Ever Feel Inadequate?

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

Hi Everyone,

I have worked in various departments and facilities as a nurse with five years of experience. I was also an ER Tech before becoming a nurse. I am in a new department, a Med/Surg Tele. My background has been mostly float pool and in ER, ICU, SNF.

In my new setting and reflecting back on my career, I often feel like a complete failure. On my commute home, all I can think about is what I should have done, could have done, and did not do right. I do realize hindsight is 20/20 and I have never broken any rules or hurt a patient. I think I just beat myself up constantly for not being good enough. I look at all my coworkers and I always think about how much better of a nurse they are, compared to how I feel about myself.

I find that I am personally better with things outside of direct patient care and that is my future goal, but I do really want to learn more about floor nursing before going into another role.

Do you ever feel this way? Any tips? I would just like to leave work every now and then and think to myself, "Wow you did an awesome job today". Rather then, "Wow how did I survive today" or "Wow I suck".

Thank you!

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It's easy to get caught up in the negative thinking because there are always things that could get done better, more completely, more smoothly, EMR has so many holes and duplicate charting etc, and working with so many personalities....well there's always room for better communication etc.

Do rather than feed that. Feed the successes, tell yourself about all the good and positive successes you had during your shift and imagine how you will do things next time where you want improvement. Visualize it so it will be second nature next time not as a punishment for last time. :)

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.
It's easy to get caught up in the negative thinking because there are always things that could get done better, more completely, more smoothly, EMR has so many holes and duplicate charting etc, and working with so many personalities....well there's always room for better communication etc.

Do rather than feed that. Feed the successes, tell yourself about all the good and positive successes you had during your shift and imagine how you will do things next time where you want improvement. Visualize it so it will be second nature next time not as a punishment for last time. :)

I like the idea of focusing on the positives. Even if it is few in number, focus on that. Then focus on some things I could improve instead of just saying "Well I suck at this". Thank you!

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It's hard, and definitely a habit. I really like what the you tuber EmpoweRN has to say about it.

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Sure I did, all the time. Then instead of beating myself up, I decided to really watch closely what those nurses I admired were doing, and incorporated their practice into my own. It took me a long time to feel like, "you know what, I'm a GOOD nurse," but I got there. It just takes time and experience. All the nurses I looked up to were well-seasoned experts who'd been in the field for at least 10 years. Like the PP said, focus on positives, and then take what bits of those nurses' practice you admire and make it your own. :)

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

Thank you for your comments!

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Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
Sure I did, all the time. Then instead of beating myself up, I decided to really watch closely what those nurses I admired were doing, and incorporated their practice into my own. It took me a long time to feel like, "you know what, I'm a GOOD nurse," but I got there. It just takes time and experience. All the nurses I looked up to were well-seasoned experts who'd been in the field for at least 10 years. Like the PP said, focus on positives, and then take what bits of those nurses' practice you admire and make it your own. :)

Such sweet encouragement. Bravo!

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Such sweet encouragement. Bravo!

Aw, thank you. :)

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Specializes in ICU.

It's not hard to feel inadequate when you have so many patients. I don't know what your ratio is in your med/surg/tele department, but I bet it's probably too many.

I like working in departments with lower ratios for precisely this reason, and even then, there are some nights I don't get everything done. It is what it is. Management is always creeping in with more for us to do - more redundant charting, more use of care plans, extra BS things that have to get done on top of patient care. It's patient care that suffers in return.

It sounds like you are doing the best you can, and that's all you can do.

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.
It's not hard to feel inadequate when you have so many patients. I don't know what your ratio is in your med/surg/tele department, but I bet it's probably too many.

I like working in departments with lower ratios for precisely this reason, and even then, there are some nights I don't get everything done. It is what it is. Management is always creeping in with more for us to do - more redundant charting, more use of care plans, extra BS things that have to get done on top of patient care. It's patient care that suffers in return.

It sounds like you are doing the best you can, and that's all you can do.

Yes our ratio is 6 to 1. It is very hard! At another hospital in the area they go up to 8 to 1! I would die. I agree, I feel like I chart the same thing in 15 required places.

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.
Sure I did, all the time. Then instead of beating myself up, I decided to really watch closely what those nurses I admired were doing, and incorporated their practice into my own. It took me a long time to feel like, "you know what, I'm a GOOD nurse," but I got there. It just takes time and experience. All the nurses I looked up to were well-seasoned experts who'd been in the field for at least 10 years. Like the PP said, focus on positives, and then take what bits of those nurses' practice you admire and make it your own. :)

I am definitely going to try and focus on positives and incorporate into practice! Thank you!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Yup! Whoulda coulda shoulda.........and comforted myself that tomorrow is another day and no one died.

((HUGS))

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