New grad RN, freaking out, is this normal??

Nurses New Nurse

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I am a new grad with no previous medical experience. I am starting my first RN job tomorrow morning at a Rehab/LTC and I am so nervous. I was told I will have orientation watching videos tomorrow then will spend 3-5 days with another nurse and then I will be on my own!

I don't know anything about the facility other than what I read online. My "interview" was me filling out my background check sheets and employment verification forms. I was not told how many patients per hall/nurse, the types of patients, or anything at ALL except for my pay and hours. "Everything else will be covered in orientation." They never asked me a single question, not even "tell me a little about yourself"!

I accepted the position because I need a job. My husband keeps telling me it isn't going to be as bad as I expect, but reading all the horror stories on here about new grads with the same experience is freaking me out. I don't want to put my patients or my license in jeopardy.

I'm going to try it out, make it through orientation and see how I feel on my own. I will not hesitate on quitting immediately if I feel like I am in a bad situation, or putting my patients in a bad situation...

Any advice?

I'm going to try it out, make it through orientation and see how I feel on my own. I will not hesitate on quitting immediately if I feel like I am in a bad situation, or putting my patients in a bad situation...
I would caution against "quitting immediately" except in the most extreme and dire situations.

You need experience and you certainly don't want to have "Uncle Joe's Shady Acres... 7/2013-8/2013" on your resume.

Specializes in Psychiatry.

Agree with heart.. give it some time, ask a lot of questions. Technical skills (med passes, insulin sub-qs), will come to you in a short amount of time, I'm guessing. The critical thinking part of the job may take some time to master. That's why it is important to collaborate with other nurses/managers, etc.

Don't be afraid to ask the same question twice, and take a lot of notes :)

All the Best,

Diane

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

3-5 DAYS???? I worked LTC/Rehab and I had 4 weeks, which was not enough and now I am in a 6 MONTH internship. Ask lots of questions!

One thing I used to do for the new grads who worked with me was make a practice lab, so anytime they had to use a skill they were nervous about, they could go practice before they went in to the patient. This really seemed to help them. I kept a clinical skills book in there, or would print them up a guide so they could go step-by-step through the procedure immediately before practicing on the patient.

Don't be afraid to say, "I don't feel qualified to do that alone."

By the way, back in the Stone Age, I had one day of orientation. So, don't be afraid :) You can do it!

You will be just fine. Yes for a lot of new nurses this is normal to be afraid. You will be working in a Rehab/LTC facility so the acuity of the patients are a lot different than that of a hospital. I was an LPN for over 15 years before going on to get my RN degree. My first job was in a hospital on a med-surg/trauma floor. You will always have another nurse around to ask questions. Don't ever be afraid to ask a question regardless of how stupid it may seem to you....Please ask. My first day as an ICU nurse I freaked out too. I cried all the way to work because it was to be my first day on my own. My first day.....19 yr-old patient with cardiac tamponade....Hemoglobin of 2. I as a wreck. When you work in nursing, a lot of us are in it for the good of the patient and not the money. We look out for each other. Always ask questions if you do not understand something. I built up a great rapport with the nurses and Dr.'s I worked with and they always happily answered any questions I had or did not understand. If after your given time in orientation you still do not feel comfortable with being on your own.... let your supervisor know that you would like a little more time. Use every experience as a learning experience because it is. If another nurse has a pt. and that pt has something you have never seen....ask that nurse if he/she minds if you look in with her so you can learn too. Take notes of things you do not understand and look it up later when you get an opportunity. If there is a particular procedure that another nurse teaches you, learn from her...but also look it up in your facilities policy and procedure guide so you can make sure the way you were taught is the policy of your facility. Document...document....document....Remember, if it wasn't charted; it wasn't done. Besides they need to know /and you need to take credit for all your hard work. Smile, take a deep breath and go in there with a positive attitude. Attitude is everything !!! It affects your co-workers and even how your patients respond to you. You got this !!!!!

Working in a LTC facility is hard work. BUT, after about 2 weeks things WILL get easier. LTC facilities change staff a LOT & usually welcome ANY new nurses to ease the burden of those already working there. There will always be some nurses that treat others bad & think they are nurse-gods. After awhile you'll learn to ignore this attitude. Just do your work the best you can & be extra careful with narcotics.

I understand how you feel even though it has been 30 years ago. Don't be so hard on yourself. I would recommend that you purchase and read a book written by a nurse researcher named Patricia Benner. In her book she describes results from a study as to how a new nurse progresses from a novice to expert with several stages in between. Once you understand how nurses develop over time you will not be so hard on yourself. Nursing development takes time and patience with much support and understanding from those of us who have been there, your colleagues. I hope and pray you fall into the good hands of those who can and will help you succeed in your development. Nursing has a bad reputation is that those with experience eat the young ones alive somehow forgetting that they were young and new at one time. I believe in nurturing and encouraging, I guess that is what after leaving the ER I went into teaching to hopefully make a difference.But I will say this, if you don't then you are on your own such as I was 30 years ago as a brand new grad emergency room nurse. I was eaten alive by the egos of my colleagues but I was bound and determined to prove them wrong when they said I would never amount to their standard of "a good nurse" I became the best ED nurse ever in my and several of my colleagues opinions and went on the develop and manage a new graduate program for ED nurses. So have confidence and stay strong and stick to your guns to be the best you can be and you will. I wish you much luck and success in your new job

Thanks everyone for the advice & words of encouragement! I did luck out and get an awesome nurse to train with. My orientation is only 3 days, and this Friday will be my first shift alone, as charge nurse, on a shift I've never worked. But luckily my trainer has written me notes, helped me organize what I will be doing that night, and told me to call if I need her.

I am still very nervous! I have over 17 patients on my hall and there are very many things I haven't done or seen & I only know a couple residents by name. I'm hoping things go well Friday night & that may boost my confidence some!

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

So...it is Saturday morning and I am curious. How did your first night alone go? I hope everything was good for you.

Honestly, I am thinking of quitting. The things I saw being done there horrified me and I am worried I will lose my license or harm a patient doing what they're asking me to do. I won't bad-mouth the place on here, but let's just say there are some seriously unsafe medication practices & assessing a patient is non-existant on my hall by any of the nurses. When I mentioned something to my supervisor about it, and told them I did not feel comfortable on my own and would like another couple days of orientation, I was told "It's ok. you'll be fine."

Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

Go with your gut. You don't want to risk putting your license on the line.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
Honestly, I am thinking of quitting. The things I saw being done there horrified me and I am worried I will lose my license or harm a patient doing what they're asking me to do. I won't bad-mouth the place on here, but let's just say there are some seriously unsafe medication practices & assessing a patient is non-existant on my hall by any of the nurses. When I mentioned something to my supervisor about it, and told them I did not feel comfortable on my own and would like another couple days of orientation, I was told "It's ok. you'll be fine."

I am so sorry. LTC is an almost impossible work load, even for an experienced nurse. For your employer to deny you an extra few days of orientation is certainly a red flag. Are your fellow nurses helpful? Having the right co workers can make all the difference between an awful experience and a good learning experience.

Don't be so frightened about losing your license, it takes quite a lot for that to happen. Do not however refuse to compromise pt safety. I hope it gets better for you, and quickly. If not and feel like you need to leave, do so without regret.

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