Always feel Incompetent...

[lilaclover6984]

Ok So I have been a LPN now for a year and a half. My first 6 months were spent working in another province on Orthopedics at a small hospital. In that province LPN's did not pass meds in hospital and basically just did the personal care, vitals, and dressings. The last year I have spent nursing in a province where LPN's have a much larger scope. But long -term care where we are fully responsible for our patients. Most of the time there is not even a RN in the building on my shifts( I work evenings)

Anyway I was top of my class in school and I always like to feel like I am doing the best I can and always like to be considered really good at my job... However since working as a nurse, I NEVER feel like I am good at my job. I work as hard as I possibly can and it never seems good enough. I come in 20 mins early every day so I can get report early and get started right away so I can try and get everything done. Then I usually only take about a 20 min break when we are allowed 45 mins plus I always stay about 15 mins late finishing up loose ends. I am running, running my entire shift and don't get a chance to pause for a second. I try really really hard to do the excellent job that I want to do. I go home after work and research anything I didn't know that day... But not matter what I do its not enough, or I manage to miss something...

Like yesterday I went into work and found a incident report that the nurse after me had wrote... I Had forgot to give one Res. her antibiotic... I was so mad at myself. How could I miss something so simple? ANd then I found out that one of the other nurses was angry that I had faxed the DR about a Res's increased back/arthritis pain and asked him if we could have something to help better manage his pain.. She didn't think he needed anything else. These are just examples of yesterday..but it seems every single day that I go in someone is mad about either something I did, or something I forgot to do... I don't know why I can't just be good at my job I really try as hard as I can. I don't know what more I can do... I feel like I am being pulled in a million directions while at work and it makes me feel very scatter brained and flusterd. Sometimes when I come in for my shift I feel so overwhelmed. I am responsible for 47 Residents from 4:30 - 11pm and sometimes it feels like its all I can do just to get the med pass done. I am worried that maybe nursing isn't for me afterall. I really don't know what more I can do.

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

I too am a lpn and often feel the same way. First of all who cares if the nurse was mad that you faxed the md for pain management! That was your call and the pt was yours at that time, not the other nurse's. You stepped up and did what should have been done. I wouldn't fault you for that at all.

There is not one nurse anywhere that can claim to have never made a med error. It happens! Don't beat yourself up over that one! Missing a med is something you can learn from. Do not question your decision to become a nurse over this. Even after a year, not a day goes by that I'm not learning. I missed a scheduled morphine a few months back and felt horrible. How can I manage a persons pain when I miss a morphine pill! You know what though, I never miss it now. I work in ltc so things rarely change. Try to look at it as a learning experience and move on.

Kudos to you for faxing the doc!

[jcgrund]

Yes, don't beat yourself up. No one is perfect. As long as you know you're doing your best, things will get better. Keep your chin up.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

DO NOT COME IN EARLY FOR REPORT. Be on time.

DO NOT stay late off the clock. GET PAID for your work.

DO NOT undermine your break; you are allotted the 45 minutes. TAKE EVERY SINGLE ONE.

DO NOT continue on your path to burnout. You are NOT SUPER NURSE; you are human.

You are sacrificing more than your health by not eating..you are going to become resentful and that's something you want to avoid.

[swtcna]

Nursing is very hard work. Working in the health care industry can be very cut throat, depending on the morale of the staff where you work. I found it to be ironic that I went into this field expecting to meet members of the health team that genuinely cared about their patients like you seem to but, sadly, many nurses are unhappy with their jobs and that unhappiness trickles downward onto other employees and in the end it is the patients who suffer the most from this neglect and uncaring attitude. I know from experience that working in a nursing home is like a nightmare. I was unhappy in every nursing home that I worked in. I then began working in the home health field (and have been for 2 years now) and I have found it to be immensely more satisfying. The nurses I work with now are always smiling and happy and care very deeply for their patients. The difference is like night and day. Trust me, not everyone is cut out to work in a nursing home! It doesn't mean you're incompetent at nursing. It means you should explore other avenues in nursing that will provide a more rewarding experience. Nursing is a versatile field and their are many choices of where to work and the type of contact to have with your patients. Personally, if I were in your situation, I would go back to school, get a Bachelor's in Nursing, and pursue a position with a home health agency. Best of luck to you, my dear.