New and needing some encouragement

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi there-

I am a relatively new board certified grad. I work in a facility that is med surg meets rehab so there is a lot of great experience to be had. I am coming off orientation and in a lot of ways don't feel ready, but there are others who started with me who seem to be doing better. I am feeling very inadequate. From what I hear it takes time to feel like you are succeeding. I have heard many people say it takes up to a year to feel like you are finally *getting* it. I have been working part time at this for just about 3 months and the more autonomous I become in my role, the harder it is getting for me which I guess is to be expected. I have had a full patient load the past 2 shifts and have felt majorly inadequate. Pulling, passing meds and assessing patients in a 2.5 hour window has been nearly impossible to do well. I don't know how people do it and do it well. When I round on my patients, I go in, assess and pass meds. Patient care needs lie dressing changes wait until later in the shift, but lots of times I go in and help with toileting needs, personal care, etc. I hate rushing through but it is night shift and the patients want to get to sleep. Some get annoyed when you are late with meds, etc. and obviously you can't be consistently late on meds.:uhoh3: The past 2 shifts I was finally feeling like I was starting to come up with some sort of routine but 1/2 way through after running every which way during rounds looking for various items, taking care of patient needs, I realized I would be late on my med pass. I wound up finishing 1 hour late (past the hour window).:crying2: I felt like a failure. Several of the other new nurses seem to be doing better. When I gave report in the AM after this shift, I felt like my report was inadequate as some of the nurses were asking questions I didn't have good answers for. I left feeling dejected and inadequate, and just can't shake it. I got al of my charting done, but am thinking about the 2 notes I did not get to or perhaps the info I left out in my end of shift report. I don't want to throw in the towel just yet although the impulsive side of me wants to. The job itself is great in a lot of ways in that I feel like it is a great place the learn, ideal location and desirable schedule. I want to make it work. I want to do it well, yet my ego needs some stroking or methods to help it ease through the transition. I hate not feeling confident in my abilities, being judged perhaps poorly by others and not feeling successful. Any words of wisdom or advice for this newbie who is clearly struggling. :confused:

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I can only say that I could have written this post. I feel almost exactly the same things. I'm frustrated, not used to being the one who doesn't know how to get things done. With my head, I know that we can hang in there and we will "get it". I know a lot of people who do this successfully who are not any smarter than I am. But my emotional response right now is pretty depressing.

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Specializes in LTC.

Give it time. I think most of us can say we've felt this way. I'm 9 months out myself with only LTC experience. I felt like I was drowning for the first 5ish months. I'm about to transition in to acute care now, and yes I'm nervous!

Talk to your supervisor. Maybe they can give you some good pointers. We are our hardest critics and I think the fact that you are going through this proves you are and want to be a great nurse. You just don't have the time and experience. Don't worry about how the other new nurses are doing. We all go at our own pace. Don't give up! This is a great place for you to get experience and will open doors for you in the future. Be patient with yourself. You will be fine. :)

Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med Surg.

I feel the same way at times - just very incompetent. I'm 5 months into my first RN job and I can say it gets a *little* bit easier each week. Not to say that I don't dread going to work or that I don't have a pit in my stomach before and during each shift...just that it gets easier to deal with that feeling, I suppose.

Hang in there - we can do it!

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Thanks for the replies and sorry we are all feeling this way. It sucks b/c I feel like the patients deserve better. I have been trying to restrategize over and over how to work it out so that I am ot late on my meds. Time, it takes time. I get it, just with it didn't suck so much right now.

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Specializes in med/surg.

I am in the same boat....Been off orientation for a month now on a med/surg floor and boy oh boy I do feel imcompetent at times...What is the right procedure or right policy for this or that....but at the end of the day we are all human and new to this crazy ever changing field....Just keep your head up and every day you have gained new knowledge and a new change in a routine from the day before.......You Can Do It...The Baby Boomers Need Us!

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med Surg.
Thanks for the replies and sorry we are all feeling this way. It sucks b/c I feel like the patients deserve better. I have been trying to restrategize over and over how to work it out so that I am ot late on my meds. Time, it takes time. I get it, just with it didn't suck so much right now.

The patients "deserve better" in the sense that more reasonable policies should be in place that keep them safe, not having an unrealistic nurse/pt ratio with a 2 hr window med pass. I've come to the conclusion that other nurses get good at these feats simply by screwing up and doing it enough times that they know what works for them. I think it's tough for everyone, and most of the more experienced folks have figured out tricks and tips to get it all done within those 2 hrs, and had a rough time figuring it out. I think the newer nurses who seem uber-competent just fake it better :cool:

You sound like a great nurse - the fact that you're reflecting on all this is good, and I think it's important for us new nurses to hash it all out. Your patients deserve you.

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Thx so much opposum!!!! Those were GREAT words to hear.:).

I hope my next shift goes better than the last!

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I also feel like this! All we can do is our best. When our best isn't cutting it, it's frustrating to say the least. Just hang in there, they say it gets better. I mean it really has to get better or there wouldn't be anyone in nursing right? I think/hope?!?! :) I keep telling myself that if everyone else around me has figured it out then I will too. My advice would be to ask questions from the people who are rocking it. Maybe they have good tips and try not to compare yourself to the other newbies. They may have had some experience else where that gave them an upper edge. Also, we all learn at different paces. I know I am not a quick a learner. I usually have to do things 3-4X before it really sticks. My personal experience has been ROUGH. I have friends who are adjusting much than I at other facilites. So I also think that where you are and the staff you work will make you or break you. Congrats on your job!

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Hello guys, i am new to this site an dwould like to jump in if i could. I have been off or orientation now for 2 weeks and have been floated to other floors that i have no experience with. I am trying to be flexible as i know jobs are like gold in todays market. This is my first nursing job and i graduated in last may. I work in a hospital that has a graduate program but was let off orientation after 7 weeks.

Well i feel so incompetent and have no confidence i think i may have made a massive mistake in the 2 months i have been there i have cried almost 4 times hahaha.

tonight i made a med error which tore me up and i was a hot mess. I gave 2 extra units of insulin as per sliding scale, BUT it wasn't her BS number i was looking at. This was my first night on this floor and i was frazzeled not because it was hard but because it wasn't familiar. Boo hoo right?

I know 2 units isn't that bad and i did recheck her sugar after an hour and she went up after dinner not down so i was ok, but still it was a stupid error and some nurses made me feel like an idiot.

please help as i need some advice because right now i dread going to work b/c i think nursing could have been a mistake for me..

thanks for anything you can give.

irish !!!

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