made for Saturday/Sunday every week. I hope that I don't get written up. What a way to start off my first week on my own.

Tonight is my first night by myself and all I had was nightmares last night. That it was 3am and I hadn't even finished my baby assessments was the one that basically kept repeating. I guess my worries about properly managing my time. Yikes. Hopefully it will all work out.

Lol, it'll be okay. They're not going to write you up right off the bat like that. Especially when you've got a good reason for what happened and you're completely new. The most that will happen is they'll "talk" to you and tell you to it's your responsibility to check the schedule or some such thing!

I hope your first night went well! I know how those dreams go :p

Your first week isn't ruined so don't worry. I have a sneaking suspicion though that you may have NOT been scheduled to work Friday night, but they were short and were hoping to guilt you into it. They get desperate sometimes! Good luck with the job and you will do great.

p.s: We ALL get the nightmares

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

It will work out. It's very tough out there on your own, even for us older nurses. Hang in there.

Mistakes happen with scheduling and hopefully the "no show" will be more of a lesson learned than a punishment.

Good luck!

I totally understand. I get freaked out about what some see as small things. For example, I had an internship where I was required to do 72 hours, but I wanted to to more hours. During a few of the extra shift times, I got the flu and was out for 2 days and felt like I would be seen as having an absenteeism problem. My preceptor told me to chill.

Oh, and about nightmares: I used to work at a popular lingerie store and would dream night after night about not straightening panty tables up to standards. And of course once I got into clinicals, I would have dreams about messes, trachs, and injections. heh.

I'm sure once I start with my first RN job it won't be any different. :)

thanks guys! no one said a thing to me and my first 2 nights on my own went well. sleeping is a whole different story though. LOL.

i did talk to the AD about it because apparently they schedule it because i didn't have enough hours to keep my benefits. she said she would let it slide this time and not use my PTO time to cover for it. she didn't say anything mean or anything. i was relieved.

i did apologize to the girl who was called in to cover for me and she said it was no big deal, that is was time and a half for her and that it was not a good night for a first night. she had been put on call and was called in at 7:15pm. she was totally nice to me both days and helpful as well, so i feel happy.

i did have nightmares. "should i have left that IV in?" "did i document all the little things?" i hope those go away soon. made sleeping horrible. i think i got 8 hours of sleep in 60 hours, but made up for it last night and got 12!!! not that you can really make up for sleep.

Hang in there, it WILL get better!! Really! I graduated last Dec, and I still have weird dreams sometimes. For example, last night I dreamed that my husband was mad at me because I forgot to do something and he kept stabbing me with an open needle of unknown origin! What in the world was that about?? :D

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Chalk it up to a lesson learned. I get lax sometimes about checking my schedule because i basically work the same rotating schedule. I did however pick up the schedule and look because of the upcoming holiday, they sometimes change things around a bit. Luckily i did because i found they had changed one of my days without my knowledge. They had switched me and another girl without my permission and it didnt even have anything to do with the holiday. I went to staffing and had it changed, they obviously either thought i wouldnt complain or they had the wrong person for a mutual exchange. Either way i got my schedule changed back. Gotta watch out for yourself,, noone else is gonna do it for you unless you dont show up on a day they changed. Then they let ya know.

Hang in there, it WILL get better!! Really! I graduated last Dec, and I still have weird dreams sometimes. For example, last night I dreamed that my husband was mad at me because I forgot to do something and he kept stabbing me with an open needle of unknown origin! What in the world was that about?? :D

LOL! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Im sorry....thats funny!!!!!

Well, my first week on my own is probably ruined. Apparently, I was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I didn't know that I was scheduled for Friday night and so I get a phone call at 7:15pm wondering if I knew I was on the schedule. I told her that I shouldn't be scheduled as I work Saturday/Sundays. She pauses and says, "Well you are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but you were also supposed to work tonight. Can you come in?" I told her that I was unable to. I had no babysitter set up and my hubby wasn't even home yet.

I feel really bad. I know how hard it is when someone doesn't come in and what a mess it makes. I am not sure why I was scheduled. I actually didn't even look at the paper schedule because the head night supervisor and I made my schedule together for the rest of that schedule and she has me down for Saturday. I scheduled myself on the next schedule when it was being made for Saturday/Sunday every week. I hope that I don't get written up. What a way to start off my first week on my own.

Tonight is my first night by myself and all I had was nightmares last night. That it was 3am and I hadn't even finished my baby assessments was the one that basically kept repeating. I guess my worries about properly managing my time. Yikes. Hopefully it will all work out.

Hey! If thats the worst it got..then I think your doin A_OKAY!!! :chuckle

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