Feel like a sham

love-d-OR · Sep 3, 2008

Don't be so hard on yourself, you just started. If it helps, look at the post titled " New grad RN, and don't like it ." Elkpark does a good job explaining why it is normal too feel overwhelmed and why you should not get off the boat so early.

Anywa, next time you feel "like a sham" look at your license and remember how hard it was to get there. You are not a sham, you are just a new LPN!!! Good luck

SunnyAndrsn · Sep 4, 2008

I work in a smaller facility than you do, I have 24 residents. When I started in Feb, I thought I was going to go crazy! It DOES get better. It'll take several months to not "feel like a sham", but then you'll get into the swing of things and your med pass will start to go quicker...and suddenly it'll feel like you have more time. One thing that I found helpful was to keep my wound care supplies on my med cart, and to do some of the quicker treatments as I passed meds.

Hang in there, it'll start to click. Ask to be assigned to the same hall/wing for a while so you can get to know the faces. Give yourself some credit, you ARE looking things up and asking questions when you don't know things, and you said yourself you've mastered feeding tubes and cathing residents. That's great!

I'm with you though, I'd rather help and be on the floor than sit behind the desk. You'll avoid a lot of problems this way.

I graduated with my LPN in May and just finished my twelve day on-the- floor training at a 100-bed LTC. I feel like a complete sham--like I don't know how I made it through school and passed the boards...I feel like I know nothing--from different treatments that other nurses are talking about to abbreviations that they use to simple things that I SHOULD know regarding med interactions. I just feel so frustrated...I've rotated halls so I have worked with every resident (sort of) but I still don't recognize 1/2 of them and have to ask CNAs or nurses to verify before I give meds...my wound treatments look like they're done by a five year old playing doctor and I'm completely befuddled when it comes to charting about wounds and other things...part of me says "you're new--you'll get this" but part of me is thinking that I'm just not cut out for handling 35-ish patients at this point. I have started to go back through my skill books, drug book and read up on conditions that my residents have, but I'm wondering if there is more that I could do to help myself? On the bright side I have had a few small victories...I am now pretty comfortable with feeding tubes and straight cathing patients so I guess that I can be taught...the other thing is that I LOVED being a CNA in LTC--that led me to nursing...but I feel like all I do is run around all day and spend zero time with my patients...and the other nurses speed through med pass ASAP so they can sit behind the desk and talk (which is SO not my style--I'd rather be helping the aides or spending more time with patients)...does anyone have any advice? I've thought about asking one of the nurses if I could come in on my day off unpaid of course and shadow her but I don't know if that's allowed. Thanks for listening to my rant and for any insight or direction anyone has to offer.