I am a new grad and can't wait to get out of orientation!

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Mar 12, 2017

I also agree that I don't look at busy work as stressful situations. Some nurses gripe about how they have an incontinent patient that they have to clean every hour, or they have so many finger stick glucose checks, or pain meds every 2 hours. To me, the true stress is code blue or when pt is deteriorating badly and quickly. Everything else is just busy work, and I don't mind it. I stay on my feet for all 12 hours and chart in real time so I don't have to worry about it later when true emergency happens. I love my patients, and like doing things for them. Griping is just unprofessional, and it doesn't help to do the job.

i wonder how you will feel in one year and not one day......when you are expected to do the busy work and the code at the same time. Or when you are taking care of your patient who is about to code and you prevent only to be spoken to when the patient's family complains you ignored their mother when you just saved another from dying .

Also, with all your questions I hope your"preceptor" did not have an assignment since it is hard even doing busy work with interruptions.

Spiker, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 12, 2017

Oh young, New grad: you should be afraid of feeling this way! No, you're NOT ready to fly solo after only 3 weeks! Be realistic, & know you can't possibly know all there is to know in such a short time! In fact, you will NEVER know everything! Nursing is such a dynamic profession: New techniques, skills, equipment, or procedures evolve every day! None of us knows everything, & never will. After 40 years (since 1976) I've seen a world of change; there are always questions to be asked, & skills to learn. Never take for granted that you don't need guidance after only 3 weeks. I admire your "confidence" but keep your false sense of security in check before someone gets hurt. There is much to learn from us battle-worn nurses: watch, listen, & learn, every day, no matter how many weeks, months, or years you've been working. Good luck, & God bless you & guide you!

Ben_Dover · Mar 12, 2017

I also agree that I don't look at busy work as stressful situations. Some nurses gripe about how they have an incontinent patient that they have to clean every hour, or they have so many finger stick glucose checks, or pain meds every 2 hours. To me, the true stress is code blue or when pt is deteriorating badly and quickly. Everything else is just busy work, and I don't mind it. I stay on my feet for all 12 hours and chart in real time so I don't have to worry about it later when true emergency happens. I love my patients, and like doing things for them. Griping is just unprofessional, and it doesn't help to do the job.

Just from these lines alone, IMO, I can tell that you are still young and really naive, at least, in the world of "Nursing".

I'm raising my white flag cause I think I'm just gonna keep hitting a defensive wall here. :banghead:

I just really wish you the best and I hope you'd still feel this way a few months from now.

P.s.

A well experienced and trained nurse no longer consider codes as stressful. But for a new nurse, they are, and am glad, at least you nailed that one! :sarcastic:

CRC12 · Mar 13, 2017

I wish you all good luck too. I hope I won't become what some of you predict me to become. I may or may not, but for now I am just so excited to be a new nurse. Everything is very new and nothing is boring. I wake up and I am excited to go to work and learn and achieve success in nursing. I finally found what I love to do and could not be happier that it also pays the bills.

Kysam · Mar 13, 2017

Way overconfident. In fact, I say scary overconfident!

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2017

I got lots of good advice and heard things that could happen I could not imagine. Thank you for helping me figure this whole preceptor thing out. I truly want to be a good nurse, the one who is vigilant and takes good care of my patients. I just need to have a talk with my preceptor and ask her to let me do simple things myself so I can learn, instead of doing it all for me and treat me like a child.

Can I suggest you take a moment, actually take several and chill out and realise while you may be incredibly book smart, you dont know alot clinically speaking and you have much to learn. Confidence is fine, being ready to jump in at the deep end with three weeks experience is over confident and IMO dangerous.

I've worked with nurses of 30 years or more experience who freely admit that if they are unfamiliar with a procedure they have no issues with going to look it up

In summary

- confidence is fine

- over confidence is not

- not knowing things is fine as long as you are upfront with your colleage

- not knowing things and not admitting it and fudging your way through and making a mistake and putting the patient at risk is not ok

- Chill out and enjoy the opportunity to take some learning time in a protective situation because its a very different road show when its five unstable patients crashing and there is no one to help

HurdYou · Mar 16, 2017

Awwww, you haven't experienced anything yet. Of course you feel like you've got this! Stand down grasshopper! I've seen the cocky new nurse get her behind handed to her by the doctors and other nurses because she got ahead of herself, thinking she knows everything.

Not saying this is your fate or wishing anything but the best, but do slow down and absorb as much as you can. Your orientation will change as you progress, you'll do more and more and the preceptor will do less and less. When he/she feels like you are ready, you'll take the team and either sink or swim. Your preceptor will be there to rescue you. If you are truly ready to be on your own, you just might be turned loose before the 12 weeks. Hold tight and listen for now.

dumbnurse, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN · Mar 17, 2017

Take the orientation, it's the only one you will get! Sooner than later things will get tight and you will be thankful for that time where you knew that someone was there, you could talk to and management was not on your back. Good luck

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2017

Moved to the First Year After Licensure forum.

Ben_Dover · Jun 9, 2017

Hi,
I am a new grad and it's my third week on a busy tele floor. Here is the thing. I feel as though I don't need a preceptor anymore and feel I am ready to be on my own. Every day when I come to work I think things would have been easier for me if I could organize my day without anybody telling me what we need to do next or do it my preceptor's way. I feel confident talking to doctors and monitoring my patients. I have caught things before the patient deteriorated badly.
But now I have a question. Am I being too confident? Am I missing something? I feel as though all new grads should feel overwhelmed and need preceptor's help. I just don't want to be one of those new grads who felt too confident and made a huge mistake because they thought they were ready too early and didn't need help.

Hello....

I was just wondering and would like to know how you are doing CRC12? :)