Feel Like I'm Drowning

bcandygurl · Oct 31, 2015

Hi NICUNURSE21,

You are not alone. i'm a new graduate NICU nurse now too, and I have been off orientation for about 4 months now. Initially I was extremely confident in myself and my skills until maybe about a month ago I was pulled into my manager's office. My manager brought up many complaints from my colleagues and parents in regards to individuals feeling as if I didn't know quite what I was doing and why I was doing certain interventions. It was extremely disappointing to me only for the fact that no one had come to me with these complaints. I actually had the opposite experience on the floor, where several nurses were congratulating me for doing such a good job or thanking me for helping them. Since then I have started to second guess myself alot and it has caused me to make even more little errors I feel as I'm always worried about who may be talking behind my back. My best advice is to be confident in the skills that you were taught, ask questions and review the protocols when you are not familiar with something, and document document document to cover your tracks!!! Hope that helps. Prayer also works if you are spiritual at all. :)

NICUnurse21 · Oct 31, 2015

I'm so sorry that happened to you! I'm sure you're a fabulous nurse. I've heard that it takes a year to feel pretty confident in yourself so we just need to hang in there. Oh, and I definitely couldn't have done it thus far without lots of prayer :) Thank you for your input! It's good to know I'm not the only one!

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2015

A year to feel confident is about right. Trust me, your coworkers are much happier that you're asking questions instead of just guessing or making things up on your own. NICU is a world that takes a lot of getting used to, and NICU nurses are their own breed on top of that; we do tend to be a bit sharp-eyed with new staff or new grads (comes with the territory, as our patients need better advocacy than anyone). We don't expect you to know everything, but we absolutely expect you to know your own limitations (as it sounds like bcandygurl has learned). When you're just off orientation, you don't know what you don't know yet, and a sense of caution is much healthier than a feeling of confidence at this point.

Long story short: know your resources. You'll get a sense of who knows their stuff and whom you'd want to emulate as a nurse, and also who won't judge you for asking questions. Everyone who works in NICU has been in your position at some point, and a lot of us empathize with you and want to support you as you find your feet :yes:

jennylee321 · Nov 2, 2015

Don't ever be nervous to ask your colleagues questions, just stop worrying about what they think about you in this regard. It doesn't matter how much experience you have, sometimes getting a second opinion can help to confirm your clinical judgment and let you proceed with more confidence. Sometimes I will go to specific colleagues who I really respect or know they have a lot of experience because I specifically want their advice. I'll even joke around about it and tell them I need a "consult" from them. Yes people say it can take a year to feel confident but depending on the type of unit you work on it could definitely take longer.

One thing that I would do when I was new (and still now) I'll look things up in my free time and collect this information in a binder so I had it ready the next time I encountered something similar. So for example, going through your blood transfusion policy and picking out all the key points that you will need to know before giving a transfusion.

Hope this helps, hang in there!

jdubs99 · Nov 3, 2015

Based on my experience/a lot if the new NICU nurses I have worked with, this is totally normal!! I felt super overwhelmed after orientation for six months, and after a year I wasn't terrified of coming to work anymore. It really does get better with time! And don't be afraidto ask questions, your coworkers knkw that you are a new grad and would be more concerned if you WEREN'T asking questions! Hang in there!

tallynurse · Nov 17, 2015

This is definitely normal. I've been working in NICU 3 years and there are still sometimes I second guess myself. And in that case it's always better to check with someone else. As for seeing the new nurses who started after me, it's the ones who were too confident and acted like they already knew everything from the get go who either didn't make it or are struggling. It's ok to ask for help, we all need it. Don't every think that you've learned everything, even the nurses who have been working in NICU 20-30 years are still learning.