confidence tips needed

[XXXX5]

Day was going well...I was keeping up with documentation and then the unexpected happened as often does in L & D.....suffice to say my patient progressed quicker thn expected and her doctor told me to have the 24HR doctor cover the delivery. the case was not simple (microcephaly) and I therefore called the 24HR doctor to let him know about the patient.. . (why the doctors cant communicate with each-other is a whole other issue) he subsequently asked me questions that I did not have answers to at the tip of my tongue and got annoyed and asked for the charge nurse...all this I can handle and yes I should have had ready answers ( he decided at 8-9 cm dilated to ask for testing that wasn't ordered by the previous doctor and that we had to call the lab to find out how to do...) etc but what is bothering me a day later is the words of the charge nurse to me when I asked her if everything was ok...she basically said " how can I say this the right way...your basically a new nurse and this isnt really a place for a new nurse" -in front of another nurse. Despite the fact that earlier in the day she said to me "Im really proud of you for sticking it out here".

How can I gain more confidence in my dealings with older and abrupt and rude doctors?

How can I gain the support of senior nurses like the one above? How do I ask a senior nurse to double check a patient before I call the doctor without them thinking I am a moron. all the nurses have a lot more experience thn I do.

I feel like a failure today

[Graceisland, BSN, RN]

Hi XXXX5. I am a new grad nurse in L&D, so also not experienced, and I feel your pain. I've had days like that, and I just try to tell myself that as long as they don't kick me out (and I feel that I can provide safe pt. care) I am staying! Maybe your charge nurse said what she said because it was the end of a long, tough shift and she was at the end of her reserves. It happens. Try to focus on the positive. I always try to think about what good things happened on my shift, and what new things I learned, and then I go to what things I might do differently next time. Take people's blunt or unkind words with a grain of salt and treasure every positive thing you hear. It's the only way I've been able to survive.

[stillcrazymama]

I'm an experienced L and D RN and this situation makes me hurt for you. If the charge nurse felt that you could not handle this patient, then she should not have assigned her to you. The comment that she made was unkind and very unprofessional. To be a charge nurse, one must lead and teach those less experienced, not belittle and discourage them. My advice to you? Don't apologize for a legitimate need, such as needing someone to verify a cervical exam. How else will you learn?We were all new nurses once. Lastly, if the providers are not signing out patients to each other properly, then they are not providing safe care.

[MJC2118, APRN]

I am an L&D nurse who works night shift, and at the moment, there are more new L&D nurses on my shifts than experienced, (which is rare usually) so I've had to deal with newbies quite often within the last year or so. I can say this... never be afraid to ask questions and have someone double check you. Doing so should be respected and desired, not frowned upon. That's how you learn. That's how you give safe care while being new and that's how experienced L&D nurses should prefer It. I would much rather have a newbie ask me questions all the time rather than think she already knows everything. An overconfident nurse is a dangerous one. L&D is a fierce job, and not what most anticipate it to be like. It is challenging in ways people don't understand, but it can be very rewarding. You will have good days and you will have bad days, but you will always learn something. Just never be afraid to ask questions and take something new from every experience you go through. In time, you will get more confident and will become proficient. I've been on L&D for 5 years and still ask questions and bounce ideas off of other nurses. We all do. Experienced nurses still come to me do double check patients when they have someone with a tricky cervix. You never stop learning!