It seems there are a reasonable number of posts from grads and beginner nurses who are told they aren't the right fit, too slow, and whatever else. I am one of those nurses. I'm 40, I owe $50k for school, and have no confidence left. Depression is an understatement. I'm working as fast as I safely can, but it's just not fast enough. I am trying to learn on my own time, but obviously it's not helping. Once there is a "concern" it seems it really means "the end". I was asked to resign twice, even though I didn't make glaring mistakes. Just that I'm not picking it up fast enough. Both were after four months, right when I started to feel almost comfortable. I take too long to draw up meds, pass pills, do assessments, discharge patients. I'm always too slow, but I'm working as fast as I feel I safely can.
Is it my training? I've heard from some people that preceptors are glued to your side, but that's never been the case for me. For example, I was shown how to hang an IV to gravity, and never watched again. I was previously a phlebotomist for years, so they told me I already knew how to stick. Which I did, but an IV is different. I felt like I needed more help in both jobs I had, but was afraid to speak up because I didn't want to look incompetent. Was this my mistake?
I'm not out to blame anyone, I'm just reaching out to those who have been in the business for years. Is it common for new nurses not to "fit"? Are preceptors usually glued to your side doing tasks together, or do you show them once or twice and then send them to try it alone? When do you decide that someone is just too slow, even though they are clearly working hard?
I just took a job as a nurse in a plasma center for very low pay. It's mainly assessments and taking histories. I'm just so scared that I will fail again.
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
It's not age. I started nursing at 48 and I learned EPIC faster than many of the younger orientees that I started with. I am faster at most everything than the 20 somethings I work with and some. I am able to safely pass meds and chart all 5 pts, usually by 1100. I can do an admission in 20 minutes. It is time management and prioritizing. being slightly ADHD does not hurt.
I did HH as an aide and then as an RN for supervisory visits. there is still time management issues there as well.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
The one thing that always raised my hackles about a new nurse is the one who DOESN'T ask questions. Questions don't make you look incompetent, they make you look new. They also tell me that you know what you don't know and are proactive about your learning needs.
The other thing I have noticed is a growing disconnect between nursing school and the real world. The schools seem overly interested in providing a pleasant experience and hospitals have become increasingly nickel-grubbing. This translates to a thrown-to-the-wolves experience for new nurses. Before the earth's crust cooled, schools didn't care so much about our delicate feelings and hospitals were less ruthless about staffing. This meant our first jobs out of school were doable. It seems very brutal for new grads these days.
I also think when we're older, we're more in tune with all the things that can go wrong. I feel more anxious about making mistakes than I did when I was younger.
Based just on your post, I believe you have the makings of a good nurse. Once you get yourself over the new grad hump, I think you will hit your stride and be a "good fit" no matter where you choose to work. Hang in there and good luck!
Maybe age wasn't a problem for you but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that age is a factor for the OP or others who I have personally seen struggle with the work load both in clinicals and as a new grad. Not saying 100% just that it is a possibility.
You passed your nsg boards just like the rest of them. Slow? A question to ask yourself maybe is .......why are the other nurses getting things done so fast? Hmmmm. Sometimes unfortunately your longevity on a job is based on irrelevant things associated with your skills. Popularity with the other nurses/mgrs, and if you Kiss u know what or not. Sorry but its the truth. It would be impossible to tell exactly whats going on from here....but it could be lots of other things too, if you step back and look at the whole picture, you just might see something you had not before. Pay attn to what/how the other (fast) nurses are doing. See if you can discover why they are able to get things done on time when you cant. Also, I just want to say to you-- do not get discouraged and keep on keeping on! You will find the right place to work for you.
I also think when we're older, we're more in tune with all the things that can go wrong. I feel more anxious about making mistakes than I did when I was younger.
I agree with this 100%. I'm not necessarily anxious about making mistakes but I find myself worrying more about patients based on having seen poor outcomes in the past. One of the newer nurses made a comment to me that "you're one of those people who always worries about the worst case scenario, aren't you?". Well, yes, because I've seen a lot of worst case scenarios and I'd like to avoid them if at all possible :-). I try to share with the newer nurses my thought processes so they will understand what can happen without early intervention in the crumping pt.
I guess you can't blame them b/c you don't know what you don't know but it scares me a little how unalarmed some of them are at the beginning stages of things going south. It seems like they are too concerned with looking like they've got it all under control at all times. I feel like they view asking questions of and bouncing ideas off of more experienced nurses as a sign of weakness. I STILL bounce ideas off of others. No one can know everything and we all bring different skills to the table. When we stop doing that or are afraid to do that, the pt. is the one who ultimately suffers.
So, to the newer nurses like the OP, don't be afraid to ask questions. It can not only benefit you but it can improve your pts'. outcomes.
The post by not.done.yet brought back terrible memories of nursing school where I had instructors who were impatient with my slow speed and with my tendency to be thorough and do it by the book, and yet they would never just come right out and tell me not to bother trying to do it the way we were taught to. I am so grateful to some older nurses who shared with me the stories of when they were new and they had been told they weren't cut out for nursing but here they were, 30 years later, still going strong!
It is true that new nurses who are more introspective, analytical and more aware of possible poor outcomes as well as those who are more empathetic to their patients are both slower and more cautious/anxious. Some of the bubbly 19-year-olds I went to school with were so blissfully unaware of what could go wrong, of course they were full of confidence!
Just hang in there - find a job that's bearable and stay in it at least 18 months and you will find you are feeling much better once you hit the 1 year mark. And once you have been there 18 months you can safely start looking around without looking like a job hopper.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
I'm sorry you were asked to resign. I knew speed would be a challenge for me as a new grad, therefore when I oriented, I watched the other nurse for time saving tips. As another poster said, things are done differently in real life than in school.
I took so many notes on how to pace myself and how to save time. I took notes on what time the experienced nurses were pouring, starting to pass meds and finishing med pass and tried to pace myself accordingly.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I'm sorry you were asked to resign. I knew speed would be a challenge for me as a new grad, therefore when I oriented, I watched the other nurse for time saving tips. As another poster said, things are done differently in real life than in school.
I took so many notes on how to pace myself and how to save time. I took notes on what time the experienced nurses were pouring, starting to pass meds and finishing med pass and tried to pace myself accordingly.
I did something similar with my co-worker who was always caught up when I was barely hanging on and stressed to the max, even though nobody said I was too slow.
I asked her if I could follow her through her routine to see how she did it. I was the sort of person who tended to do lower priority tasks right out of the book based on a perfectionism I had to let go of to a certain extent if I was ever going to finish.
To the OP, you sound to me like you have what it takes to be a fine nurse, too. Others have given great advice. Wishing you all the best.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
The post by not.done.yet brought back terrible memories of nursing school where I had instructors who were impatient with my slow speed and with my tendency to be thorough and do it by the book, and yet they would never just come right out and tell me not to bother trying to do it the way we were taught to. I am so grateful to some older nurses who shared with me the stories of when they were new and they had been told they weren't cut out for nursing but here they were, 30 years later, still going strong!
It is true that new nurses who are more introspective, analytical and more aware of possible poor outcomes as well as those who are more empathetic to their patients are both slower and more cautious/anxious. Some of the bubbly 19-year-olds I went to school with were so blissfully unaware of what could go wrong, of course they were full of confidence!
Just hang in there - find a job that's bearable and stay in it at least 18 months and you will find you are feeling much better once you hit the 1 year mark. And once you have been there 18 months you can safely start looking around without looking like a job hopper.
You just have to keep the anxiety in check.
I am confused by this, as my post was neither critical nor unsupportive. I am sorry that it gave you anxiety flashbacks to something unpleasant in your life.
I do not believe that the ability to manage time and work in an efficient way indicate a lack of compassion, thoroughness, analytic skill, introspection or empathy. In fact, I have seen many nurses who are all of those things and who still manage to get things done on time and leave without incurring overtime, making errors or taking questionable shortcuts. One can have all of those traits and still manage their time well. Being slow doesn't not indicate the presence of those things, just as being fast does not indicate their absence. Either one would be a broad and inaccurate generalization. There are simply too many examples of outstanding nurses who enjoy their work, incur gratitude from their patients, accolades from their coworkers, practice efficiently and safely and still manage to leave work on time most of the time to state or imply these are actually the nurses who are lacking. I believe it has more to do with managing anxiety than anything else.
The OP stated she would not delegate things. In another thread she stated she was checking her medications ten times. She stated she would not ask for help. None of this indicates a nurse who is actually superior to those who work quickly. It indicates someone who has difficulty managing anxiety on the job and has trouble with multitasking, clustering activities, humility and understanding prioritization.
What she does have going for her is the ability to admit there are issues, to see where the issues lie and a strong desire to be successful. I believe too that she will be, but it won't happen by saying it is okay because really she is very compassionate, empathetic, introspective and analytical. She may be all of those things, but when the rubber hits the road, the job has its requirements and she wasn't able to meet them on two separate occasions. She has to learn to incorporate those things into an efficient work style as well as learn to accept the humility of asking for assistance when on the job, not just on an anonymous bulletin board after the fact. To say otherwise is to do her a huge disservice. I am of the mind that she asked for help and therefore I will provide what wisdom I can in as frank and unemotional way as possible. I think somehow this equated to you as "being mean".
There are too many niches to let this get you down. You could keep struggling or go down another path.
Why not try dialysis? or an urgent care center? or hospice? or work outside of the clinical setting, altogether, and try insurance or telephonic nursing. The whole world is open to you and you've had some acute care experience now. That experience is enough to qualify you to move on in most cases.
Move on for your sanity, your back and long term term employment. Good luck!!
I am going to say "it isn't age" also. Our older nurses who are new-grads run circles around our younger new-grads.
So it is about age, but only in a way that you happen to agree with? That's both hypocritical and contradictory to "it's not about age."
Hint: it's probably not about age at all, unless you're old enough to be suffering from the effects of dementia. The OP's post is a great example of how complicated and multifocal success or failure can be -- a poor training environment (even if subjective), personality quirks, life experiences, and poor decision making all play into how well someone does.
mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN
3,322 Posts
It's not age. I started nursing at 48 and I learned EPIC faster than many of the younger orientees that I started with. I am faster at most everything than the 20 somethings I work with and some. I am able to safely pass meds and chart all 5 pts, usually by 1100. I can do an admission in 20 minutes. It is time management and prioritizing. being slightly ADHD does not hurt.
I did HH as an aide and then as an RN for supervisory visits. there is still time management issues there as well.