Day 2 as a "Spanky New R.N."....the saga continues.......

[happystudent]

Well, maybe not a Saga..........lol

So, today was my 2nd day....Not to eventful. 2 other new grads and I, spent the day with the Clinical Educator..... He was soooo Nice! He had me rollin on the floor laughing all day. Telling us stories about when he was a newgrad and all the crazy things that nurses did 20 years ago!

We mostly spent the day going over competencies and policy and procedures..

Man! There is a frikkin policy and procedure FOR EVERYTHING. No,think of your thickest nursing book that you have and imagine 2 of those bad boys taped together.....Thats the manual!!!!

Phew, just thinking about it makes me shake my head.......... :chuckle

Well, I have 10 weeks for orientation so I might get thru it....

Then we toured the hospital ,which I am familiar with b/c I worked in the ED as a tech, it was nice to get a refresher on where the new labs are.

So, I just wanted to keep you updated on my progress....Im in at 7am on the FLOOR :uhoh21: ahhhhhhhh! I get ONE WHOLE PATIENT to work with and I have to do all my preceptors assessment and go over paperwork...

PAPERWORK! Holy cannoli! DID I FORGET TO MENTION PAPERWORK......well Im not gonna go there right now......its to overwhelming to type about. Sheesh....... Oh well, Im looking forward to the days ahead... Can't wait to jump in the trenches...with my preceptor of course. :rotfl:

God bless the preceptors!!!!

[DR2004RN]

Happy Student, it sounds like there are preceptors like that everywhere. The preceptor I have right now is not the best person to precept new grads either. She is a phenominal nurse, but she forgets that we were all new once and she lets you know in a not so nice way that you have not done something right, or that you have forgotten to do something. She will shake her head, mumble under her breath, sheesh me or laugh. It just makes me feel really stupid. She talks constantly about all of the other nurses. No one seems to be a good nurse but her. I have seen her make a few mistakes as well but I haven't said anything. I was feeling comfortable and got nothing but positive feedback from all of preceptors until now. She hasn't told me that I am doing a terrible job, but she hasn't told me that I am doing a good job either. I am almost done on that floor though, I only have to work with her two more times anyway then I'm done. We will get through this though! I will never forget what it is like to be a new grad when I am precepting new nurses. I am happy for you that your orientation is going so well, you let everyone know how happy you are all of the time. You are so positive! Keep it up! Best of luck to you, keep us posted!

UPDATE:::::

Well, I guess its been a few weeks since I posted , so I guess I should fill you in................

Gosh! Where do I start......lol

Last week was insane :rotfl: , so maybe I will start there.....

Friday was a great day for me! I had two preceptors in one shift! My regular precep's had the day off and I was supposed to also, but i had to make a last minute switch in my schedule. Anyway, the shift started off with a bang, nurse precep #1 from 3-7 was aaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwsome. I felt so comfortable with her. She seemed to know the exact time to ask me if I needed help. I was in the process of pulling my 1700 and 1800 meds and she would give me gentle reminders about things I was overlooking.....Nothing bad, just reminding me about certian antibiotics that needed to be hung and ready...that was cool.Its the whole PRIORITIZING THING...I was prioritizing backwards....hehehe :chuckle I was giving pills when ivs needed to be hung first so they will finish on time for the next one...GOOD CALL! :rotfl: now I know........I did manage my pt well, she said I was doing fine...it comes with experience...how the heck was I supposed to know, she said..

she cracked me up!!!!! :chuckle

Precp#2 came on at 1900 and I gave him report on all our pts and told him that I would resume care and I felt I was handling things okay.

He was awesome as well. We both did a dSG chg on one of our pts. It was a decub the size of a plate on his coccyx. He talked me thru it because it was very overwhelming

If you have seen one that size....YOU KNOW what im talking about. ANyway, that night went off w/o a hitch.....i slept well that night.....

NOW SATURDAY WAS A NIGHTMARE! I was assigned to a nurse who basically followed me around all night writing down my errors on a sheet of paper and everytime I sat down for a minute, she would shove her notes in my face saying...(as she crossed each misdemeanor off her list) in pt 2's chart, you didnt document the ml's of iv meds, in pt 3's chart you didnt check off the safety box, in pt4s chart you didnt write the order correctly, you

have tocall the doctor again..............all evening this went on.

I have come up with my own system of triple checking myself. The things she pointed out to me would have been completed on her specified time frame if she wasn't so busy following me around like im a toddler in a glass figurine store...sheeesh!

That alone made me soooo nervous! All I kept thinking about was.."what she going to find next", "what else did I miss"!

I felt so degraded.

My confidence was shook!! I was getting to a point where I felt like things were "coming together". One night with her left me downtrodden and useless.

I got to the point where i felt like I was about to cry. You know, when your face gets real hot and you start to feel kinda sweaty. That was me.

I did,however, get a chance to vent to another nurse. I thought maybe it was me. I dont know what its like to precept so I have no idea what going on in her head so I really am trying hard not to judge her.

I just felt she was being unfair to me as a professional. Standing over my shoulder watching me write my notes, getting meds out of the pixis, drawing up the meds is uncalled for at this stage in my orientation. I have two weeks left, and if I cant perform these essential tasks by now, by myself, IM IN TROUBLE!

I dont know, guys. I will push on and get thru this. I love being a nurse, you know that! IT WAS A TOUGH NIGHT! :stone :) bUT i MADE IT THRU!!!!!

woooooooooohooooooooo! :rotfl:

any thoughts or suggestions would be great! :)

[happystudent, RN]

Thanks dr2004rn,

Im not bitter at all. Our personalities dont match which is too bad because shes a really nice lady. I did get a chance to speak with my NM and she was very apologetic because out of all the new grads, Ive been with the most preceptors. Everyone else has two or three, ive had 8, lol. It doesn't bother me too much except that whenever I have a new precep' I have to prove my self all over again. Thats frustrating........

I look at it as a challenge. I take little things from each nurse I have worked with.....

I did however, have a wonderful shift last night. The nurse I worked with was so organized and proficient....He gave me some tips on how to "prevent" the shifts from he11. Cant wait to try it myself tonite!!!

[happystudent, RN]

hello to all!

tomorrow is the "big day". i am officially off orientation! :chuckle . i feel very nervous...havent been sleeping well this past week. i took extra vitamins and worked out almost everyday.

i still feel a little queazy... :chuckle

i knew this day would come...i feel that i am ready....i know i can do this...what really scares me is the unknown....when i walk on the floor tomorrow evening am i going to be assigned the hardest team of pts? :rotfl:

the way my dice been rollin' it probably will happen.... :chuckle

all i can say is that i will do my best! i have been set loose! :uhoh21: watch out! cuz here i come!!

tg i have very supportive co-workers.....!! wooooo hoooo to them.....well...wish me gl...... :chuckle

*still feel like im gonna blow chunks.......lol

[Altra, BSN, RN]

*still feel like Im gonna blow chunks.......lol

HappyStudent (really HappyRN!!):

I bet you're SO ready ...

I'll be rootin' for ya! Sending positive vibes your way ------> :balloons:

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

Happy Student--You will do great! Supportive co-workers are a must and don't forget to ask for help if you are drowning or even if you just have a question...I am sure that you will do beautifully...there will be good days and bad days and days you question yourself but keep on going becuase you will learn something every day and each time you do something you will feel better about it and learn what works for you.

On another note, keep posting, i really enjoy reading your posts and as a new grad preceptor myself, I find what you have to say very helpful in the way that I watch and teach my new grad. It is hard being a preceptor, learning to let that other person try things so she can learn, even if it takes longer or is not the way that you would do it!! So I really appreciate you sharing your experiences!!!

Good luck and most of all have fun!!

[NurseKate]

GOOD LUCK!!!! :)

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Hi Happy! Thanks for sharing your journey with us. There are going to be "those" days, even weeks. I still have them today. Don't ever question your abilities to be a good nurse! Woot!

[DR2004RN]

Lucky are the patients who get you for their nurse!!! The excitement in your posts tells everyone just how happy you are to be a nurse! Your patients will appreciate you for your attitude and enthusiasm. I wish you the very best, and I know you will do an exceptional job. Congratulations!!!!!

[RodeoLP]

hello to all!

tomorrow is the "big day". i am officially off orientation! :chuckle . i feel very nervous...havent been sleeping well this past week. i took extra vitamins and worked out almost everyday.

i still feel a little queazy... :chuckle

i knew this day would come...i feel that i am ready....i know i can do this...what really scares me is the unknown....when i walk on the floor tomorrow evening am i going to be assigned the hardest team of pts? :rotfl:

the way my dice been rollin' it probably will happen.... :chuckle

all i can say is that i will do my best! i have been set loose! :uhoh21: watch out! cuz here i come!!

tg i have very supportive co-workers.....!! wooooo hoooo to them.....well...wish me gl...... :chuckle

*still feel like im gonna blow chunks.......lol

happy student i am so proud of you and i don't even know you. you have such a sweet spirit that comes through your post. keep the posts coming as i too will be going into telemetry/medsurg. :balloons: :balloons:

[happystudent, RN]

UPDATE!!!

Okay, you guys will probably laugh @ me but heres how the day went......

7:30am...Get up with the boy to bring him to school....check

8:00 am feed the twin goobers (my pet name for em' lol) check

9:00am do a load of laundry, wanted to wash my fav scrub top for the "big day"....check

10:00am..go to the gym...its cardio kickboxing today...must work off stress...

(feelin a little nerved up...stomachs queasy...im dealin' with it :chuckle clocks tickin down)

11:30 hubby informs me that our jetta is running funny and he wants to bring it to the shop....okay...tiny stress bomb ticking...(we have bad luck with vehicles) No sweat...I'll take the minivan to work......

Im breathing.....stomach still gurgling.... :uhoh21:

1:45pm Decide to leave for work early...maybe stop to get a cup of decaf...some gas...a bottled water....

1:55pm spill hot scalding coffee all over favorite scrub shirt....

1:56pm race back home to change....start bawling my eyes out while ironing a new scrub shirt......Hubby hugs and kisses me and says everything will be okay while im wiping snot and mascara on his shoulder :chuckle

2:10pm regain composure....off to work....thinking to myself...I am so screwed tonite....my day is rapidly spinning down the crapper :rotfl:

2:30pm roll into the parking garage..check pulse (cant help it...im a tele nurse :chuckle ) 112....start to panic....eyes getting hot, tears about to blow...why? I have no idea because I'm a fruitpie..thats why..lmao

2:40pm clock in...support flying from every direction.... :) feeling a state of panic creeping up...im breathing....fellow nurses aware that i may blow chunks at any minute....still they bless me with love and support.....

I closed my eyes....said a prayer...took report..(still feeling sick to my belly)

The wierdest thing happened.............

As soon as I walked into my first room to do my assessment....I felt like ME!

The gross feeling I had all week...GONE! Poof! I was asking questions left and right, checking my charts & MAR like 100 times all shift! :rotfl:

Im told thats normal...

I ended up having a good first-day-off-orientation! :rotfl: :chuckle

I had a GREAT team of pts...I managed all five by myself and was able to squeak in a dinner break too!!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: imagine that!!!

And get this...I got out on time!!!!! :balloons: WOOOHOOO

to think I was going to blow chunks...lolololol

Sooo, thats how my day went...... :rotfl:

Thank you soo much for the kind words.. it meant alot to this ole' trainwreck....

Yall rock!!!!!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!! :balloons: :balloons:

I'm so excited for you!!

Gives me hope that a year from now I can be fully functional train wreck too ...

[JoniL&DRN]

I am so glad things are going well for you.. when I first came to allnurses you weren't quite done with school yet (I have read a lot of your posts here). I saw your graduation photos and your nclex posts and now to see you working as a (gasp) NURSE! It has been so fun and inspiring watching you go through all of this! I bet you are an AWESOME nurse! Congrats to you!