Do you hate this job, & think 'how can I keep doing this?'

[BrendaH84]

If you feel like you hate your first or second job and you are thinking why did I do this? Here are some of my thoughts, from MY experience or observations, in Nursing and in a regular office job before nursing.

Remember, the 1st few months might be really awful and you might feel like you don't have a clue and everyone thinks you're clueless, but it really does get better,I promise! For me it got better in about 5 to 6 months of working as a nurse. I worked in LTC for a few months with a preceptor, then I obtained a hospital job and had to have a preceptor again of course.

Everyone may not agree with me but these are my thoughts.

1. just agree with everything your preceptor says, with out being long winded into why, just do it, it will make your life easier and hers/his.

2. Never ever gossip

3. Do not tell too much about your personal life unless it's good stuff. people talk and you are "building" a new reputation, so only put into the pot, that which you want incorporated into that "building". Please please please please keep this stuff to yourself!!!!! You don't want everyone to know your significant other is an idiot, or your kid is in juvi or your sweetie is or was in jail, or how many times you've been on diet pills or any other ridiculous crap you think about blurting out.

YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL NOW. Say you and a Lawyer you hired were in court for a probate hearing on your Grandma's house and estate etc etc. would you think it odd if the Lawyer told you about his cheating wife, or problematic kids etc etc. just do not divulge that stuff. Lawyers, Nurses etc etc are professionals, act like it, it makes people feel comfortable around you!

You are in a stressful environment and someday I promise some tired stressed out nurse, WILL walk up to me & everyone else, roll their eyes and tell me all the stuff you told them! Especially because you are new and have not built a ton of respect.

4. Have some fun when you are not at work.

5. It sometimes helps to think of this first year working as a nurse, as a "class" so sometimes you say to yourself "This is just a class and will be over at the end of the year"

6. When it's REALLY bad, get your whole paycheck from the bank in CASH, in 10 dollar bills, spread it out on the bed, look at it and remind yourself "I am getting paid for this, more than a lot of people make maybe, they WANT me here, look at this money they paid me!"

7. Sometimes at work just chant in your head your hourly wage :)

I am thankful the DREAD of going in every shift has passed. You are NOT alone in how you feel my fellow Nurse sisters and brothers :)

[BrendaH84, BSN]

haha thanks guys, I really do walk down the hall saying in my head $such and such dollars an hour, $such and such dollars an hour, etc etc. (I also love my patients and I wish I could spend so much more time with them)

and don't get me wrong, there is at least one person on every shift that I wish would fall down the stair case and not come back to work, the nurse who gossips about everyone, and who blames everyone for everything and whines and is rude and who always points out how slow the new nurses are.

I still remember how wonderful it was to work in an office type job, where it was frowned upon to be rude or gossip, where I could wear perfume and regular clothes, BUT I make more money now and I went to school for this and y'all KNOW how hard it was!

Still I AM tempted to take business classes on my days off and go back to an office job!

I'm just so darned exhausted now!

[Ilobekeme, ASN, RN]

I know it's been a year, but thanks for sharing.

[macjack4]

This is so me right now and its only been 2 months!!! thanks

[BrendaH84, BSN]

I just re-read my post, and yep, all that stuff is true.

Two more things.

1. find a nurse who acts professional and kind, when you feel shocked, mad, sad, or frustrated, picture "what would she/he act like, right now" then YOU DO THAT. in other words, keep the calm look on your face, just nod, just calmly act like that person. that other person is the nurse that you will emulate until you master it yourself.

2. get a clip board and put several pieces of paper in there. Get ONE pen that has more than one color in it. they have them at the grocery store or an office supply store.

write stuff down. separate stuff with the diff colors of your pen, I even put other nurses names in there whom I don't know and what they look like! exp: short haired very blued eyed girl=Mary Brown, IV supplies in supply room on left side of nurses station. Dr Smith ALWAYS wants RN to call his NP, not him. bed alarms are hidden in the bottom left cabinet in the supply closet on the left side of the unit.

write down how things are done that you've learned too-so that you don't have to ask too many times, plus it makes you FEEL CONFIDENT to know "ok i know how this is done cuz i have it written on my clipboard" . And some things you will do infrequently and you'll forget so you'll have it in your cheat sheet. I have two cheat sheets.

having confidence makes you not feel so dumb and crappy all shift long. also if someone says, well WHO gave you that info, who was that float nurse last night? you don't have to look crazy dumb, you will look at your clip board and say, "oh that was Mary Brown with the short blonde hair. Maybe someday when you are not new, you can get away with saying "I dunno who that float nurse was, guess we could could look at the schedule." but until then just write everything down.

then cover your notes with a few blank pieces of paper so others can't see it.

I also put my printed MARS in my clipboard or whatever I'm using that shift.

my cheat sheet and clipboard go home with me every night.

When I was new, my preceptor said "you're not SERIOUSLY writing that down are you"

just write it down and know that she's a jerk. she intimidated me, i didn't write that one thing down, she CALLED IN the next day, it came up and of COURSE i had to ask again the next day. that incident was we had 7 regular Docs who frequented our floors, each one had certain things you MUST do. Some said you MUST fax all my pt's labs to me when they come in, some said you must NEVER fax that to me you must call me, some said why are you calling me, call my NP, etc etc etc I should've just wrote it all down and let her think it was dumb.

When you are new... Do NOT complain about others, I KNOW you want and need to.

talk to yourself in the car or to someone you don't work with. The messegner is always killed.

How do you respond when Jane says, "did you HEAR the way Suzy Que talked to me, she's a devil right?" you: picture what the mentor in your head would do or say. and do that!