Anyone else frustrated with being a new nurse?

lanesvolcano · Nov 29, 2005

Hi Asilmk,

I am too a new grad. I worked as a CNA for 3 years in the long term care and as soon as I graduated and got my license in July '05, they hired me right away. I never thought of working at the hospital because I did not like the experience I had when having clinical while I was in school. The nurses there are not helpful to new grads and to the student nurse. Now, I see things from RNs' perspective and love my jobs. Yes, I make way less than my classmates that got hired at the hospital but I have a good support system and lots of stress with tons of reward. I love it when my residents say, "Thank you for being patient with me" or "Come see me before you go home okay" or "You look tired." What is best is when my residents become more open with me and that way, I can make a better careplan for them and individualized just for them. Love it and I am satisfied with my 25% less than my classmates' earning. So, you may need to find other nursing fields. Remember always why do you want to be a nurse and write it down. It may help to put it in the bathroom where you can see it everyday. I wish you the best. And remember too, you and I know inside our heart that we love taking care of people, healthy or not, happy or not. And do not let anything, including our frustation, interfere with caring people who need our hand, heart and love. Aloha from Hawaii.

pie123 · Nov 30, 2005

I have been a nurse for 4 months. So far, I've been disappointed and frustrated with my job. I am not sure how much has to do with my hospital, floor, and shift, and how much has to do with me. In the last month 5 nurses and 2 CNAs have left. 2 more nurses and 2 CNAs turned in their notices tonight. We have a new chief nursing executive that has us on a bare bones staffing grid and people have been dropping like flies. I work 3-11 on a Med/Surg floor. I dread going into work, am stressed the wole time I'm there, and cannot wait until I am off for a few days. I never expected to practice in the "Ivory Tower" like they taught us in school, but I never expected it to be like THIS. I never do anything for my patients except, "Here take this pill" or "Here's your shot." Is anyone else as disappointed with nursing as I am?

I am a new grad still on orientation, and taking the full patient load, which is

4. I cannot tell you how many times I have already thought to myself, "I wish I would have done something else." I am told that it gets better, and things start to fall into place...not fast enough.

nupsgrad · Nov 30, 2005

Well, it's been five months now and it's still a nitemare!!!Telemetry, anyone? I have been working on a busy tele floor since I passed my boards in June. Well, it's been hard. My training lasted 8 weeks. My preceptor had to leave the country after three weeks. I was left to train with any nurse that was available, and often "picked up " by another preceptor, who (helloooo!!!) already had a neubee nurse to orient. Nevertheless, I got through it. My problem is not having enough time to get everything done. I know, I have to prioritize, but at the end, everything STILL has to be done, and with not enough staff, I leave home at least one hour past my shift, because I have no time for charting, or finishing up admission papers, or discharge papers...

Take a BREAK, you say? Yea, usually it's around 1:00 pm (I work a rotating 7-3:30 and some 3:00-11:30) by which time I am totally dehydrated and dizzy....not to mention no BR trip, either...Not very healthy, hugh? But what can I do when most of the patients on the floor are age 80+, most of them are total care, they need to be washed, fed, and up in a chair for PT by 9:00, or going to a procedure, or Xray, or being discharged in 30 min? (We usually have one CNA on the floor, with 20-30 patients).Most of these patients have between 10-15 different meds PO, IV, SQ, IM, top, + dressings etc...Most have meds scheduled every 2 hours. Vitals are every 4 hours. Have to notify the doc if they're off, right? By the time I'm done with 10 o'clocks, it's time to start insulin and 12 o'clocks, then it's 2 o'clocks...Not to mention that docs change,add or d/c meds and treatments every day by noon...Not to mention not all meds are in the bin and I have to call/and fax pharm to get them to the floor....Not to mention call bells, either...And if there is any kind of emergency(chest pain, SOB, tubes being pulled out or not functioning, change of mental status...), everything gets put off. And FAMILIES who always think you are their private duty nurse....Don't forget to add up I/O's and tape report by 3:00 pm....I like nursing. I love it when my patients say that "I have what it takes" because I am very pleasant, symphatetic and I always treat my patients like they are a part of my family. When they get better and feel good, I feel good and it makes me happy. And I love the people I work with, they are a good bunch and we get along very well, thru all the miserable times...But I am wondering if I'm in the right kind of nursing? I get home every day exausted, with very little energy to tend to my family, myself or anybody/anything else...Is this how nursing is supposed to be?? Living just so I can do my job? Please someone say NO, because I don't think I could be doing this for the next 20 years....Maybe I need a different shift, or apply to a different floor, or OR? Or work at a doctor's office?? Any suggestions?? (Sorry for pouring my guts out, but where else but here...) Thanks allnurses!

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Nov 30, 2005

Well, it's been five months now and it's still a nitemare!!!Telemetry, anyone? I have been working on a busy tele floor since I passed my boards in June. Well, it's been hard. My training lasted 8 weeks. My preceptor had to leave the country after three weeks. I was left to train with any nurse that was available, and often "picked up " by another preceptor, who (helloooo!!!) already had a neubee nurse to orient. Nevertheless, I got through it. My problem is not having enough time to get everything done. I know, I have to prioritize, but at the end, everything STILL has to be done, and with not enough staff, I leave home at least one hour past my shift, because I have no time for charting, or finishing up admission papers, or discharge papers...
Take a BREAK, you say? Yea, usually it's around 1:00 pm (I work a rotating 7-3:30 and some 3:00-11:30) by which time I am totally dehydrated and dizzy....not to mention no BR trip, either...Not very healthy, hugh? But what can I do when most of the patients on the floor are age 80+, most of them are total care, they need to be washed, fed, and up in a chair for PT by 9:00, or going to a procedure, or Xray, or being discharged in 30 min? (We usually have one CNA on the floor, with 20-30 patients).Most of these patients have between 10-15 different meds PO, IV, SQ, IM, top, + dressings etc...Most have meds scheduled every 2 hours. Vitals are every 4 hours. Have to notify the doc if they're off, right? By the time I'm done with 10 o'clocks, it's time to start insulin and 12 o'clocks, then it's 2 o'clocks...Not to mention that docs change,add or d/c meds and treatments every day by noon...Not to mention not all meds are in the bin and I have to call/and fax pharm to get them to the floor....Not to mention call bells, either...And if there is any kind of emergency(chest pain, SOB, tubes being pulled out or not functioning, change of mental status...), everything gets put off. And FAMILIES who always think you are their private duty nurse....Don't forget to add up I/O's and tape report by 3:00 pm....I like nursing. I love it when my patients say that "I have what it takes" because I am very pleasant, symphatetic and I always treat my patients like they are a part of my family. When they get better and feel good, I feel good and it makes me happy. And I love the people I work with, they are a good bunch and we get along very well, thru all the miserable times...But I am wondering if I'm in the right kind of nursing? I get home every day exausted, with very little energy to tend to my family, myself or anybody/anything else...Is this how nursing is supposed to be?? Living just so I can do my job? Please someone say NO, because I don't think I could be doing this for the next 20 years....Maybe I need a different shift, or apply to a different floor, or OR? Or work at a doctor's office?? Any suggestions?? (Sorry for pouring my guts out, but where else but here...) Thanks allnurses!

Oh my gosh, I feel like I could've written this e-mail! I've been an RN since July 2005 (graduated May 2005) & for the past 4 months have been working 3-11 on a med/surg/tele unit. I usually have 5 patients to myself & also help out with the LPN who is working with me-like doing her IV pushes, etc. I feel like you've described my day very accurately! like tonight for example, I must've called pharmacy about 8 times to get my patients' meds since they some were missing from the pyxis...and of course the pt. is asking for it over and over and I keep saying I am waiting for it to come up still-very frustrating. I had my hands full the past two shifts with 5 tele patients who all seemed to have pain, nausea, or something-and all kept calling for me all shift long...I always seem to be on the phone with docs for so many requests and/or updates....I too feel very frustrated when all I seem to do is give pills or shots or count up Is and Os. I want to feel like i'm more involved with all aspects of patient care & want to be more involved with making decisions, so that is why I've applied to nursing grad school for next fall, to get my MSN and become an adult acute care NP. More than anything, I want to analyze clinical information, develop a plan of care with the health care team, and do more patient teaching & health counseling with pts, rather than spend all my time passing meds. So I know how you are feeling, as well as the OP.

-Christine

chasBSN · Nov 30, 2005

I too have been a nurse for only 4 months. I was hired into a Surgical ICU that does open hearts and various other surgeries. Talk about setting high goals. Maybe too high. Working in the unit is stressful at times, to say the least. I have learned tons already, however I am already tired of nursing. When I first started I thought I was making good money, but boy do you work for it. I can only hope things will get better with experience.

veegeern, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2005

Nupsgrad, I too could have written your reply. I've been an RN since Feb 2004. I work on an internal medicine floor...chronic patients with cardiac problems (telemetry, new pacemakers, cardiac cath), ESRD and dialysis, COPD, Chron's, DM, etc...and I see the same issues that you do with pharmacy, med passes, changed orders, etc...Our floor also receives all the outpatient blood transfusions and infusions such as IGG and Iron. And sometimes we give Chemo - luckily I'm not a Chemo nurse! We generally have 2 PCA's, unless our census is too low. On a really good day we have 5 or 6 patients each. On most days, we end up having 6-9 patients at a time because we are either between times to flex staffing (every 4 hours staffing is re-evaluated) or because there just isn't anyone to bring in to work. I had my preceptorship on this floor during my last semester of nursing school, so I was only given 6 weeks with another nurse before I was sent out on my own. And no, I was not given any allowances because I was a new grad when it came to patient load or assignments. Dec/Jan begins the worst time of the year for our patients. This is when census and accuity are both high, and wouldn't you know that as a Dec grad, I walked right into the middle of it! I spent the first 6-12 months working late when everyone else went home because there was charting left undone. I was exhausted. When I had time off I slept because when I was working I had insomnia. My mind just kept going in circles around what had happened that day and what I had to do the next day. I felt like I had made the wrong career decision, and that I would rather work at McDonald's than to have this kind of responsibility and stress. A couple of things changed for me at about 10 months into the job. First, I took 2 weeks off to go home (1000 miles away) for a visit. Second, I when I came back (well rested), I worked nights for about 3 months with two very organized, very good RNs. During this time, I still had 6-9 patients, but they stayed in one place. Generally they didn't have new orders, and for the most part their medications were already on the floor. This gave me an opportunity to become better organized with a lot of help from the other nurses. It also gave me a chance to take more time to think and to see the bigger picture. When I went back to day shift, everything just seemed to fall into place. I also think that there is something to that saying that it takes a year before things get better. In the last year, I have been happy with my career choice. If I were not in a rural area, I would look for a different position...something a little less broad/a little more specialized. Nursing is it for me, though. Now, I find that tasks are routine and go faster so that I can focus on finding out about my patient through dialogue as I do the task. This leaves me more time for teaching, too. Hang in there, it does get better.

uktraumanurse · Nov 30, 2005

I totally understand what you are going through as a new nurse. I graduated and started work in trauma icu. As if the unit isn't hard enough, the senior staff are just ridiculous. They get all upset when they are the staff on duty with us. We here comments all the time like, "god, im the only staff on duty with all new people," or "the new people". Most nights that I work I am literally on my feet for the whole 12 hours and still don't feel like I get everything done. It's just crazy. I'm totally looking forward to pharmaceutical sells or medical supply sells...SOON.

old-MLF · Nov 30, 2005

Dear Nupsgrad: I read over some of the letters of nurses who are frustrated and could have answered any one of them but chose yours-knowing if anyone is also frustrated they will see it. I have been in nursing for about 14 years-and still wonder why I got into it. while I believe some nurses actually enjoy their job I haven't met too many. I don't, however, think it's "nursing" that we don't like. Personally, most of the time I enjoy taking care of people and doing things for them but it is everthing else that gets to me. I have worked in geriatrics the whole time. When I went into school I wanted hospital work-there was a shortage and I could have worked anywhere. By the time I graduated the shortage was over(temporarily) and I got stuck in geriatrics. (I used to do cna work in LTC so I knew I wouldn't like it.) About three years after I graduated I tried getting into the hospital but was told I had no experience!! They would hire a new grad over me. Since, in geriatrics, you work with just about every disease I didn't understand the reasoning. That was in Iowa. Now I am in Texas and it is worse in that they don't hire RNs to work the floor in LTC and I have no hospital experience or on-the-job training. I am currently in an adult day care, which I like. I encourage everyone to explore their options before getting stuck somewhere they won't be happy. I am now going into legal nurse consulting. For those of you who read this letter, new grads or old hands, explore your options. There are school nurses, day care nurses, hospice nurses-I could go on and on. I wish I had of done more researc and been more selective when I started out. Good Luck MLF

There is too much politics in nursing. The focus is no longer on the patient-it is on not getting sued for malpractice, neglect, abuse or whatever. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Dec 1, 2005

nupsgrad,

Hmmm that all sounds familiar. I work on a medical floor with mostly total care elderly patients. I feel like I work in a nursing home! I just started 3 weeks ago but I am already considering leaving. I previously worked at a Dr's office but then I moved to a different state. My husband is still looking for a job and I am always wishing he would find a good one so I can quit. I don't feel comfortable at all in the hospital. I don't know how to do much either so that is frustrating. Only a FEW other nurses are helpful to me. I usually go home crying. I am always tired (I work 6p-6a), I have lost weight, and I miss my family. I am going to try to stick it out a little longer but if I keep feeling so miserable the pay is not worth it and I will take any ol job there is. If you are not happy with your job look for something different. I would really like to work in a health department or be a school nurse. I am just thinking the hospital is not for everyone...there are other Nursing Jobs out there.

Fairemaid · Dec 1, 2005

I can surely relate to this thread, as I am also a new grad, and have worked as a nurse since July. I work on a med/surg/isolation floor from 3p-1130p. At least half of my nights I stay until after midnight to get all of my charting done. We don't usually have any CNA's on my shift, which means I'm the one putting pts on and off bedpans, taking vitals and charting I&O's. I thought I was doing myself a favor by picking this unit because all of the rooms are private. Right now half of the rooms are closed for construction which means that we only have 10 beds, and 2 nurses on.

One day I was floated to another unit (I have been told that you can't be floated if you have been working for less than 6 months:lol2: ) This unit had several CNA's working on it. I actually left at 1115, and all of my charting had been done for hours. I was very happy that night, most of the time when I leave at the end of my shift, I have a sense of accomplishment. I have never gone home in tears yet, although I did in nursing school:icon_roll

I just want to say that I could not have gotten this far as a new RN in a hospital without help from some really great unit coordinators, and of course all the helpful nurses. There are only a couple of scary ones.:chair:

Some advice for nurses who don't like the units that they're on; try to get to work on other units. I only have 24 hours/week scheduled on my unit, so I have signed up for extra shifts on 2 other units. I started off working part time so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed, but now that it's starting to sink in a little, I am picking up extra hours. For those who already feel burned out, maybe you could arrange your schedule so that you work for a few days, then get a day off in between.

The nice part about nursing is that there is a spot for everyone. Don't give up hope and keep your options open.

Fairemaid

Rebecca:Holly3:

Billy5949 · Dec 20, 2005

"Many places are bad places to work. I always say there is no nursing shortage, just a shortage of people willing to put up with the kind of conditions that you describe."

O that is perfect! I've only been nursing for (sit down for this) 2 months. I've had it. Sure it's a heavy workload. But I don't mind the work. What I mind is my fellow workers -and the managers! Horrible, heartless people. I've said it before -I hope that they realize they attribute to the nursing shortage. I am already setting new sights.

I rarely spend time with pts. They ask me to sit with them for a minute -and I don't have a minute. You get written up for medication errors. Why not for how you treat a pt emotionally? No one cares about that.

NYNewGrad · Dec 21, 2005

Just wanted to say I read through this thread and I LOVE IT!

I just posted in a previous thread about my crazy day yesterday. On the other hand, today was calm and I had time to look up meds more thoroughly, speak to docs about general plan of care issues, spend time on pt education...

I'm toward the end of my orientation. Some days I love it, other days i'm just numb from exhaustion. I do love the fact though that I learn everyday...