Feel Like I’m Completely Failing...

Lynker, LPN · Sep 2, 2020

Honestly, I have no advice. But I can relate, being a nurse for almost a year. All we can do is do better and learn every day. I work the night shift a lot, so my troubles lie in calling doctors and putting in new orders. I tried doing day shifts for a bit to get better, but my doctor told me to stop because it was messing up my sleep schedule to switch back and forth so often.

Give yourself time to breathe. Always ask for help when you need it. It doesn't matter how "old" of a nurse you are. If you need someone's help, please get it. Heck, I still do and I've also been a nurse for a year.

It's gonna be okay! You're a nurse for a reason. Give yourself a break. :)

Nunya, BSN · Sep 2, 2020

There will always be shifts like this, no matter how long you've been a nurse. (Sh)It happens. And someone will always be irked with you. If your policy is to only get a late admit patient settled why would the night shift be mad when you didn't do the assessment and consent? And should you have done the consent and not assessment? And why are nurses doing consents anyway? Isn't that the doctor's job and you just witness signature/discussion?

Mrs.D., BSN · Sep 2, 2020

I hear you, I really do. I had a shift like this yesterday. I’m almost 2 years in and I feel pretty dang proficient on the average day, but some days we spend 12 hours just trying to keep up. I was at work one hour late charting because most of it had to be ignored during the day. I just woke up from a “nightmare” where I couldn’t keep up at work. I had those as a waitress and now as a nurse apparently...

It’s hard after a shift like this, but just try to push it out of your head. Nursing is a 24 hour job and you can’t do everything, all the time—as much as we try to. Can you think of a couple of great things you did that made a difference for the patients? For me, I discovered a new delayed reaction to a med allergy and thoroughly treated and documented a pretty helpless patients skin issues. I feel he received the best nursing care I could give.

Fortunately, I have a supportive team and no one made me feel bad for my less than 110% that we all try to give day in and out. I’m sorry you don’t have that. That definitely helps. I hope your next shift is a breath of fresh air.

Lovethenurse2b25, ASN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Sep 2, 2020

2 hours ago, Mrs.D. said:

Being overwhelmed is expected as a new nurse. After all nursing school doesn't prepare nurses for what we all go through. I’ve been a nurse for almost 2 years and I cant tell you how many times I have days like yours. I often wonder how nursing was before all of the paperwork and when nurses had time to interact with patients. Take it one day at a time, it will get better. Develop a plan to organize important pt information throughout the shift. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

allnurses Guide · Sep 2, 2020

Keep going.

Bad shifts and good shifts are both cyclical. When you get one, you know the other will soon follow. So hang in there.

As you get more time under your belt, your skin will grow thicker. You will get comfortable having a collaborative talk with nurses who demean you. You will get comfortable telling the night shift nurse you are sorry to leave this for her to do, but you simply didn't have time. You will get comfortable walking out the door having just said that to someone.

You will learn second nature how to find out who is on-call for the ordering physician. You will learn how to manage your time so that you don't feel quite as overwhelmed all the time. You will learn who to ask for help and when to ask them for it.

You are learning. It's okay. You are doing exactly what you are supposed to and are progressing along nicely from what you have said. Keep going. Glass of wine if you drink it, good night's sleep because you need it, long soak or Netflix binge to help you turn your brain off. Tomorrow is a brand new day with no mistakes or follies in it yet. Keep going.

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 2, 2020

23 hours ago, missnursingstudent19 said:

Came into a shift absolutely bombarded with things. Critical values I needed to report on multiple patients and it took forever to find out which doctor I was supposed to tell because pt. usual Dr was out. Pt. c/o not breathing well. 2 pts who needed PICC and midline. PICC needed consent. Also needed cath lab consent and GI lab consent from a couple of patients. In the midst of all the craziness I mixed up which pt. needed which IV access. PICC team caught it and it got fixed. Couldn’t even start meds until late late in the morning. Had to call MD for one hangry pt to figure out diet. Got an admit like 20 minutes before shift change. Policy is we only get the pt. settled when this happens and that we don’t need to do the extremely long admission assessment. I was so busy I forgot the consent for a procedure pt. was to have the next day. Night shift was salty about needing to get the consent and do the admission assessment for my admit. I was so scatter brained at the end of it all I told night shift that one pt used bedside commode when they had a foley. Night nurse was sure to point out my brain fart in front of the patient who proceeded to say “well I barely saw her all day so...” I do what I can but it never seems like enough and I feel like after a year of nursing I should be better than this

1. Know your priorities. It took me a long time to come to terms with this because in the ER, it is difficult to make everyone happy. I have had family members and less acute patients angry with me because I was 1:1 with a septic shock, vented patient on multiple vasopressors and too terrified to leave that patient’s side for fear he or she would die in the 5 minutes I was in another room. In the end - what matters more? Probably that a sentinel event was prevented. It would be nice to please everyone but it doesn’t always happen and sometimes there isn’t enough staff to cover all of the patients.

2. There will always be terrible, rotten shifts. If all the shifts are like that, then maybe try a different job. If it’s a cycle of good shifts and bad shifts, that’s actually pretty usual.

3. On your days off, separate yourself from work. Don’t check your work email, don’t pull a ton of overtime, etc. Find fun, non work related things to do! I have to admit I watch a ton of DisneyPlus and Netflix after a few rough shifts back to back.....or go on walks.....play with my crazy dog. Find what works for YOU.

Chickenlady · Sep 2, 2020

Mamma always told me there'd be days like this. Get some rest and tackle it again next shift.

SarHat17, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2020

I have been in the same boat so many times, and so much more so recently, due to Covid/staffing issues. I'm not sure the exact situation/facility-type you work at; I'm in a large hospital, working 12hr day shifts 3/week.

Here's some advice a former preceptor told me, and I have passed on to my orientees and other nurses struggling:

Nursing is shift work. It is not a 8 or 12 hour job; ultimately it is 24-hour, around the clock care. There WILL be times you do not finish all the things you want to, or even need to, and the following shift will pick up where you left off.

I have thought about that advice many times, and it has helped. I'm right there with you! It's okay to hand the baton over at the end of your shift and leave knowing you did the best you could do.

DaCatsMeow · Sep 5, 2020

I do not know how long you have been a nurse, but I have been a nurse for a year and I can tell you some days I am completely on and some days I still have hiccups. I know we all went to college to become nurses but nurses are made with experience. Remember safety is key, just think, I am a safe nurse? Always work on being safe first and the rest will come with experience. Keep your head up, things will get better. I hope you have a great team and supportive nurses around you.

kp2016 · Sep 5, 2020

I’ve been a nurse for a long time and honestly I’m not sure how well I would do against a shift like that. You are only one person and there is really only so much you can get done in one shift.

I would say maybe revise your brain sheet to help give an accurate handover and summary of what needs to be done. I always make time to update mine on a busy shift as I know by handover my brain will be a little fried, and that’s always when you get to handover to someone who rattles you with their questions, interruptions and attitude. As for Salty Nurse, that’s probably just her personality, shake it off and don’t let it upset you.

JKL33 · Sep 5, 2020

Two things:

1) It *finally* sunk in that if things were really meant to be a lot more smooth than this to the point where I could simply float around pleasantly checking off a to-do list until I finished all the day's responsibilities with plenty of time to spare, there would be more people working on the project. There aren't. And there aren't going to be. Therefore, to not adjust one's expectations is to sign oneself up for a lifetime of feelings of failure and just overall misery. While carefully prioritizing and still doing your absolute best...you have to let go of things that you can't change.

2) On the same theme, you will also learn that others who hope to disparage you or blame you for not being able to do everything are simply not legit. So...the huffing and puffing and tsk-tsking or snarky remarks about what you didn't accomplish mean nothing and it's fine to pay them zero attention and actually feel nothing.

3) As a previous poster wrote, it is true that this is a 24/7 project. We don't lock the doors and turn off the lights and put out the closed sign at 5pm everyday. Those who don't understand this need to grow up.

4) Make sure you never become a nurse who acts like a 2-year-old when your coworkers can't do the impossible.

Sorry, that was 4 things.