Does this feeling ever go away?

[ps3114]

Earlier this year I started a career change by leaving my office job and starting work as a nursing assistant at a hospital part time while going back to school for nursing. Right now I'm doing pre-reqs for an accelerated BSN program.

I've been working as an nursing assistant/aide for 4 months, and overall I like it and find it rewarding to help people, but I've been trying to put my finger on what makes it so frustrating to me... I think is is the feeling that I'm always behind schedule, and am not keeping up or doing everything I need to do.

Does that feeling ever go away? Do RNs experience the same feeling that I do as an aide? Would better time management techniques help this? Does anyone else deal with this same type of thing?

I do usually get my work and charting done on time and have not received any negative comments on my work from my manager - I think it's more of the feeling of always being behind that gets to me.

I am a "Type A," firstborn, perfectionist type of personality (ISTJ for anyone who is familiar with Myers Briggs) so I know that's part of it for sure. I'm just not sure if it gets better (or worse!) as an RN or if it's something I'd have to live with in nursing.

All of this is making me consider a different kind of health career that might be better suited to my personality - perhaps clinical lab technician.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate it!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Personally, the nagging feeling of always being behind and never seeming 'caught up' never really disappeared for me until I left direct patient care to work a job away from the bedside.

[ps3114]

... the nagging feeling of always being behind and never seeming 'caught up' ...

That's a good way to articulate that feeling. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Yes it does. It does get better, I promise. It happens WHEN you have experience and excellent time management skills; you feel "on top" of it. OF course, where you work matters. Where I work, when the day is done, so am I. It's all about choices and experience; that I can say with 20 years' nursing under my (wide) belt.

[ps3114]

Yes it does. It does get better, I promise. It happens WHEN you have experience and excellent time management skills; you feel "on top" of it. OF course, where you work matters. Where I work, when the day is done, so am I. It's all about choices and experience; that I can say with 20 years' nursing under my (wide) belt.

Thanks for the encouragement! Do you have any suggestions for improving time management skills?

[SmilingBluEyes]

Thanks for the encouragement! Do you have any suggestions for improving time management skills?

Well, I recommend you find a mentor nurse whose clinical, time management and nursing skills are top-notch. There are always one or two in every unit. Find that person.....One who does not mind taking you under his or her wing and "showing the ropes". Respect those crusty old bats even if they come off rough, and learn from them. I can only say, it takes time and experience. And a good mentor. Watch, listen, and learn. Learn the tools they use, "brain" sheets, etc.

It WILL come with time. I promise. I felt like you do, for at least 2 years in my initial specialty of OB. It all came together and "clicked" in that 2nd year. I was patient, and watched and emulated those skills I needed, and negated the nay-sayers and did not listen to any discouragement.

It WILL COME I promise, if you keep at it. Hang in there. I promise; it will get better.

[VioletKaliLPN, LPN]

Totally normal, and for most it becomes so much less over time. I often feel as if I do not have enough time, but I do my VERY best and genuinely care for my residents.

[ps3114]

It WILL come with time. I promise. I felt like you do, for at least 2 years in my initial specialty of OB. It all came together and "clicked" in that 2nd year. I was patient, and watched and emulated those skills I needed, and negated the nay-sayers and did not listen to any discouragement.

It WILL COME I promise, if you keep at it. Hang in there. I promise; it will get better.

Thanks for the practical tips and for the encouragement! This was just what I needed tonight!

[ps3114]

Totally normal, and for most it becomes so much less over time.

Thanks for sharing - it's comforting to know it's normal and not a sign that I'm not cut out for this!

I often feel as if I do not have enough time, but I do my VERY best and genuinely care for my residents.

I identify with what you said here - after some shifts, I feel like I provided really good care to my patients or made a difference to someone. I guess with time, I'll get better at balancing that with the need to get all of the paperwork, etc. done. Thanks!

[RNperdiem, RN]

I tend to keep a mental, neverending "to do list" in my head; it makes life harder, but is is how I think.

I don't always feel like I am running behind, but there is always the knowledge that it doesn't take much to get overwhelmed. I feel I always have to be one step ahead of trouble which is close behind.

So I like to work a little ahead, kind of like when you give yourself extra time to drive somewhere in case of traffic.

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Thirty years in and each time I'm floated to a unit that I've never even known was a part of the hospital, that feeling you described is replaced with KNOWING something didn't get done. What that something is or was, I'll find out in a call from management in a few days. That's usually how it goes.

Until then and after then, I'm not going to worry about it because nowhere in my resume does it indicate ER (nor any of its subunits) as past experience, which they seem to totally disregard.

I'll turn ER into a med-surg unit before they turn me into an ER nurse. When they tire from trying, they'll back off. This old dawg has a few tricks up the sleeves herself.

[ps3114]

I don't always feel like I am running behind, but there is always the knowledge that it doesn't take much to get overwhelmed. I feel I always have to be one step ahead of trouble which is close behind.

It's good to know that it's possible to move from feeling behind to feeling one step ahead :-)

So I like to work a little ahead, kind of like when you give yourself extra time to drive somewhere in case of traffic.

I try to stay one step ahead in life - like you said, leaving early, getting schoolwork done ahead of time, etc. - so I guess I need to figure out a way to do that at work too.