New Nurse Woes--Will I EVER Make It?

Remember that time long, long ago when you were green and not very confident? Or maybe you still are in that hard situation and want to know yes, it will pass? This article highlights some of my bloopers as a nursing student/new nurse. As you can see, I was not a quick learner but became a confident, content Med/Surg nurse. I think most of my mistakes can top other young nurses' bloopers, and if not, it's something to share.

New Nurse Woes--Will I EVER Make It?

I was a new nurse not too many years ago, but I still remember the stress. I was very shy as a nursing student and as a new graduate. I felt like I was the most hopeless nurse in the world. I had very little confidence in myself and frequently put myself down. I know many students/new nurses feel the same, so here's a little list of my mistakes or mistakes others have made that I am aware of.

  1. Actually broke a vital sign machine at one of my clinical sites. My instructor was furious. So were the nurses who worked on the floor.
  2. I always said "I'm sorry". Every mistake, everything I didn't know, I would repeatedly apologize. I was very insecure.
  3. I stumbled through most phone conversations with physicians. I always seemed to be missing an important value, said "Um..." all the time, talked a million miles an hour (ripping off the bandaid, I thought), and usually wound up crying if the doctor fussed at me. I couldn't understand some of the physicians' accents over the phone and had to ask "Can you repeat that?" after every order.
  4. I once spilled a pitcher of ice water on a post-partum patient-and her cell phone. Babies, especially newborns, were terrifying to me. They were so delicate and fragile-I was always afraid I was holding them wrong, changing them wrong, and pretty much doing everything wrong. What was the worst was that my classmates loved the babies and seemed so confident-and the instructor was impatient with me. (I think she was still mad about the BP machine on top of being frustrated with my insecurity. I don't fault her. I was hopeless in Maternity. I like my adults and little elderly people.)
  5. My conversations with patients were sometimes very awkward. I didn't know what to say or what to do when a patient expired and the family was actively grieving. I asked a woman who had had a hysterectomy if the baby was a boy or girl. I once offered to help a double amputee to the toilet. I have mistaken a man for a woman. My cheeks were constantly red with embarrassment or frustration. Why can't I do anything right? I'll never be a good nurse. What's wrong with me? Why can't I do ANYTHING right? Everyone seems to "get it" but me. What's their secret?
  6. I was also intimidated by the other nurses. They seemed to know so much, and could sometimes could be very short with me. I later learned that their frustration wasn't personal-their job was fast-paced and demanding, and it usually more time for me to perform a task than the nurse could do herself.
  7. And everybody knew everybody but me. During down time I would read charts over and over because I felt absolutely out of place. Or I would read textbooks or drug guides because I didn't want to interrupt the nurses' conversations about aspects of their lives that I didn't know.
  8. 8. Got tripped up my multiple IV lines, or catheters, or the side of the bed-everything. I was so wrapped up with my emotional insecurity that I didn't notice things I should've noticed. I only tripped and dislodged one IV, but of course he was a hard stick and was furious that I was so clumsy and that he needed to have a new IV put in. He of course wanted a new nurse.
  9. I spilled urine all over myself while trying to empty a catheter. I've gotten poop on my pants and shoes and lab jacket. I've been vomited on and bled on.
  10. I've known a few new nurses and nursing students who have been soaked with IV fluids when they accidentally punctured the bag. One girl ruptured a blood bag all over herself and her patient.
  11. I've tripped over my own feet and face-planted in the hall, spilling meds everywhere.
  12. I knew about nursing students who had confused the red and blue thermometers.
  13. One of my classmates fainted in the OR. Luckily, he did not contaminate the sterile field or take anyone else out with him. He became an excellent surgical nurse and later a nurse anesthetist.

The bottom line is that we aren't perfect, but with perseverance even the most awkward, timid nurse can succeed. You learn from your mistakes. You hone your skills with repetition. The first year and a half, I wasn't confident. I now know that confidence comes with experience. So, for those of you who feel stressed, hopeless, and awkward, know that those feelings are shared by many. You're not alone.

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rnsheri

About rnsheri

3 year(s) of experience in Med/Surg, orthopedics, urology

1 Article   48 Posts

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Great post! Wow i hope i dont get too much poop on me!

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The worst mistake I made so far...nothing too dramatic. I forgot to re clip my patient's Foley bag so her room was pretty wet with urine. I felt really bad and the house keeping lady chewed me out for it. I was too timid in nursing school to talk so I think I've come a long way on that front.

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RNSheri,

As a student nurse, I am continually feeling like my own personal "RAM" isn't big enough to do this job well. Reading your stories above helps me to feel like I am indeed not alone and that, with time, experience and effort, all of us newbies will get there. Thank you for your transparency! Very encouraging.

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I am a new nurse myself and can totally relate to this feeling of complete ineptitude. This is a second career for me ( I worked as a Vision Therapist and Optician for 12 years prior to starting nursing school) and it is so humbling and oftentimes frustrating to feel so, well, just stupid after working for so many years and being very competent in another field. I am so busy trying to perform all the tasks that I don't always know what drugs I'm giving are even for (a HUGE no no in nursing school), I've spilled IV bags on myself twice (a little tip- hold the bag with the entry point facing UP when removing the spike!), and I trip over my words and struggle to answer patient questions quite often. I've forgotten to make sure my CNA had emptied a patient's Foley and it overflowed onto the floor (the bag had a faulty connector, but still...), and I've tangled with a doctor several times after having him blow my concerns off (I believe my exact words were something like "I thought 900mg seemed kind of high considering her chart said 300mg. You know, I just don't want to kill my patient because someone put the order in the computer incorrectly). People, the struggle is real- I'm hanging in there and hoping it gets better, if not I'm going to open a coffee stand and forget this whole nursing thing!

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Specializes in Med Tele, Gen Surgical.

My top twenty "oh DUH!" when I was starting out.....Getting all the supplies and clipping the hair on the patient's other arm because the existing IV was occluded and there was an IV antibiotic due....mmmmm, didn't unclamp the existing IV before attempting to flush the lock! D'oH! (P.S. the patient alerted me that maybe I should try to re-flush AFTER unclamping the line!) :blink: Of course this was early in my shift, so I had to go back in there, there was no escaping!

I was SOOOOO nervous and was trying to do everything as fast as the seasoned nurses. Thankfully one of them pointed out that you cannot become that fast, safely, until you learn a PATTERN to how you do things, assess things, coordinate things. If you have a solid pattern, you detect when something is amiss, e.g. "walk the entire line from the patient to the pump to the bag" when something isn't flowing.

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Specializes in Med Tele, Gen Surgical.
People, the struggle is real- I'm hanging in there and hoping it gets better, if not I'm going to open a coffee stand and forget this whole nursing thing!

Hang in there, it'll be ok. And you might want to make your screen name and picture a little more anonymous ;)

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Thanks for the advice- I made changes to my account right away. I had no idea how much everyone could see about me until I started digging around. Scary!

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Wow, its great to see a forum like this and read about how almost brand new still nurses struggle.

I retired at 67 then just went back into part time Home Health Nursing at 72 and love it.

Am glad that I am not in a clinical hospital setting as honestly I to would be afraid that I might kill someone. Nursing can change from a joyful profession( yes you do get to that newbies if you can stick to it ) to a nightmare in minutes and if you are a caring person you just have to put the breaks on and not beat yourself up . Take a deep breathe , get centered and pray or meditate for a moment and get on with it. You are new so ask ask ask and remember those you ask have been there as well. I am so glad I am not in your shoes but can tell you I meet a lot of wonderful young nurses who have survived this most difficult period of time, they make me proud.

Being a dinosaur RN I had a different training system and lots of supervision as a student for 3 years in an acute setting before really taking any ones life in my hands. Almost all of my lecturers where done in my own time and after training I did almost every extra training I could find to continue my study. It was very scary going out into the world after my training was finished. So with training and experience in so many fields home health nursing fits my needs and experience and as long as my antique wheels don't fall off too soon I hope to continue to work another few years.

As a patient myself in 1999 I was having a blood transfusion for acute anemia after chemotherapy, it was 2 am at the hospital and my experienced RN dropped my open IV port on my chest off the sterile field and reconnected without even noticing what she had done. (we both survived)

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Specializes in CVICU.

I'm a new nurse and during my very first shift with my preceptor, in front of the off-going nurse from whom we were receiving report, I had a major brain fart and couldn't figure out how to put our patient's oxygen back on. Two and a half years of nursing school, passing the NCLEX in 75 questions, and .. I stumbled over putting the tubing around the patient's ears and the prongs into his nose. Thank God she was understanding and patient. I can say, it's only been 2 weeks, but I already feel it getting a bit easier. I'm so glad this is a normal process.

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Specializes in Surgery, ICU.

Thank you for this encouraging post! A lot of your points hit home with me and I am so glad to know that it will get better. Thank you for taking the time to write this :)

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

1) It took me awhile to figure out how to work a manual BP again on a cardiac patient after having done this repeatedly in my preceptorship.

2) Couldn't figure out why my saline flush wasn't flushing when I set up an IV on a patient before a procedure (turns out I hadn't primed through the hub first like any other time, durrrr).

3) I'll never forget the time I was measuring and emptying a patient's JP drain, and I managed to get its contents all over me (even INTO

the pockets of my scrub top). GROSS.

4) Definitely had an ileostomy leak all over me and the patient's gown when learning to change it in nursing school.

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