Because sometimes, it's not just the hospitals.

[MassRn91]

I have been reading about all these new nurses who are just as afraid as I am to go to work, about making mistakes, and wanting to cry more often than not but the difference is, I don't have a hospital job. I feel all these emotions as a new nurse but instead of working in a hospital, I am a nurse at an assisted living.

The way it runs is nothing I have seen before. The morning nurse is there for two hours by themselves for the entire building (roughly 200 residents) and the night nurse is alone for all of the residents for 4 hours. Either shift, I am deathly afraid of anything happening when I am alone. I feel that nursing school did not prepare me enough, I feel inadequate as a nurse because of the little things. Even when I am not alone, I feel discouraged. I feel as if I am always forgetting to do something, overlooking something, or thinking too much into a situation that I am not doing it right. It's making me feel that maybe, just maybe, I am not supposed to be a nurse.

I've been on my own for about a month now and I thought maybe I would feel a little bit better about it all but instead, I feel worse every shift. Does anyone else feel that way in a smaller setting? Hmm...

[GundeRN]

I think it's probably pretty normal for every new nurse. It will get better. When you aren't sure if you handled a situation correctly, go home and read up on it. Next time you will know better what to do. By this time next year you will be trouble shooting like a pro.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

AL is a totally different environment, isn't it? Your organization should have a well developed set of policies, procedures & guidelines that address just about any situation you will encounter. Make sure you are familiar with them. If any of them are lacking, you should help develop them.