New grad in dialysis

[PrettyLady87]

Ok so the heading to this thread alone might seem disturbing to many of you out there. Yes I am well aware of the consequences I face from jumping into a specialty fresh out of school, but it was a job with an income waiting for me, and I have bills that cannot be delinquent. Training has been very disorganized to say the least, and when my preceptor is sick, I'm covering the floor with an LPN and 2-3 techs. This is only my third week (what?!) yes my third week and being solo on the floor. My nurse manager comes in everyday from 10-6 and she sometimes helps or creates more work when she doesn't chart her meds, but I'm still not comfortable and it's scaring and discouraging me at the same time. Everyone says that it will get better, but I'm already making errors because I'm either tired or rushing to do my assessments. I have one hour to complete my assessment after the pt gets on the machine and after they get off, but with 12 pts to do, and pts coming in earlier or later than scheduled, it gets so messy for me. I've made. Checklists but who has time for all of that? I know I'm not incompetent, I completed an accelerated program barely with any effort, and showed great potential and improvement in all of my clinicals. Going from 2-5 pts from school and jumping to 11-12 is nuts!! and while ppl verbalize their sympathy to me, I just feel uneasy about everyone talking about my performance. Every center has different shifts and ways of doing things...this isn't my permanent spot, but I just want to take 2-3 steps back because this feeling like a yoyo sucks. I've already addressed my concerns to my manager...it's just a matter of time I guess. I'm looking for a hospital job too, because I don't want my basic skills to decay...there doesn't even seem like there's time for even that with pts and md orders all over the place!!

[ceebeejay]

I have no sage advice, because I am a new grad too. That said, my professor mentioned that her first job out of school was doing peritoneal dialysis. So, it can be done. That is a lot of patients. So, how was the other RN accomplishing it? Was she utilizing the LPN's skills more; or, the techs? Are you being thrown to the wolves so to speak, because you are new and don't "know" who can do or feel comfortable delegating? You are probably doing better than you think, and the nervousness would be there no matter where you were situated.