Asking for assistance at work

Depends on what the task is. Everyone is super busy , your priority will always be changing. Ask for help if the task needs to be completed now and you are not available. Dont be that nurse who wants others to done their work.

When you have four things to do, your co-workers probably have four things to do, as well. I typically don't ask for help unless I have two (or more) urgent situations. Medication passing is predictable and rarely an occasion to lean on others.

I do make it a point to look around and help other nurses when I happen to have a few minutes of free time. As a result, my co-workers tend to do the same for me. So I'd say be the helper once in a while and you're more likely to be helped when you're struggling.

Save it for what you're truly unable to do by yourself, like getting someone into the Stryker chair. You need to be able to manage your own patient load. It will take awhile to get your time management down, but you'll get there. And I agree with other posters, once you are able, offer to help others, even if it is just turning patients.

If your not getting breaks at all, how are you refueling? Do you at least eat a quick snack and drink some water on the run? If not, suggest you do, because if you don't, you may have a harder time concentrating, be at risk of errors, also it will difficult to maintain a steady pace throughout the shift and you can end up even further behind.

I am very similar to you. I hate to ask for help. I don't have a magical answer. But take a moment to evaluate what you need and what your co workers are doing. Of course ask at an appropriate time, they aren't in the middle of their own mess. Saying "I need" instead of "can you" sometimes works better.

A couple years ago, I started working for a post acute rehab center at the same time as another nurse. About a month in, they let her go, and I remember a few nurses talking one shift right after saying it was kind of a shame bc they saw potential in her, but that she refused to ask for or accept help. They recognized she was new and was of course going to be slower at things, so they were very willing to help her.

I remember specifically her confiding in me that she didn't want people to think she couldn't hack it.

Just remember that you are not the 1st new employee they have, and if they are reasonable, should expect that it will take some time for you to do things more quickly and efficiently. Nurse managers should be able to recognize a new employee learning and growing right on track while requiring some help compared to a new employee just not hacking it.

I agree with a pp to help others when you can. That makes it less difficult to ask for help when you need it. Whenever one of the nurses had an emergency for example, and had to send a pt to the ED, one of us would back the nurse up and, while that nurse attended to the pt, we would print out the pt's most recent labs, med list, face sheet, etc that needed to be sent with the pt. It shows teamwork, YOUR willingness to help, and that your not just taking advantage of offered help