Difficult time adjusting to nursing, not sure what to do.

Nurses New Nurse

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I recently graduated from an LPN program in Feb. '11, and was lucky enough to find a full time job last month in a LTC facility. The problem is I'm having a hard time adjusting to the job. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed and anxious. Time management is an issue(told I'm too slow), my med passes take too long, and I have a hard time remembering everything I need to do. Yes I have a cheat sheet, but it seems to be a pita pulling it out. I've been in the DON's office for a stern lecture once already. (I even forgot to lax a couple residents before I left my shift one night recently.) This has me so upset. I feel that I made a wrong decision in choosing nursing as a career. I feel like an utter and complete failure. Do I stick it out and go with the flow with hopes of becoming more proficient in my time (and be consistently worried I won't be hired when my probationary period is up or fired sooner)? Or do I make an attempt to find another job, which is so hard to find in my area? Some of the staff is helpful, but I feel like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole there. I don't want to give up so easily, but I am becoming a person who I never thought I'd be. Always anxious, no life, never see my kids due to my fluctuating schedule, and getting more & more unhappy each day. The thought of being unemployed with no income (I am a single mom) scares me terribly. Any advice or comments are welcomed. Thank you.

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I think we all feel this way at our first nursing job! The real world of nursing is like getting smacked in the face, nothing like nursing school at all. I would suggest sticking it out for now, but keep on submitting apps until you can try something different. You might just be better suited for a different type of floor/setting. Don't beat yourself up. what you are feeling unfortunately is normal for us. My first job was awful, I cried all the time and could not sleep. I went home worrying about mistakes. It gets better, just keep on showing up.

It is easier to find a job when you already have one. So hang on while you search for something else!

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I have to say that I am in the same boat as you. I just started in the ER in a busy, inner city hospital! I've learn that I will either sink or swim and its gonna be up to me...No one is holding my hand..I'm in a disorganized residency program and I am just trying to hold on! I feel so dumb...some of the terms they use..I'm like wth is that? I've been out of school a year and I just hate that I dont feel competent..Having to look up everything, think back to what I learned in school...I'm wondering why i have student loans if i wasnt gonna know anything when i got out of school? But I also realize that what we learned vs. what you experience with nursing is on two separate ends of the spectrum. I tell myself that I am new and still learning and Rome wasnt built in a day..That's keeps me from feeling like a total retard!

Anyway, I said all that to say this: I know how you feel..You're not alone...Say a prayer every morning, a confidence builder, encourage yourself, prepare yourself and just DO You...you're gonna make it, just give it your all and it will definitely pay off..Good Luck! We got this

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Thank you for the replies. It's not my nature to give up so easily. Each day I try to look at the day as a new, fresh beginning. While I know there is so much more to learn, I will try to just take it one day at a time. They surely don't teach this in school! It has to get easier. Like you Deetermined, I feel dumb and question myself. I am still working on Rome. We want to be the best we can be! Good luck to you too. Getting that precious experience is the stepping stone to (hopefully) better opportunities for the future. :)

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med Surg.

I know what you mean...just today I almost had to run to the bathroom and cry because I felt so incompetent. I don't understand...I feel like I'm just never going to "get" it. I look around at other nurses - both new and old - and just envy them. How did they know to call for that particular lab order? How did they get all their meds delivered, take down new orders, enter labs, chart, assess AND bathe their patients before 10am? What the *^&% is wrong with me? Why am I so impossibly stupid?

You get the idea...

Anyway, hang in there. We're all in this together...:redpinkhe

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I'm a new nurse on a med surg unit and its the most challenging thing ive done. Been there 6 months and things are just now starting to get a little better. Im unsure if this type of nursing is for me because i always feel like I'm struggling to keep up and cant catch on to the knowledge. I want to try and hang in there for another 6 months to get the experience and then look for something in different area. There's so many options and opportunities in nursing and it takes time to build the skills and be the best. I also say a prayer everyday and I try to stay positive and think of it as the beginning of a successful rewarding journey.

It will get better just keep on going, look at all the other great nurses out there they started just like us and we will make it!

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Still trying to hang in there, positive attitude, prayers & all, but it's not working. Today I got reamed out by one of the RN's (who only works PT) for taking too long to do my books at the end of my shift. The other (more seasoned) nurses do the exact same thing in the same room at the same time when they work this particular shift, but I got flak for it. Feels like they are on a mission to get me to quit. I am going to freshen up my resume and start to actively seek a new job. The stress and bullcrap isn't worth my sanity. There has to better facilities out there, or at least one that is a better fit for me. I so want to be a good nurse, but this feels like a tedious road to nowhere. So thankful the weekend is here and I have off.

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sorry to hear that brightside...people are so rude at times and think that they can say anything to anybody with no regards....if you're unhappy then leave but not until you find another Job...don't let them bully you..It's a shame that grown people still bully others in the workplace like they're in first grade....You will find somewhere else that is more accepting and appreciates you..just hang in there until then...After you fill out the application online, make time to go to the facility and show your face(more than once) this is how you can get out of there faster!Dont wait for them to call you, call them!

I feel for you and I hope you find something soon..

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Specializes in Infection prevention and control.

Nurses eat their young especially when they feel threatened. Time management is a difficult thing to master, have you tried developing a sheet to help you keep track of things? As you go along you will learn tips and tricks to help you get done, but remember there is more to being a nurse than just med pass. I had to devise a sheet when I first started that I would print out every shift and use that to keep track of vitals, assessments, treatments, PRNs, PT/OT, Part A, charting etc.

I hope it gets better for you! I just read a study that stated the bullying of nurses was actually hindering patient care...isn't that crazy!?!? All you can do is the best job you can do and if at the end of the day you know you gave 100%, than that is all that matters. Hang in there!

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It finally happened. I quit my job. No, I don't have another lined up either. Tomorrow I'll be on a mission with cover letters and resumes in hand on a quest for a new job. What happened? Hell just broke loose on myself and another(experienced) nurse from the DON. Felt so belittled and humiliated with all the drama happing in front of the other staff. I was then told to go home and make a decision if I wanted to return and get my head "in the game". After thinking about it, I decided I would not go back and be subjected to this again. Now I hope to find another job soon. I feel like a failure. :crying2:

On the flip side, it feels as if huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Gonna sleep on it tonight. Hoping tomorrow will be a better day.

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Everything happens for a reason! Keep your head up and move onward and forward. That place wasn't a good fit, you will find something better!

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