Struggeling New Grad working in the med surg floor.

OP

That sounds totally normal to me. It helped me to arrive early to do chart reviews before I actually picked up the patients. That gave me confidence as I was caring for them, and during MD questions.

After a year I realized I needed to take a lunch break, otherwise I would just start spinning my wheels around 1400, getting stupid and cranky. Even if it's 15-20 min.

Thanks, this post helped me after a SUCKY night!!!! Just a bunch of crazy stuff and attitude from the day nurse coming in. Gheeze....I did give my very best. I am going to take a sleep aid and go to bed. By the way, I am also turning off my cell phone......I am not going in tonight.

D

I just hate that. When you think you've done your best and the oncoming nurse starts pointing out all the stuff you didn't do in a superior tone. Just keep telling yourself that they were in the same place you're at today. They had to start out fresh too. It's just too bad they have forgotten that.

I feel the same exact way. I have been working for 3 months and it has got better. The best advice I got from one of my fellow nurses was start early. That crap they feed you in school about you can only give meds 30 mins before or after the scheduled time is totally bogus. That rule doesn't work in the real world of nursing. I realized that the hard way by always being behind. Now I realized that if I get my assessments done, my vitals done because we don't have any aids and my patient lode can be up to 7, then start my meds earlier than the scheduled time I have been able to keep kind of caught up. Meds seemed to always be what I get behind on. I chart after I give meds then start to verify my MARS because I work nights. My time management skills aren't great but are getting better. When I first started I cried a lot and still do but it does get better.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for posting this! I feel so validated right now! As a new grad, taking on 5 patients during the night shift...still on orientation, I really appreciate this post! We will ALL get through this & grow immensely from it. What a challenge! And we thought nursing school was rough!

Good News:
All new nurses on meg/surg floors feel this way.

Every thing you said sounded like it was coming from my mouth. I was only on orientation for 3 weeks before taking my own team. Every morning after I leave, I feel like I havent done everything I was supposed to or forgot to chart something. I work nights as well and I cant stand when I'm giving report and the seasoned nurses asked me if I did this or that paperwork or med rec or discharge summary. Of course they don't like me saying, "SUre I'll do it, just show me how real quick."

After a month now things are still hard but I can feel myself getting a rhythm. My biggest step was to get organized and don't go offtrack (except for emegencies). Don't fret over asking questions, that is what charge nurses are there for.

Hi Mochafrap

In tune with the others, I just wanted you to know you are not alone <sings>

I, too, just finished my 1st year after licensure....I have been on a crazy medsurg floor as well.

You WILL catch on & become quicker as time goes by Do your best! Stay encouraged

Hugs of Support to you

Sounds like me too!! I have been a nurse for a year and I started working on a med/surg floor evening shift. i was stressed out and upset all the time. Unfortunatley due to family issues i had to switch to a day shift and the only position available was at a home care company. I was very nervous to work there because I barely had any experience. But the co. i work for loves new grads. But i get sooo stressed out because sometimes I dont feel like Im doing enough for my patients or im missing things. Even to this day I still feel incompetent and not as educated as all the other nurses. Some days are great and other days i just cry because I feel like im not being the best nurse for my patients. Uggghhhh...

I am a new lpn. I have been working medsurg for a month. Im with my preceptor and I feel the same way you do. Im so slow. Im afraid to be on my own. I hope that it will get better for you.

It will get better I promise! I'm a brand new RN, working at the same hospital that I've been an LPN at for the last 2.5 years. No orientation of course since I've been here (I only got 3 days of orientation as a fresh faced LPN with a shiny new license lol), but it all comes down to organization. The problem is that YOU have to figure out your own organizational "chart" because what works for me might not work for you. Get all the tips you can from the other nurses about their routine and give them a try for instance my day goes something like this
0700-0730 report
0730-0800 flip through labs and look for problems
0800 I start getting meds together (labeling IV, checking to make sure I have what I need etc.
0815- start with the most critical patient, take their meds into the room, conduct your assessment, give the meds, ask about needs etc, then move to the next critical patient and repeat the process. This usually get me done by about 0900 or 0915 (our meds are due at 0900), see, now it's 0930 and you can start charting all your assessments. Now I realize the phone is usually ringing at this time and DR's are writing orders etc. but if you have a plan, it will make it much easier on yourself. When you run around in all directions, it is hard to get anything accomplished.