Attention use-to-be new grads: when did you feel confident?

Nurses New Nurse

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I am a new grad. I graduated in May and took and passed my boards in June. I just started working on the 20th of July. I am working in OB which is my dream job come true. I believe my orientation last 6 months, at least that is how long the girl before me got orientation for. She said she could have been ok on her own after 3 months but really appreciated the additional three. I did a preceptorship in OB my senior year for 300 hrs so I was hoping I would be more confident; its amazing how different hospitals are (I am not at the hospital I precepted at)...I feel like I am starting over, all the paper work is different, they have different protocols, ect...

I was just wondering for all you "use-to-be new grads" out there how long it took for you to feel confident in your job.

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Specializes in NICU.

Honestly...

I felt okay about things after a year.

It took me 2 years to get confident and to quit stressing out over the little things.

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Specializes in LTC.

Once I hit the One Year Mark...my confidence shot up from basically nothing..I'm like..oh..I'm a nurse. Cool. I can do this! In my job??? About three months...but I had little to no orientation

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

About the 1 yr mark. It wouldn't have mattered if you were working at the same facility or not, you would've felt the same, which is very normal--we'd be very worried if you weren't having these issues. Congrats on the job, especially since it's your dream job.

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Confidence is a fragile thing.

I might have a stretch of feeling like I have my skills down, then BAM!, I am humbled. Failure is an effective teacher.

Every year, I gain a little more, am able to handle more and have faced more situations to gain confidence.

I wish there was a quick and easy reference number to give you, but confidence is a very individual matter.

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Specializes in Surgery, Tele, OB, Peds,ED-True Float RN.

Are you going to be working in the caseroom? I was a nurse for 5 years as a float (med.surg, peds, and antenatal-postpartum) and it took me longer than 3 months to be competent, (let alone confident), in the caseroom. I did 2 clinical rotations in nursing school working OB. Antenatal postpartum was quicker to catch on to, but still a learning curve. The caseroom was another story. I'd think I was fine and then some kind of emergency would arise that would make me realize that I still had a lot to learn. Don't be afraid to get advice from you colleagues no matter how long you are there! Good luck and you'll love OB, it a great specialty!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
Are you going to be working in the caseroom? I was a nurse for 5 years as a float (med.surg, peds, and antenatal-postpartum) and it took me longer than 3 months to be competent, (let alone confident), in the caseroom. I did 2 clinical rotations in nursing school working OB. Antenatal postpartum was quicker to catch on to, but still a learning curve. The caseroom was another story. I'd think I was fine and then some kind of emergency would arise that would make me realize that I still had a lot to learn. Don't be afraid to get advice from you colleagues no matter how long you are there! Good luck and you'll love OB, it a great specialty!

What is a caseroom

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Specializes in Surgery, Tele, OB, Peds,ED-True Float RN.

Sorry, "caseroom" must be a regional term. :p The delivery room!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
Sorry, "caseroom" must be a regional term. :p The delivery room!

Well, first of all we do not have delivery rooms. We have LDR (labor, delivery, and recovery) rooms so the mom does not have to change rooms. We do have a few postpartum rooms but they are mostly for c/s patients or when there are enough women in labor at the same time that we have to transfer a postpartum mom to a postpartum room. We have one outpatient room for NSTs and stuff but often use a post postpartum room if available and the one official outpatient room is being used. Everything is in the same unit, LRD, Postpartum, Outpatient, and nursery. I work all areas dependent on what assignment I get for the day. There are no official "postpartum nurses", "L&D nurses", "baby nurses" ect...we do it all. Then when things are slow we often transfer to other departments, but I don't have to do that yet while I am on orientation.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Cardiac Floor.

I am right at a year and I already feel soooo much better. However, when people ask me what I do I'm so reluctant to say I'm a nurse, I don't know why. I get reactions like "WOW, you work with heart patients" and I think, are they talking about me?

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg, Nursery.

I felt "okay" around the year mark. 6 months I stopped being ridiculous about every little thing. I am a work in progress still, LOL.

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Last night was my first night without my preceptor and I'm definitely not confident yet =) These posts give me a glimpse of what I may feel in several months.

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