Feeling overwhelmed

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I just started this new job a week and a half ago and feeling overwhelmed. I've been surgical nurse in hospital for 6 years and went to work in oncology office. I like the patients and the oncology aspect. At this office they have only one nurse and have me doing authorizations, ordering all the tests, getting results on all the tests, calling all the pts on their tests, doing the doctors orders, ordering supplies for office, helping the doctor in the rooms, and doing the charts. I have been working 5 10-12hr days and feel like not enough time in the day to do everything. Again I've always worked in busy areas and multitasked but feel overwhelmed. Don't know if I feel like this is because I'm new to this area of nursing office and oncology nursing or if this is too much.

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Those are completely new tasks and in a new environment for you. If they're going to give them all to you from the beginning, I would expect it to be overwhelming and to be working over. That doesn't mean you won't assimilate everything within the next couple of months and increase your efficiency dramatically.

Can an you imagine an office nurse being tossed into the deep end of OR? He/she would be greatly overwhelmed, but that doesn't mean the no isn't learnable and doable.

I'd hang in there, it could turn into a position that works well for you.

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A lot of those tasks sound like they could be delegated.

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Problem is there is no one to delegate to..it is expected for me to do.

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Specializes in Utilization Review.

First off, I hope things start to get easier on you as time goes by. Second, if they don't get easier or you continue to feel overwhelmed and stressed I would speak with the office manager about needing a second person doing some of these tasks. If you're working 10-12s Monday through Friday you're going to get burnt out fast. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, but they should be able to give you some support in the mean time! Best of luck!

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Any new job is 100 percent harder than it would be after 6 months. Hang in for 3 months and if not better then you need to let them know it is just not feasible.

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i'm a new grad working for almost 5months in peds ward and still feel overwhelmed all the time...

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