Discouraged New Nurse

[RMRN16]

Hey! After nursing school I was hired on to an Oncology Unit as a brand new nurse which is exactly where I wanted to be, I was beyond excited. Orientation for the unit lasted 8 weeks, and those 8 weeks flew by. On orientation I made a mistake and accidentally ran D5W instead of D5 NS. My preceptor caught it after about 15 minutes and said it wasn't a huge deal but that I need to learn from it. I felt completely distraught. I can't believe I made such an easily avoidable mistake. It has shattered my confidence. I've been on my own for a total of 3 shifts now and I'm so terrified of making a mistake. I feel very discouraged because sometimes I feel clueless. I had a total of 3 night shifts on orientation and now starting off orientation i'm going right into night shifts. I feel like I don't have the experience to know what to report and not report. I get anxiety going into a shift because I don't know what to expect and I'm afraid i'm going to walk in and someone will tell me that I have made a mistake. I keep thinking that even though I love nursing, maybe it's not something i'm good at.

[HeySis, BSN, RN]

OP I'm confused, did you get 8 weeks of orientation or 3 days? Or was it 8 weeks on day shift and then 3 days on nights (same unit?) and now you are on your own?

If you had 8 weeks, did you at anytime take the full patient load and use your preceptor as just a back up? If not, you can talk to your nurse manager, see if it can be extended. If you do this come with a game plan of what you feel like you still need help with so if she says yes it will productive. Another idea is to see if you can have a smaller pt load for a couple of weeks, to help you ease into the routine and organization it takes.

This is your first nursing job, its steep learning curve and it will take awhile. Most new nurses feel this exact same way, when they don't we worry.

Please find a mentor (formal or informal) on the shift you are working, someone you can ask questions and bounce ideas off of.

[ChrissyCasualty]

First off....BREATHE!

Every nurse makes mistakes. Some huge, some not so much. You are a brand new nurse and look alike/sound alike meds are especially nerve wracking. You can bet your license you will probably never mix up those two solutions again.

The mistake was found and the patient (I assume) is no worse for the wear. Make sure you check your meds against the MAR at least 3 times. You are new and the stress can cause you to miss things. Just take a deep breath and continue on. In a few week this will all be routine.

[NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN]

I agree with taking a step back and breathe. Your preceptor did a good thing for letting you learn from your error.

I am on a hematology unit and 8 weeks for a new grad is not enough time. We do 12 weeks and 1 week of classroom oncology internship. Sit down with your manager and the educator and ask for a possibility to orient a little longer on nights.