Feeling inadequate

[newnurse.rs]

I work in l&d and so far I have had a couple of deliveries. But I'm still feeling very inadequate. I have a couple of things that bother me for example when giving vitamin K I'm afraid of injecting the baby, I mean I know the site of injection is the middle third of the vastus lateralis, but I still feel uncomfortable any tips? Another thing that bothers me is my documentation of the patient while recovering. Any advice or any book I can buy that can help me with my documentation.

How many deliveries did you have before you began feeling comfortable?

[SC RN, RN]

I'm a pretty new L&D nurse, as well, and I think that it will be years until I feel "comfortable" (I use that term loosely) in L&D. Most seasoned nurses that I work with say that it was at least two years of working L&D before they felt competent to deal with the majority of the situations that present themselves in our department. Every day that I work gives me a broader base of knowledge and experiences to draw from and there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't learn new things. There is just so much that books can teach you ... L&D is really a "learning by doing" sort of place. Best of luck to you ... L&D is a GREAT place to be! :)

[SmilingBluEyes]

You are being very hard on yourself. It took me 2 fulltime years' work to feel truly competent. Nothing can rush the process-----experience is your best friend in nursing----just be kind to yourself and keep on asking questions when you are unsure. (((HUGS)))