Struggeling New Grad working in the med surg floor.

**HUGS**I started out on a very hectic, and short staffed unit when I came out of orientation. Out of all my co-workers there were only 1 or 2 that I could ask questions to, and unfortunately, they weren't scheduled with me a lot of the time. I got some pretty snarky answers when I would ask questions from some of the others, but I had to ask. There was nothing else I could do. I sat at the desk and cried one night not long after I came out of orientation. I have been there. Now I am in a much better place and even though I still have to ask a question every now and then, I feel like I have finally found some solid ground. I have been a nurse for 16 months now. You will get there and it is important to know that you are NOT and will never be alone in those feelings. There are tons of new grads on my floor now and I answer them as nicely as I can because I remember how it felt. It will all come in time, I promise. Before you know it, you'll feel the same way toward new grads as I do. Ready to help them out because you remember how it felt. Hang in there!! This too shall pass!

Hi. I'm a new nurse and I'm in the same boat. I can definitely emphasize with what you have written. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

I can tell you I feel EXACTLY the same way!! I am a Pedi RN that has been off Orientation a little over 2 months and I can relate to how you feel. I have great support where I work and the Nurses are always there to cheer me up and tell me Im exactly where I should be for being a new Nurse.. At times I feel in total control and just as quick as that feeling comes it ends.. It has been a very busy summer on Pedi and I have felt pulled in many different directions and just try my best, 110% every day to be the best nurse I can be, altho I know the expereinced Nurses can do a ton better.. Just keep telling yourself, My patients are getting the care they need, the medicine they need, the proper admission and discharge and if it takes 20 min longer then others then so be it.. As long as your patients are under your care 110% everything else is secondary.. I still stay till 900 (im day RN) charting and I hate it but my patients are the priority. I believe in time we will all be the nurses we dream of, or as I like to call them :Super Nurse: but for now Im happy being on the road to getting there! Just think how far you have come since school!

Dear Mochafrap,

I just started reading your post and thought i'd written it myself! I started working on a med/surg floor at my local hospital 3 months ago, with 2 months of orientation, I've also been on my own for about a month now. Lately, i've been coming home crying because I get so far behind. I'm not timely about getting discharges out, and at the same time i'm worried about the other patients who need their meds on time. I got really, really, upset with the charge nurse who couldn't find the time to help me out. I was soooo frustrated that I went to the my team leader, I'm an LVN, and asked him to help me out, after I went to the restroom and indulged myself in some crying time because I was soo frustrated. The patient wasn't discharged after all because her blood pressure was out of control. I think my main issues are that I don't know how to prioritize better. I'm the only nurse on nightshift besides one other who runs around like a chicken with their head off trying to get things done. I'm scrambling and some of the other nurses were sitting in the station enjoying their conversations. I'm sure I was just jealous. To top it off, I didn't get done with my charting until 1 1/2 hours after shift change. If I didn't have that discharge problem, things might of been more timely. I also had a blood transfusion going on another patient. The am nurse wasn't happy with me (he had the same patient on the shift before) because it wasn't completed before the 5 am blood draws. I really want to do well at this job, at the moment i'm depressed, mad at the cold am nurse, and wish I could get those discharges out before 2200, if indeed they are stable to be discharged. Everyone else makes it seem so easy by the looks on their faces most of the time. I too, feel like they are getting tired of my questions, but maybe not. I'm one big insecurity right now. Not every shift is like this, but this past week gets the prize, if you know what I mean. P.S. the doctors around here do not like getting called in the night. You are not in the least bit alone. I just need to focus on what i'm doing right. I had at least two patients express gratitude for the care I was providing. I'm big on compassion, but not so much on time management (as of lately-discharges).

Hang in there, It gets better.

Just finished my 1st year on med/surg/oncology floor, Words of wisdom that have really helped me:

Time management: after your quick assessments after report, check your meds request what is missing. Put your 10:00 meds all together, so they will be ready when you are.

Do as much charting before 10:00 for your assessments, you can always go back and finish but this way they are fresh in your mind.

Get to work early, look up labs, history, vitals before you get report, check chart for any new orders that you might not get on report.

When hanging blood products, use that 15min to do your charting, bring computer in with you.

Getting a good routine done is key, I am fortunate because my time management skills are strong and it has helped me where I see others struggle.

Don't be afraid to delegate, use what ever resources you hospital offers.

Hope this helps, hang in there

You are not alone. I have been off of orientation for 3 months after a 3 month orientation, and I still come home a wreck sometimes. Usually I'm wondering if there was something I forgot to do or something I did that could have harmed one of my patients.

There are still more good days than bad days. It's not as bad as it used to be. But right now I'm up early on 1 of my days off worrying about a patient I had that I feel I didn't give proper care to.

It seems the experienced nurses don't go through this. I wonder how they manage to keep from bringing their work home with them.

omg i feel the EXACT SAME. Although I have only been working for about 3 weeks, and with a preceptor, I feel like there is SOOOO much that needs to be done in one shift that it at times feels impossible. Charting is something I hope I get better at because like you, I get home and feel like I have forgotten something or have dreams of forgetting to chart something. I am so scared that forgetting to chart even the smallest thing will come back to bite me!! Ahh! I def. think things will get better because from what I am hearing from nurses with experience is that for the most part the first year is really tough. Just remember you are not alone-even though this is hard to imagine..but seriously..I feel the same way. Overwhelmed, scared, and really not sure what I got myself into!! We'll be OK

It's me again, just a quick update, these past three shifts went much better than what went down on 9/2. The first night back, I was kinda of a scatter brain until I got my head in the game and focused on my patients and not my issues with nursing. I had to remind myself to focus on what I know as a nurse and not so much on what I didn't know. Even though things were hectic, which is the usual thing, my attitude adjustment really helped me alot. I learn from everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For example, I told the am nurse about the jp drain amount I took out, but I forgot to put the info in the physical chart. The doc was upset at the am nurse, but fortunately for me, the am nurse was able to tell the doc the amount and put the info in the chart for me. Believe me, i'll never forget to do that again! plus, the am nurse was cool about it. Not all co-workers are a pain. I do believe that i'm going to do just fine from here on out. I just need to kick the insecurities I have out the door and like I said just focus on what I do know, the rest will come with time and help, which I do get quite a bit of from the other nurses. So hang there, we are going to be just fine. Once, I did call the hospital on my day off to say I didn't call a prescription into the pharmacy for a patient who had been discharged because I forgot due to too much going on. I was more concerned about the pt getting his vicodin than any potential consequences from not taking care of my business. I cleared my conscience. Move forward one step at a time, as one experienced nurse told me when I began 3 months ago.