New Grad-Med/Surg Help!

[bleh]

Hello everyone,

I am a new grad with a BSN. I found myself extremely lucky in getting a position at the hospital I wanted and on the unit I THOUGHT I WANTED, a month after graduating.

I am on my fourth week of orientation on a MED/SURG floor and I find myself dreading the day. I am not afraid of hard work, standing all day and not eating lunch. But I find myself perplexed at how my coworkers are able to manage multiple things at once, whereas I cannot seem to catch up or even remember all the things I need to do.

I have had 3 different preceptors thus far, and some days I don't know who I will be working with. It seem like the manager has to beg people to take on the responsibility. I can say my preceptors were mostly kind, patient and knowledgable but I have also seen them do some things that concern me.

I have noticed a lot of cutting corners just to get through the day. I question whether they are truly good nurses or good at getting by. I understand that in the real world people take short cuts but I don't agree with this lack of standard in care.

I hate the fact that patients are just bodies in beds that are continually fed pills. The doctor is never available to see them. My preceptor even wanted me to stay out of the line of sight of one Pt because she kept calling me. Turns out she was having difficulty breathing and was desperate for help. A rapid response was called soon after...need I say more. Things like that just freak me out.

I want to help people, spend enough time with them to understand their diagnosis and not be rushed from room to room. I feel ridiculous for thinking this way as I was so desperate to get a MED/SURG position. My family probably thinks Im lazy, but I just don't feel comfortable or confident.

The only saving grace is that I will be working nights in a few weeks. Everyone tells me it will get better, but from what I've seen on my unit I don't think the night shift has it any easier.

Maybe I'm not cut out for bedside nursing. Should I start looking for another job?

Thanks for any input.

[Sour Lemon]

I've actually gone outside and around the building to avoid walking by a patient's door, on occasion. One patient can be so needlessly demanding of your time that every other one of your patients gets neglected. So while the bad outcome is concerning, I do understand. It's sort of like the boy who cried wolf.

Cutting corners can also be an unfortunate necessity. It is sometimes about "getting by" as it's not always humanly possibly to do everything that's "required". The important thing, to me, is knowing which corners matter less and can be safely cut.

If you don't want to feel rushed, bedside nursing may not be your dream job. I've never worked as a nurse anywhere else, so I don't know how green the grass is in other places.

Being slower and less organized than your experienced coworkers is normal. You are likely to improve in those areas if you stick around for a while.