First Day Jitters

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Tomorrow will be my first day as an RN on busy medicine unit. This is my very first hospital job. I have been working as a RN at a LTC for a year after graduation. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. I am scared, petrified and thinking of already calling in sick. I know every new grad and other nurses go through this on there first day but I still can't help feel overwhelmed. In my opinion what didn't help was the lack of orientation. I only had 5 days of orientation. I did ask for more, however, they only granted me one more day of orientation. What makes it worse is that it is schedule in between my already scheduled regular shifts, which I found confusing and weird. Like should I not complete my orientation shift before i start on my own. I'm so scared that I will make mistakes and harm a patient. Also as a new nurse I am not yet allowed to do blood draws, start IVs and other things. I do not want to burden my co-workers by asking them to do things that I cannot do nor do I want them to think I'm incompetent. I can already feel my anxiety going through the roof and I have a feeling that I will not be getting much sleep tonight. To help me organize my day, I have made a brain sheet but I still feel extremely nervous and scared. Does anyone have tips on how I can be calm and make it through the day. Other advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

A whole 5 days of orientation? I'd be nervous too.

Just take everything one step at a time and ask for help when you need it. Your previous experience in LTC should help with time management. Try to get some good rest tonight, a good meal before you go in, and do your best. Best wishes on your new job!

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A whole 5 days of orientation? I'd be nervous too.

Just take everything one step at a time and ask for help when you need it. Your previous experience in LTC should help with time management. Try to get some good rest tonight, a good meal before you go in, and do your best. Best wishes on your new job!

Thanks. I am trying to remain calm and trying to be positive but its so hard. My biggest fear is that I will screw up and hurt a patient. I am hoping that my fellow nurses there are kind, I know some nurses arent, enough to help me out. Im praying that the saying "nurses eat their young" isn't true there. Fingers crossed.

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5 days is rough!!! This isn't impossible though; you ARE a nurse, this is just a new playing field.

With that being said my advice to you is to focus on prioritization. You are only one person, and you can only do the tasks of one person. "They" will expect you to do more so just make sure the stuff that DOES get done is the stuff that really matters.

Additionally, and this is more of a "mental health"/self care type thing, in everything you do, try to be present. Check and double check yourself. Not only because you might be wrong, but because when you are driving home from work dissecting every detail of your day and overthinking every decision you made you want to remember the details, so that ambiguity doesn't drive you nuts. (I've driven home questioning if I took an IV out so many times that now I actually say it as I'm doing it so that I remember. I've never actually forgotten to, but its like drivers amnesia or something...) Self-doubt will be creeping in on you like crazy and you don't need anything making it worse!

You will do fine! It will be rough, but you will get through it :-)

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5 days is rough!!! This isn't impossible though; you ARE a nurse, this is just a new playing field.

With that being said my advice to you is to focus on prioritization. You are only one person, and you can only do the tasks of one person. "They" will expect you to do more so just make sure the stuff that DOES get done is the stuff that really matters.

Additionally, and this is more of a "mental health"/self care type thing, in everything you do, try to be present. Check and double check yourself. Not only because you might be wrong, but because when you are driving home from work dissecting every detail of your day and overthinking every decision you made you want to remember the details, so that ambiguity doesn't drive you nuts. (I've driven home questioning if I took an IV out so many times that now I actually say it as I'm doing it so that I remember. I've never actually forgotten to, but its like drivers amnesia or something...) Self-doubt will be creeping in on you like crazy and you don't need anything making it worse!

You will do fine! It will be rough, but you will get through it :-)

Thanks for the positive vibe. You are right about the "mental health" part. On my way home I was already doing the self doubt. I know that I am new and I need to try not dwell on things. I think it is going to take sometime, a long time, before I start to feel like I am getting into the swing of things.

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Today I made it through my first day on my own but just barely. I did ask a lot of questions and help. Luckily that staff were nice enough to help me out. I did feel like I was bugging them alot, but I don' think they minded I hope not, they didn't say anything to my face anyway. Some of them were shocked that I only got 5 orientation shifts. I am still shocked/mad that I only got 5. I did make a few mistakes but I'm still learning and getting use to the unit. I think with time I will get better, hopefully. I am still pretty nervous. However, I wonder how long I should feel nervous/anxious/scared and how long other nurses felt like this. Also, anyone have tips on moving past being nervous/anxious/scared.

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So I had my second shift on my own this past Sunday. It was going great until I had to give report. During my shift I had new admit. Fine, whatever, I managed to get through it. However, this is were the on coming nurse bit my head. He was suppose to get 2 antibiotics but it didn't come with him from E.R. So the nurse who was covering my patients, who was an educator, while I was on break called pharmacy to ask them to send it. However, they did not send it right away. I suppose in her defense I should have kept calling. He did get one dose while he was down in E.R. When I was giving her my end of shift report she didn't flat out yelling at me but she did make her frustration known. She replied to me now I have to get. Now I have to change the medication time. She told me to follow her and I did to our medication room. She looked every where, she probably thought I didn't see it or the nurse covering me. But she couldn't find it either. Then she found that another patient had it and she stated that the patient is not taking all 3 of his doses at the same time, I could have taken one of his to give to mine. In my mind I was thinking, I new I am not going to do this. Second, I was not sure that this is an actually "policy" on this unit to take another patient's medication even though it was the same drug and dose. She basically even said that you should never put medication not available on the mar. I mean if its not available its not available. What did she expect me to do? Make the medication? As mention before the patient already did receive antibiotics just earlier in the day. She also mentioned that she might have to do an SOR and inform my manager. So my ok shift ended up me sitting in my car freaking out. I sat there for a little bit to relax & calm down before I drove home. I mentioned this to a friend who is also a nurse and she said that don't it get to me and that the nurse was mad because she had to give to extra medications on her shift. She also said that this nurse was being a word that rhymes with itch. I couldn't relax on my days off because I was so worried that I might get a call from my manager to say I need to come in and talk to her.

I wonder what other nurses experiences with dealing with rude nurses, especially new grads. How do deal with this and move on. My apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes.

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