Coping while being a new nurse????

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Hi all,

I've been working as a nurse for about 4 months now (about a month and a half off of orientation). I'm on a pretty busy progressive care unit- night shift of course. I worked on this unit for 2 years during school as an aid. I'm having a hard time adjusting to it all right now. The responsibility, stress, unrealistic work demands (we are always short-staffed and have gone to primary nursing), rude/delirious patients, and lack of social life now that I'm back on nights. It's even affecting my body and I've actually been getting sick a lot. I went into nursing for a lot of reasons but I am not happy and know that I'll leave this unit after a year or so for something more suitable for me, but I'm just wondering how you all coped with the craziness when you first stared as new nurses?

Thank you in advance!

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

The to coping with this stress you are under is the same as coping with change in any situation. Focus on the thing you can change and that is yourself. You can't change the staffing or the patients but you can and should developed a decent life/work balance. If you are working 12 hours you should still be able to have some kind of social life. Get your sleep and find something to do when you are not working that restores your mental balance and allows you to think outside the job. I like to cook and often take a day to do several small meals that I can freeze to take to work of feed the family. I also garden though my vegetable garden gave up under the record heat in California this Summer.

These are just some tips

Hppy

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Take care of your self. Do things for you on your days off. For me, I will get a massage or my nails done. I plan trips so I have something to look forward to.

Take your PTO time. Rest on your days off.

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Specializes in Oncology.

One of my mentors when I first started told me it helps if you could figure out a way to leave work at work, so you can truly rest on your days off. What she did (and I now do), was on the drive home, pretending to roll down the window, and imagine throwing the things that were bothering me out the window. They'd be there for me to pick up on my way back to work.

Also, when I worked night shift regularly I got a prescription for a sleep med -- nothing wrong with getting something to help you sleep during the day. I also knit, which for me is very relaxing.

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I started out in your exact same boat, ( that was 35 years ago) and I survived!

Realize that you have only been on your own for 6 weeks. Know who you can count on to ask questions and who you can ask for help. With the primary care model ... all nurses depend on each other.

Night shift is tough, focus on getting all the rest you can. For me, the social life was on the back burner.

Best wishes, realize this is a temporary gig.

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