New grad in an OBGYN totally OVERWHELMED

[Jennelea]

So, i graduated in May and got what I thought was a dream job as an office nurse at a small (but very busy) OB practice. Eventually I want to become a CNM, so i am learning so much at this job that will be valuable for my future career as a midwife. It is only my second week, but i am scared that i can't cut it in this position.

the practice is made up of 2 OBs, 2 MAs, 2 secretaries, and an office manager/MA.

they hired me as the (only) nurse to do all OB intakes, track OB patients to make sure they get all their testing done, triage, do labs, make appointments, etc.

this practice has been without a nurse for a while, and the office manager/MA (who has been with the practice 15 yrs) has pretty much been doing all of the things I am supposed to take over.

so, i love the office atmosphere and OBGYN generally. This is only my second week in the office, and i feel like i am picking things up relatively quickly, but i get the feeling that everyone is impatient with how slow i am, and when i ask questions. I also feel very disorganized. Any tips on time management in an office nurse role? There is always so much to do, i haven't left a shift on time once yet, and i have only eaten lunch at my desk while working. A few times this week I have seriously considered that i might get fired for not getting things done fast enough. Ugh. I feel like some people are better than others when it comes to organization, and i am not one of them. I also feel like i am being thrown into a lot of stuff without being properly trained. I am feeling jealous of my fellow nursing grads who get 12 weeks training at a hospital...any experience and advice is welcome!

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

Wow. Your story sounds like mine. I got an OB nurse office job straight out of school too. I also considered it my dream job but it was definitely super stressful. My practice had 10 doctors, 6 midwives, 7 secretaries, an office manager and a nurse manager. I was the only OB nurse for 400+ patients. My job had been vacant for a long time because no one wanted it. Nobody lasted more than 6 months at that position. They all got overwhelmed and quit. I shocked everyone by staying there for 4 years. I completely revised the whole position. I created systems to make my job easier. For instance I used to get 50 phone calls a day but then I noticed that 75% of those calls are patients asking the same questions over and over. So I took the time to create an FAQ booklet and distributed it to all patients on their first visit. That cut my calls down to less than 20 a day. I got a lot of walk ins that disrupted my day. I met with my boss to create walk in hours and I blocked off part is my schedule to make same day appts for things like UTIs. You just have to stay organized and think outside the box. Use your creative problem solving abilities to make your job easier. They don't teach this in nursing school. You have to make it up as you go. Good luck!

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

Oh and I wasn't trained for the job either. The position was vacant when I was hired so there was nobody to show me how to do things. That played to my advantage though because like I said, it gave me an opportunity to do things in a way that was more convenient for me instead of trying to figure out someone else's system. I also created a lot of forms for myself and the doctors and patients to use.

[Jennelea]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and tools you developed to do the job! I wish there was someone formally training me, but it's good to think about the freedom that gives me to create my qwn system.