First day as an RN tomorrow...sick to my stomach

[Peerless]

Tomorrow is my very first day as a real RN, on a surgical/pediatric unit.

I have goosebumps and an unpleasant stomach at the moment.

I feel like I don't remember a darn thing from nursing school, and feel that I could have a brain freeze at any second on the floor!

I've also relocated to work at this hospital. I don't know many people at all.. in fact I don't know anyone. I'm awfully quiet around new co-workers and people in general (not so much patients), and feel like I could go mute without ever realizing it.

Any advice and tips on surviving the first day, or even first couple weeks?

As a guy, I've never been too 'afraid' of anything. But tomorrow is making my knees shake, and my heart beat like crazy. I'm in TACHY mode!!! :redbeathe

[RainMom]

Nobody expects you to have it all together when you're a new grad- and if you DO, people run like crazy because that is THE most frightening thing a new grad can do is come off like they know everything. )

This calls to mind an incident where my team leader during a clinical wanted to change out the morphine drip on my patient when it was empty just because SHE HAD SEEN IT DONE BEFORE. This is something we had not been taught to do & I sure as heck didn't want to watch her screw it up on MY patient!! (My instructor had already given me the new vial, but was in the middle of helping another student & would be right back.) I sent another student (who also happened to be there) to quickly grab either my nurse or instructor, whoever was closest, while I continued to explain to my team leader very firmly that I preferred that she not mess with that pump. Yikes!