First RN job: How long does it take to get your groove?

NoviceRN10 · Feb 15, 2012

I had a "groove" within a year, but that is just when it comes to tasks. I still feel somewhat like a robot just racing around trying to pass meds on time and make everyone happy, but I don't always know the total picture of what is going on with my patients. Not sure how long that takes?

ShantheRN, BSN, RN · Feb 15, 2012

I am officially 6 months today and no magic light bulb clicked on. Am I better than I was 6 months ago? Absolutely. I can prioritize much better and my time management is decent. I still make mistakes, but now I learn from them instead of taking it so hard. After hard shifts - which have been the norm the last month, it seems - I'm getting better at not worrying over every single detail of the shift for hours. I realize 6 months ago, these bad ones would've broken me. Now I know I'm not supernurse, it's okay to ask for help, and there are some days/nights where no matter what you do, everything is a hot mess.

Key example: yesterday I had my first medical emergency on my own and my pt ended up going to PICU. I didn't panic, participated in the MRT like I was supposed to, and the entire thing went smoothly. I didn't leave till after 2100, but I wanted to make sure my charting was thorough. In the past 9 days, we've lost 3 patients. It's been rough....but I'm okay. Not great, but okay.

I truly think there's no magic amount of time where you can announce "I get it!!" Eventually you'll realize you've got a good handle on things. At least this is what I tell myself when I consider ditching the nursing gig and getting a job in a canning factory somewhere :nurse: