Anyone hate the ER at first?

carachel2 · Aug 2, 2005

Awww....I wish I could do something to make it all better. I pretty much hated my 1st few weeks because of all the uncertainty. I CAN tell you that with each day under your belt off of orientation you will feel much better and more confident and more like "I can do this and I kind of like it." I've still done some stupid things and there are still a few docs that seem to delight in making me feel like an imbecile, but overall I have grown to like it.

I will tell you that working on some other units might give you a better perspective and a better frame of reference. Is there a way this is possible also ?

candyndel · Aug 3, 2005

I hated everything you mentioned, which isnt really hating it, its hating feeling stupid and out of control. (But med-surg/tele was so predictable (you knew at 900am you'd being doing meds, etc) that after a couple of years, i was bored and ready for a change. )

I used to have nightmares that I had patients on my couch and i even woke my husband up once to answer a call bell!!

It took about 2 years to like it, then another 3 or so to really love it. You will make mistakes, just ask questions EVERYTIME you do/give/order anything new and it hopefully wont be a big mistake! Hang in there!!

ER was the only thing I wanted to do in nursing school, I worked at a smaller ER and I loved every minute of it, I thought it was so much fun. I am two days away from being out of orientation and I think I can honestly say I hate the ER. Did any of you feel this way when you were new? DId you like it after you figured out what was going on? It could be that I am just overwhelmed still (I AM!) It's not the staff, they are nice. I just hate the fact that nothing ever goes smoothly, when I need it, it's not there, everything is constantly broken or lost, I am expected to know what labs to order on a patient who has a condition I have never seen before. The nurses order most of the labs before the doc even sees the patient. I am just really afraid I made a big mistake starting in the ER and now it's too late...

Dave11, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2005

i absolutly despised the ER for the better part of the first year. most of it was d/t the place i was working. i knew from the outset that the job was a bad fit for me, but i stuck it out for 3 years and jumped ship. that was 6 months ago and the new job is going great. i actually dont mind going to work again.

still not certain what made me stay 3 years at the last place. cant decide if i just refused to give in or if i'm just a complete idiot.

a few of my former co-workers had told me it takes up to 5 years to be completely comfortable in the ER. after 3.5 years, i feel more and more comfortable with each passing month.

give it some more time. ask your preceptor, co-workers or manager how they feel you are doing.

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2005

Nothing is ever predictable or smooth in the ER. That is part of the beauty for some of us. I never encourage, and actively discourage new grads from going into the ER. Some do very well, but many end up feeling frustrated and like failures in nursing. ER takes every bit of patience, knowledge, skill, finesse, coping, humor, stamina, and love you have inside you. It is not an easy field and it is not for everyone. Many seasoned ER nurses leave it from time to time to take a break, but most come back.

As much as most of us hated that year or two of med surg we did, we did learn to be a nurse there. It has more control and predictability, less life and death situations, and a much less frantic feeling to it. If you do not feel comfortable, or able to continue in the ER, you should follow your instincts. You may not ever like ER, or you may just need to find your comfort level in nursing before you try it again. No one would think less of you for changing your mind. Not many of us hit the jack pot and know what we want our first time around. I have been a nurse for 32 years and have tried a wide variety of fields within nursing. Dialysis, PACU, ICU, home health, ER, as well as a variety of management and education positions have crossed my path. ER has always been my mainstay, where I end up after visiting others for a while.

You will find your niche someday, right now, you just need to get comfortable and learn to be a nurse. If that is not in the ER, there is no dishonor in that. Do what YOU need to do. Get guidance and support, but you are the one who has to decide. You will have many years to try many things, you do not have to do them all right now.

Good luck, it is not an easy field we have chosen as nurses, but the benefits are enormous once you get the hang of it.

MrsWampthang, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2005

I agree with Dixie. There's no shame in wanting to go somewhere else and learn at a slower pace. There are many units out there who need good nurses too. Talk to your manager. I can't imagine making you stay if you don't feel comfortable. As for ER docs, yeah, they can be jerks sometimes and make even the most seasoned nurse feel like morons sometimes. Good luck in whatever you decide!

Pam

ERNurse752, RN · Aug 3, 2005

Are you working in the same small ER that you worked in as a student, or a different one? If you're at a different one, could you go back to the smaller one?

RN 2005 · Aug 4, 2005

ER was the only thing I wanted to do in nursing school, I worked at a smaller ER and I loved every minute of it, I thought it was so much fun. I am two days away from being out of orientation and I think I can honestly say I hate the ER. Did any of you feel this way when you were new? DId you like it after you figured out what was going on? It could be that I am just overwhelmed still (I AM!) It's not the staff, they are nice. I just hate the fact that nothing ever goes smoothly, when I need it, it's not there, everything is constantly broken or lost, I am expected to know what labs to order on a patient who has a condition I have never seen before. The nurses order most of the labs before the doc even sees the patient. I am just really afraid I made a big mistake starting in the ER and now it's too late...

Hi.........Your post hit a cord with me. I also started in the ER and just this week I talked to my manager and decided to get out. She said if I did not like it after 5 weeks I probably would never like it?!?! and I worked too hard in school to be unhappy. I had days when I felt so good about my accomplishments but I always felt like the staff and my preceptor expected more. I hated feeling like I was not "up to par". This whole experience has really taken a toll on me....I am just laying low for awhile and hoping to get my confidence back, but I really feel like I got kicked around pretty badly. When I think about it though, how was I supposed to know how to do the ER basics if I was never shown? It was trial by fire for me. I need to learn by watching....I thought that was what precepting was about. Yes, I can stumble through things on my own without being shown how to do it but all that does is create frustration and self doubt. Sorry about my little rant here....I just wanted to let you know I understand...........Only you can decide what to do.....I personally think I could have probably stayed and been happy in a year or two but life is just too short for me to do that to myself.

By the way, for all the ER nurses that do their jobs every day.......I have nothing but respect for what you do!!!!! I truly admire your stamina and we are all lucky to have you all working so hard in the ER's!!!

Happy-ER-RN, RN · Aug 5, 2005

Hi.........Your post hit a cord with me. I also started in the ER and just this week I talked to my manager and decided to get out. She said if I did not like it after 5 weeks I probably would never like it?!?! and I worked too hard in school to be unhappy. I had days when I felt so good about my accomplishments but I always felt like the staff and my preceptor expected more. I hated feeling like I was not "up to par". This whole experience has really taken a toll on me....I am just laying low for awhile and hoping to get my confidence back, but I really feel like I got kicked around pretty badly. When I think about it though, how was I supposed to know how to do the ER basics if I was never shown? It was trial by fire for me. I need to learn by watching....I thought that was what precepting was about. Yes, I can stumble through things on my own without being shown how to do it but all that does is create frustration and self doubt. Sorry about my little rant here....I just wanted to let you know I understand...........Only you can decide what to do.....I personally think I could have probably stayed and been happy in a year or two but life is just too short for me to do that to myself.
By the way, for all the ER nurses that do their jobs every day.......I have nothing but respect for what you do!!!!! I truly admire your stamina and we are all lucky to have you all working so hard in the ER's!!!

What are you going to do now, have you decided yet? Do you think it will be difficult to get another job or are you just going to transfer. I know exactly what you mean about not knowing how to do something you have never been shown. I only had one preceptor that actually showed me things and the rest just handed me the chart and said, here go check this pt. in and I'll be in in a minute, and then never came, then disappeared. So I have just tried to learn what I can and ask whoever is nearby what I can.

I couldn't imagine starting out in an ER in a place like Atlanta, that would be just insane. I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope you find something you love to do.

angel337, MSN, RN · Aug 5, 2005

i was a ER tech for five years while i was in nursing school and i honestly don't think i would have made it without that experience. during the time i was a tech, i became proficient in phlebotomy, IV starts, ortho splints and other technical duties that were within my job description. it made a big difference because once i became a new grad, i wasn't as focused on tasks and more focused on how to take care of the patient and utilizing critical thinking skills. it takes a while to get comfortable, don't be so hard on yourself. ER has higher expectations than most units because we are obligated to make life and death decisions. everyone was a new grad at one time and no one knows everything. the unpredictability of ER make me love it and i am obtaining as many certifications as i can to increase my knowledge. i say follow your heart and good luck.

RN 2005 · Aug 5, 2005

What are you going to do now, have you decided yet? Do you think it will be difficult to get another job or are you just going to transfer. I know exactly what you mean about not knowing how to do something you have never been shown. I only had one preceptor that actually showed me things and the rest just handed me the chart and said, here go check this pt. in and I'll be in in a minute, and then never came, then disappeared. So I have just tried to learn what I can and ask whoever is nearby what I can.
I couldn't imagine starting out in an ER in a place like Atlanta, that would be just insane. I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope you find something you love to do.

Thanks Happy! I am going to try to transfer......I have put in the forms and am just waiting now. I really think I want to stay with critical care. I am thinking ICU.....They have a great precepting program, 6 months. And my friends who went there say they really precept. They are there in the room with you the whole time. I want to be able to learn more about my patients - to understand and apply what I have learned in school. I also want the pts. to know that I am "there for them" - I like that "bond". I missed that so much in the ER...I guess I just like more continuity......Does that make sense?! Anyway, your kind words mean alot! It is just nice to know someone else understands! Good luck to you too.....I hope whatever you do you enjoy your new career as a nurse :)

candyndel · Aug 8, 2005

5 weeks!!??

Your NM sounds like a typical, tough, old bag who luckily doesnt take care of pts anymore!!

Hi.........Your post hit a cord with me. I also started in the ER and just this week I talked to my manager and decided to get out. She said if I did not like it after 5 weeks I probably would never like it?!?! and I worked too hard in school to be unhappy. I had days when I felt so good about my accomplishments but I always felt like the staff and my preceptor expected more. I hated feeling like I was not "up to par". This whole experience has really taken a toll on me....I am just laying low for awhile and hoping to get my confidence back, but I really feel like I got kicked around pretty badly. When I think about it though, how was I supposed to know how to do the ER basics if I was never shown? It was trial by fire for me. I need to learn by watching....I thought that was what precepting was about. Yes, I can stumble through things on my own without being shown how to do it but all that does is create frustration and self doubt. Sorry about my little rant here....I just wanted to let you know I understand...........Only you can decide what to do.....I personally think I could have probably stayed and been happy in a year or two but life is just too short for me to do that to myself.
By the way, for all the ER nurses that do their jobs every day.......I have nothing but respect for what you do!!!!! I truly admire your stamina and we are all lucky to have you all working so hard in the ER's!!!