Six weeks newly qualified and I hate my job

[Megs55]

I recently qualified and accepted a post in a busy surgical ward in a large teaching hospital. I trained in a different part of the U.K so working in a different trust has been a big adjustment. I struggle with the amount of responsibility being a nurse has, the ward I work on is often very short staffed and I feel so overwhelmed on a daily basis. Most of the nursing staff are so supportive but the stress is beginning to get to me. Today I took one patient down to theatre, sprinted back upstairs to take another down whilst my other four patients all needed me for pain relief, insulin, post op obs, repositioning etc-all things which are very time critical. I never leave work on time and often come away at the end of the day feeling like I've done such a poor job and end up crying every evening.

sorry for the rant but I'm getting a bit desperate and close to packing the whole thing in

[Butter_fingers]

I understand how you feel - you're not alone. In my worst moments I feel that I made a mistake in choosing this career. However although I know it's kinda cliche, I do believe that by time it will get much better.

And it's important to accept that you're only human and it's not your fault that you can't be in two places at the same time. Prioritisation is very imp but again it is a skill honed through experience. Maybe you could also delegate and ask another nurse to give pain relief whilst you're taking the other patient to theatre esp if the patient is in a lot of pain.

Don't give up and don't forget to allow yourself time to relax and do things you like too, as you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Good luck and hang in there.