Advice please: New grad very scred

[InfoNurse1595]

Hello all. I'm new to the board and in desperate need of advice from some experienced nurses. I'm a new grad, just graduated in May, and started my new position as an RN 2 weeks ago. My dilemma is I really don't feel like I'm cut out for hospital nursing...or is it too soon to tell? With orientation consisting of days of classes and days on the floor, I can't help but feel extreme anxiety and dread the night before a floor day. I absolutely hate it. I hear some nurses saying how they always wanted to be a nurse, or that they love caring for people, they love their jobs, that nursing was their "calling"....I've just never felt any of that, and it makes me wonder that maybe I've chosen the wrong profession? I'm not sure...all I know is I don't want to go on the rest of my life hating my job like this. Everyone tells me "Well NOBODY likes their job!"....well I'm willing to settle for just TOLERATING my job....but i'm not willing to settle for HATING my job. Does that make sense? hope so...I'm very scared, and today even resorted to looking up for some off-the-wall pharmaceutical, or any type of office-like-setting nursing job. Am I overreacting? Have any of you drastically changed the way you felt about your job from the time of orientation to now? Please give me some words of wisdom!

[Angelica]

I just started my first job this month as a new grad, so I understand the fear. One little thing that gives me a big boost of confidence is my Dell PDA. I keep a drug guide, a lab guide and tabers on it. I keep it in my pocket and if I have a question about anything the answer is right at my fingertips. And I get what I need a lot faster than if I had to look it up in a book. I was in a pt's room yesterday and the family asked me an obscure question about a drug I was giving the pt. I was able to give them an answer in 10 seconds. The 3 programs I have are by http://www.skyscape.com and they link together. So if you are looking up epogen in the drug guide and want to know about lab values as it relates to epogen, just hit the link button and it takes you there. Same with Tabers. Of course, you can keep a lot of other stuff on it as well. All my contacts, schedules, calculator, to-do lists are on there. I've downloaded entire books onto it. I plan to download a spanish/english dictionary. That'll really come in handy. I also have a couple of games on it for those many times I am at work and have nothing to do .

Anyway, as you can tell, I really like it. I still feel fear as a new grad, but me and my PDA are going to take it one day at a time.