emotional breakdown!

vaughanmk · Oct 28, 2003

Oh my gosh. I would have gone crazy if my orientation was like that. My manager threw a fit because I had to have 3 preceptors over a 90 day orientation because of vacations over the summer.

As to ratio's there is no answer. Every hospital/ facility is different. It even varies by the floor or shift.

Brownms46 · Oct 28, 2003

I would have a talk with my Nurse Manager/Head Nurse, whomever runs the unit you're on. I would like her know that you're overwhelmed, and don't feel that you have been given an acceptable orientation. If her/his response isn't to rectify the situation, I would find another place, that will give you an appropriate orientation. You need to protect what you have gained so far, and not allow yourself to be burnt out before you have barely started. Take care of yourself, or no one else will:)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2003

Yikes. I hope it gets better.

Often, it is hard to perfectly match a new grad with the same preceptor where we work. The preceptor calls in sick, the preceptor is floated, the preceptor changes schedules, goes on vacation. That's tough.

We don't float our new grads at least until 3 months. Sounds like you're in a nonsupportive atomosphere and thrown to the wolves to be eaten alive.

Also, remember to be a new grad is to be overwhelmed. Happens to all of us. That part is normal.

Good luck.

jschut, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2003

Bless your heart...

I wish I could have had an orientation as long as yours!

I work in LTC, but my orientation consisted of the nurse (who was supposed to be orientating me) tossing me the keys to the med cart and saying, "Here are the keys, if you need me, I'll be up here." (Pointing to the nurses desk at the end of the hall.)

Yep. All alone.

Then, 2 weeks into my LPN-hood, I was the ONLY nurse on night shift for 64 people. For about 4 months.

Strange how some folks interpret orientaton to mean "throw 'em to the dogs", huh?

Good Luck with your new job...Learn all you can....you'll be ok.

Cqc_Cqb · Oct 29, 2003

chestahcheetah

You get what you deserve. If you arent professional enough to stand up for yourself, then I dont see any reason that anyone else should either. People like you are the reason that nurses and nursing in general gets the bad rap that is does. You let them use you any way they want with out saying a word. Man I wished you worked with me. Those would be the good days, give you all the admissions and diffucult patients. Guess I will have to do with the nursing students that come into my hospital. By the way I hope your entire nursing careeer goes the way it has if you dont have the intestinal fortitude to stand up anad make yourself be counted for who and what you are.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2003

Originally posted by Cqc_Cqb
chestahcheetah

You get what you deserve. If you arent professional enough to stand up for yourself, then I dont see any reason that anyone else should either. People like you are the reason that nurses and nursing in general gets the bad rap that is does. You let them use you any way they want with out saying a word. Man I wished you worked with me. Those would be the good days, give you all the admissions and diffucult patients. Guess I will have to do with the nursing students that come into my hospital. By the way I hope your entire nursing careeer goes the way it has if you dont have the intestinal fortitude to stand up anad make yourself be counted for who and what you are.

Give this nurse a break please. He/she's a new grad, in case you missed that point. The reason nursing is what it is has happened prior to chestahcheetah's graduation. chestahcheetah's the proud recipient of nursing in the 2000's thanks to us who have gone before.

itsme · Oct 29, 2003

I think she was asking an innocent question about pt/staff ratios and maybe doing a little venting. She is a new nurse, have some patience for gosh sake. You dont gotta call her unprofessional and jump on her like that. It is people like you that give us veteran nurses a bad name for eating our young. Here is something I learned in kindergarten, it still applies "If you cant say something nice, dont say anthing at all" Thank goodness all nurses dont treat new nurses like you must.

cannoli · Oct 29, 2003

Cqc_Cqb

I think you are being a little harsh, more than a little.

It's easy to say you have to stand up for yourself, but the point is one shouldn't be put in a situation in the first place where you have to stand up for yourself in order to be treated fairly. Also, sometimes when you do stand up for yourself, as you put it, it does absolutely no good and sometimes you get dumped on even more because you did say something.

chestahcheetah

That assignment can be and is overwhelming at times for a seasoned nurse. You shouldn't have been floated while on orientation and you should have had more continuity with preceptors. I agree with brownms46, talk to your boss.

Good luck.

Lecia · Oct 29, 2003

cqc_cbq

I think what she was trying to do was to find out if her experience was normal and if it wasn't could then go to the next level of adressing it and standing up for herself. Nothing unprofessional about that...

Not all of us are lucky enough to have all the answers.

Teshiee · Oct 29, 2003

I sympathize with chestahchetah situation but it is true no matter if you are a new grad or not common sense is don't let yourself be abused. I did many jobs before I became a nurse and I never would let anyone abuse me like that. When I did finally finished LVN school and received my first job in an acute care hospital I stood up I didn't care if I were new or not I wasn't going to take extra patients because the charge nurse had a wild hair up her lazy ass! Cqc_Cqb just put out there this person kept it real no holds barred. You think a MD is going to be as understanding? It is sad but in nursing you have to have thick skin and pick and choose your battles.

When it comes down to it, it is your license on the line. The Board of nurses don't want to hear about you being a new grad they figure you are licensed and you are expected to know better. You can refuse an assignment that is deemed dangerous to the welfare of your patients!!!!!!!!!!

Lecia · Oct 30, 2003

Originally posted by Teshiee
I sympathize with chestahchetah situation but it is true no matter if you are a new grad or not common sense is don't let yourself be abused. I did many jobs before I became a nurse and I never would let anyone abuse me like that. When I did finally finished LVN school and received my first job in an acute care hospital I stood up I didn't care if I were new or not I wasn't going to take extra patients because the charge nurse had a wild hair up her lazy ass! Cqc_Cqb just put out there this person kept it real no holds barred. You think a MD is going to be as understanding? It is sad but in nursing you have to have thick skin and pick and choose your battles.

When it comes down to it, it is your license on the line. The Board of nurses don't want to hear about you being a new grad they figure you are licensed and you are expected to know better. You can refuse an assignment that is deemed dangerous to the welfare of your patients!!!!!!!!!!

Don't you think it takes some time to develop the skill of standing up for yourself in a new situation? For me I always find that there's a "feel it out" period at any new job where you need to figure out what is appropriate or not. Now if someone asked me to do/not do something I knew was wrong I'd be forced to say something, but if I'm new and just trying to feel out where those boundaries are I would want to "assert my rights" too soon.