have you ever lost it at work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Went to work even though I was feeling sick I thought I'd be OK. Had the family from hell. Nothing worked and I couldn't seem to get anything done. Couldn't get an IV in, orders got lost...you name it. I made it halfway through a 12 hr shift then starting crying when someone asked me how I was doing. Ended up going home sick. Every morning at work I feel like I just can't take one more day and I have to quit. Almost every night after work I can barely walk and I'm brain dead but I usually feel like I did OK. I'm almost off orientation. My preceptor keeps telling me I'm doing great. I tell her I can't do this and she says "You ARE doing it...you have been doing it - you just need more confidence!" They tell me they felt like this too at first. I don't think it's normal to feel so scared and sick inside all the time. I tried to finish today's shift but was just too sick. Once I started crying I just couldn't pull myself together. I could no longer function. I should have never gone to work sick. Now I'm worried that I was doing so well on orientation but now they'll think I can't do it. Does anyone else ever feel like this?

Specializes in ED, PACU, OB, Education.

Since you mentioned that you are nearly off orientation, may I assume that you are a new nurse and this is your first nursing job? If so, remember that nursing school is just the beginning, it's the diving board from which you jump into the wide wonderful(?) world of nursing. Every time I change jobs I get that feeling like why in hell did I do this? Early in your career you don't have the years of honing your time management skills, your organizational ability, and your nurse radar to support you through change. So you are developing those now in addition to learning a new job, a new unit, a whole new set of coworkers, a new facility, strange patients every day, need I go on? Take a deep breath and listen to your preceptor. Ask her to reinforce to you in detail her perception of how you are doing. Presumably as the experienced nurse, she can step back and see how your skills are developing. For crying out loud, girl, take it easy on yourself!!

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Yes, I have lost it at work. Had a major meltdown after a needlestick from Hep C pt, totally lost it, had to go home and take a couple of weeks off.

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To the OP, you will make it, you sound like your are doing fine, your preceptor is right.

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I loose it at work once a month. I blame it on PMS.

Swtooth

I vote once a week here.
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Specializes in Hospital OB/GYN.
Yes, I have lost it at work. Had a major meltdown after a needlestick from Hep C pt, totally lost it, had to go home and take a couple of weeks off.

How did this turn out? Do you now have Hep C?

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Specializes in ED.

Oh boy did I lose it one day.

I work weekend differential so every Fri, Sat, and Sun I'm working 12's, which most of the time I handle just fine. ONe weekend I had the pt team from hell. Half of them were one day post op, one bowel prep, one ICU transfer, and one or two (it was a while ago) were having serious increased blood pressure. Half of them were needy pts.

By the time it came around to being 1 1/2 hours before end of shift, I already had my first death ever as a nurse that day and the call light came from my hall for the umptinth time, I got this sudden impression of myself throwing the medcart across the floor. Then I got a flash of what that medcart actually cost and became so frustrated I actually swore and jumped up and down to keep from throwing the med cart. Of course right in front of pt's family's in the hall way.

I promised to myself that I would never do that ever again. I really pride myself with being a cheery person who is pretty optomistic. It has never happened again since.

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Specializes in primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, NICU.

Not in front of a patient/family...I was at least able to make it to the med room before I lost it. Also sick and shouldn't have tried to work.

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Specializes in TCU,ICU,OHRR,PACU,5Solid Organ Transplan.

Fortunately "losing it" goes hand in hand with becoming a nurse. Think about it, through all your training someone had your back. You were not held personally or professionaly accountable. The same applies to orientation-someone has your back and you can count on them bailing you out of a jam. Now you are facing coming out of orientation. You are beginning to realize that the patients' well being is in your hands.

I say this is fortunate because I have seen new nurses come out and project an aire of, "I'm just as good as you. I can do this on my own". They don't ask questions, they don't take constructive criticism well and they SCARE the sht out of me!!! If a new nurse is not scared, nervous and asking tons of questions I become very cocerned.

Hang in there.

RN x 17 years

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Boy, I'm a new nurse and if I had a nickel for every time I've thought to myself "I'm turning in my resignation at the end of the shift", I'd be rich by now. Everything is so new, and it takes a while to get acclimated to it all. Sometimes I think I drive everyone crazy with all the questions I ask at work, but I don't want to do anything unless I'm absolutely certain that I'm going to do it right. I lost it at work a couple of weeks ago when I had a run in with a supervisor. That's the closeset I've ever come to turning in a resignation by the end of shift. We're human. We get overwhelmed at times. Take some time to evaluate your situation. Look at what's working for you and what isn't. It also helps me to take a minute to take some deep breaths at work and evaluate where I am in my duties and what needs to be done. Hang in there!

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How did this turn out? Do you now have Hep C?

No, I don't. I tested negative after 6 months.

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Specializes in Hospital OB/GYN.

Thank goodness. Those nasty scares are no fun.

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Specializes in Tele, Acute.

guilty:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

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