[poopsie9466]

I'm a new grad and work on a med-surg floor. The other night I got three admissions within a few hours, one of them was a direct admit and took up so much of my time I felt like I was neglecting my other patients. A coworker told me the charge nurse was likely "testing" me to see if I could handle the pressure. After my shift, I cried out of exhaustion and frustration. The day totally sucked.

[ltmja]

I've cried a few times. Once when i first started and then a couple after the shift was over. I think I just dread going into work more than anything. It's not knowing how the night is going to go what really get's me. Other jobs I've had before school I at least knew somewhat of how the day was going to be!

[purpil29]

6 mths in. IT was a sunday,most sundays were quiet but not this one. family members everywhere all wanting to talk about loved ones(they had not seen in god knows how long) at once i had pt with sob, another with chest pain ,another with bloodsugar of 40,and an angry family wanting me to explain a bruise on moms leg they had not seen before but was called and informed of one week prior,another with a fall with head injury,all the while my fellow nurses were sitting at the desk charting and calling me to the phone which i did not respond to. i did not hide a cry at that time because there was no time!i gave o2 to the 1st one gave nitro to the 2nd while telling the aid to give the third oj with extra sugar and and after a very quick look at the 4th had aid hold compress and do vs while the ward clerk was calling ambulance for me.all the while the mad fmly with the bruise still raising hell at the desk. er nurse later called me to tell me off for not coming to the phone to give her a proper report (all paperwork sent with pt to hosp explaining)needless to say at the end of the day i worked 16 hours that day and cried all the way home. the next day the don tried to wright me up for not taking time to talk to the fmly about the bruise. i explained the day to her and told her to read my nurses notes after this i did not get written up but my fellow nurses did! i will never forget that day as long as i live!!!!

[NancyNurse08]

Sounds like a horrible shift.

[Mave RN]

I have been on my own for about three shifts now, which in nurses' time, I guess it counts as a week. These have been the worst times yet for me. Nurses really forget what it was to be new. I haven't mastered time management yet, and I haven't mastered the always asking "what, when, where, why, how" when I have a pt. I've never done it before, so it's not in me to constantly ask those questions. Because of those things alone, I have cried a lot. I don't trust anybody in my unit because I feel that they'll either ridicule me or will find something horribly wrong that I have done, and instead of helping me, will lecture me to the point that I will feel like a complete imbecile. Those things a good nurse do not make. Nor a confident or efficient one.

[HeartsOpenWide]

I cried once after I missed passing my midterm in med/surg by 1% (but later the teacher threw out a question so I ended up passing) It was right before spring break, which I spent studying the whole time...I was studying and taking notes and when I realized how long I had been studying and how little I got through I just felt defeated...I started crying so I went home (was studying at my parents house) and cried so more on my bed and then through my med/surg book down the hall. I ended up with a B in the class so maybe I over reacted, but the morning after I took that midterm I felt I had just experienced a death and wondered if I was not smart enough for nursing school. I am now in my last year of my BSN and I hear the last year is really hard..hopfully I will not repeat my book throwing tantrum! LOL

[wickedrn]

I have just finished my first year. I have cried out of frustration due to feeling that my best wasn't enough. Once very recently I was reduced to tears because of the way a patient and family member treated me. I have learned to let it roll off me. It will get better soon be it hours or days. Whatever it is that is upsetting you now will not last a lifetime.

[Sue7573]

I am a new RN now for six months, I normally work midnight shift in LTC, on occassion the RN's have to take turns covering the weekend day shift. This past weekend was my turn, usually it means we are scheduling (rescheduling) to cover call ins. I like doing it because it is a bit more of a challenge than night shift. Anyway Saturday is going good, until a family comes in mad from the door, she insists on talking to the RN on the floor, I come in and she is standing beside her mothers bed. She starts off with "I want to know what is going on around here" she states all that is wrong and what am I going to do about it. Every time I try to speak she shuts me up either with the hand or by saying that was yesterday or what is that going to do now. I finally got out of there and took care of the things I could decipher. In all honesty I could not see anything wrong with the care that was given. Bath was being done when she come in and dismissed cna's. Oral care after breakfast had been done, positioning had been done etc. Anyway on Sunday the floor nurse had already made sure that everything complained about had been done, pt looked good and when daughter got there we didn't hear anything out of her until it was time to get her up. I dreaded the call, RN needed in so and so room. Crap I knew I was going to get it again. Daughter was concerned because LLE was colder that RLE, I checked pedal pulses and asked for the doppler, the left pedal pulse was weaker than right and cap refill was relatively longer on left than right. Now keep in mind that this family member has been stating with accuracy nursing terms like, cva, g-tube, mls/hour, minor stuff but kind of impressed me. So when she asked me what would listening to "feetal" pulses mean in relation to moms condition. I about lost it. Not because she mispronounced the word but because I realized then that allthough she was being a brute about all of this in reality she was scared, nervous, loss of controll, all of that and using bullying tactics to deal with it. She did apologized to me the best she could. I did not point out that she called it feetal pulse. I just kept working and took care of it. I am just glad that I was so into checking the pulses with my head down she didn't see me smile.

[Sue7573]

I am a new RN now for six months, I normally work midnight shift in LTC, on occassion the RN's have to take turns covering the weekend day shift. This past weekend was my turn, usually it means we are scheduling (rescheduling) to cover call ins. I like doing it because it is a bit more of a challenge than night shift. Anyway Saturday is going good, until a family comes in mad from the door, she insists on talking to the RN on the floor, I come in and she is standing beside her mothers bed. She starts off with "I want to know what is going on around here" she states all that is wrong and what am I going to do about it. Every time I try to speak she shuts me up either with the hand or by saying that was yesterday or what is that going to do now. Which I really felt like I was going to cry over, from frustration. I finally got out of there and took care of the things I could decipher. In all honesty I could not see anything wrong with the care that was given. Bath was being done when she come in and dismissed cna's. Oral care after breakfast had been done, positioning had been done etc. So I made it the whole day and didn't cry. Anyway on Sunday the floor nurse had already made sure that everything complained about had been done, pt looked good and when daughter got there we didn't hear anything out of her until it was time to get her up. I dreaded the call, RN needed in so and so room. Crap I knew I was going to get it again, and didn't know if I would be able to hold the tears back this time. Daughter was concerned because LLE was colder that RLE, I checked pedal pulses and asked for the doppler, the left pedal pulse was weaker than right and cap refill was relatively longer on left than right. Now keep in mind that this family member has been stating with accuracy nursing terms like, cva, g-tube, mls/hour, minor stuff but kind of impressed me. So when she asked me what would listening to "feetal" pulses mean in relation to moms condition. I about lost it. Not because she mispronounced the word but because I realized then that allthough she was being a brute about all of this in reality she was scared, nervous, loss of controll, all of that and using bullying tactics to deal with it. She did apologize to me the best she could. I did not point out that she called it feetal pulse. I just kept working and took care of it. I am just glad that I was so into checking the pulses with my head down she didn't see me smile.

[Dragonnurse1]

Mave RN.
Do not beat yourself up. Those same nurses that are now so snooty were once new grads. Nursing is one profession where for some strange reason no one is willing to help another. Find one nurse that will answer questions and remember:

The only dumb question is the one you do NOT ask.
You will make it - hang in there. Dragonnurse1