Stressed and Overwhelmed

BettyBoop01 · Jan 18, 2011

Come over to the first year board! What you are feeling is what we are all feeling! Sad to say, but normal! Hugs to you! Best advice I got from this board was just keep showing up. It will get better.And it did a little at a time. Some shifts will be horrible, but some will be tolerable. The longer you stay the better it gets, and you learn so much.

But I started sending out resumes and found another non hospital job in the meantime. Ive got 6 months hospital on my resume, and I feel life is too short to be so unhappy. But if you can stick it out, it will make you stronger. I just hope I dont regret leaving the hospital later in life. Right now though, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

Only you know what is right for you, but know that what you are feeling is totally normal. Being a new grad is horrible. Just keep your head up, you dont leave school knowing it all. You are new and it takes time to gain the experience and knowledge. All you can do is your best.

birdie22 · Jan 18, 2011

pretty sure we are living in parallel universe! I'm an old "new grad" without a job, and I barely have ANY motivation to look anymore. I've had doubts about nursing all throughout school. it's never been "my calling" I just applied for the program, didn't mind the classes, and here we are. I'd rather work at my local library or be the janitor in the hospital than work in med-surg (needless to say I'm lacking tons of confidence if i were to get a job bc i've been out of school for 6 months). so every time i go to "fix up" my resume and check new postings for jobs, i'm pretty discouraged.

people always tell me that even if nursing "isnt for me" that i should at least give it 1 year to try out - why should i waste 1 year of my life doing something I know I dont really want to do? even though I dont have a job now, I'm quite happy that I dont have to work nights and stand on my feet for 12 hrs listening to people yell at me.

honestly, if you want to quit (and can afford to do so financially speaking), then do it. maybe look for a different job and secure that before you quit? do what your gut tell you to do. I don't agree that at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc. you will magically realize that nursing is for you. quit now, live your life (for the better or worse), and if then you want to be a nurse, go be a nurse.

sorry, i'm just venting now....but think about the impact of your decision before you make it. don't it always seem to go that you dont know what you've got til its gone...

regularRN · Jan 18, 2011

All of these feelings are normal - it takes a year or so to become even remotely comfortable with the work load. Stick at it.

Eventually everything will fall into place.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2011

Don't worry. This is not just a problem for you alone. I've only been a RN for a full 2 years now, but I've worked with RNs who have 20 years experience and more, who get overwhelmed. Stuff just happens all at once. And in healthcare, we do care for people who can suddenly become very ill. It can be very scary and overwhelming. Just try to prioritise as best as you can, and ALWAYS document what has happened, or stay back and document. I know this is a pain, but it's really important.

Can you not talk to your NM? Have you got a PCA or someone who can come in and help? You need to talk to a sympathetic NM or preceptor (yes, I know they are hard to find). Tell someone you need help.

ADD: It is also really, really important to try and find ways of dealing with your stress level. On days off do things completely away from work, like exercise, going on a picnic, or just lazing around and reading. Shopping for clothes always helps me! You need to get your mind off the job. After a hectic shift, this is hard, but try to do some yoga or pilates, or just even plain old stretches. And I suggest you write a journal (with no identifying names etc for legal purposes), to get all those frustrated feelings out on paper. It does help - I do this all the time and it is good reading back on what you have done and reflecting, then sometimes being able to laugh at what has happened. Also try to see a counsellor through work and your NM, or a private counsellor maybe if you can afford it, but your work should supply one.

NoviceRN10 · Jan 18, 2011

Maybe switch to night shift? I work nights and I'm not sure I could handle the pace of days. I did okay orienting on days, but I prefer the pace of midnights.

Biffbradford · Jan 18, 2011

Sounds like a great environment to work on your teamwork skills! "Hey, Joe ... got a sec.?" of course he doesn't, but maybe he can take a quick look at the IV or some other low value task while you treat that high K+ or talk to the Doc. :cool:

elprup, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2011

Anotherone ~ you are soo not alone. I feel the exact same way. My first med surg experience did not work out...and now I am in a clinic. It is soo much better. Crazy but better for me. Still I wonder if I was meant to do this (ALL the time!). I've been there 2 months, and love the people so I am going to stick it out. Plus I continue to study with cd's, podcasts, continuing education all the time. I wish you luck and pray "it gets easier" for all of us.

llltapp · Jan 18, 2011

Just remember one thing: PRIORITIZE.

I know it can seem like everything has to be done right NOW. However, 1st take a breathe , then take your OWN pulse LOL. Hypotension and high potassium are more important than getting report :), If the doc was called for someone with diarrhea, he can wait too LOL. A nonemergent xray transport can be rescheduled as well. Ask for help from other nurses if you need it to. Call the house supervisor if you need another set of ears to answer phone or take report. Ask yourself....... who is the next person most likely to die if I do not tend to them first?

It WILL get better :)

lovescapeRN · Jan 18, 2011

i feel the exact same way. sometimes its so overwhelming that i don't take breaks/ eat, which then i will end being weak - not a good idea!

i also feel like everything needs to be done. sometimes everything just hits.. like for me the other day was literally came on shift at 7 am- someone has a panic attack, can't breathe, no RT for the patient at the moment, while sugars of 440, then low critical mag level, titrating insulin drip over and over because her sugars are flying sky high and the residents are writing 10 pages of new orders, then one patient is crying of pain,... and crying and crying.. and begging for dilaudid.. then next door, some lady's bp is 224/96, then pt's family is mad at me for not calling them back, all in awhile, the same lady with the low mag/high sugar/panic attack is being needy, helpless, can't get out of bed because she is too obese and weak, and is screaming and hollering for me every 5 minutes.. and then the older nurses are screaming at me for not organizing myself well and giving my meds late.

haha i wanted to blow. from 7am- 3 pm, i had zero break, running like a mad woman trying not to let someone go into a critical level..i even stayed till 8 pm to chart that day. sometimes i go home wondering what my life has become

welcome to life of a nurse. oyy

steelydanfan · Jan 18, 2011

i am a "new grad" (it took me over a year to find a job). i did relocate a few hours away for this job. it is at a mega teaching hospital on a med surg floor. i am done with orientation this week. in general, i just feel very overwhelmed. someday i feel ok, other days i just want to run from the floor screaming. i have had over 10 preceptors (you get whoever is there that day, some are experienced and great others are neither). so evaluations are lacking, whenever i ask how i am doing i am told, "great, fine, okay" or some other vague reply. there are many new grads who have just come off orientation or are on orientation now so some shifts have appeared pretty hectic due to a lack of experienced staff at times.
i get overwhelmed when multiple things are going on at once or have to be dealt with within a short time frame. (ex- one pt with a high potassium level who needs stat treatment now- oh and the meds haven't arrived so that will entail a call to pharmacy, an iv is leaking, another pt has sudden onset hypotension, pacu is calling to give report, a md i paged earlier is on the phone, x-ray is ready for some other pt to go get an x-ray done, someone else has to be discharged......and on and on and on............................)i have been thinking of quitting for a long time especially since i had mega doubts about nursing since i have been in school. initially, i wanted to try to stick it out for at least 6 months for my resume's sake, even if i do pursue a career outside of health care eventually. i don't know how long i can keep up with nursing or how long i want to. i am not expecting many replies. i just hope that sending this post out to cyberspace will make me feel better!

my dear, i have been at this for 30 years, and if the scenario you presented had happened to me, i would have immediatley gone ballistic in the report room; then called my charge nurse in to split the workload. you are not required to be superwoman, no one could have handled this burden. call for help, and if you get sneers in return, smply tell 'em its all going into your incident report.

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Jan 18, 2011

With all the short term rehab patients coming into LTC now.. I feel I work on a med-surg unit sometimes.

This is unfortunately part of the job. 3-6pm are the busiest times of my shift and I feel some people just don't get it. I get in at 2:50. Count narcotics. Get report. Try and figure out how many CNAs we have and make their assignments. On a good day its 3:20. On a bad day. Its now after 4. I have to hear about mundane things such as inservices I didn't do, missing signatures.. things i didnt do .. things i did do etc. Fingersticks.. 4:30pm meds, admissions coming in the door.. waiting for flaky md's that call back 1 hour later but you have to wait near the phone because he hangs up after 3 rings. .. still trying to get those fingersticks and meds out.. oh what do you know.. someones on the floor. someone needs a 1-1 .. someone needs something to go to the bathroom.. someone has to go to the bathroom.. cnas are all tied up.. here comes the dinner trays... call the dr and family for resident who fell.. pass trays because theres only 2 cnas for the floor to pass trays...