Need some encouragement..

vamedic4, EMT-P · Aug 24, 2006

Hi Healer...

Rest assured that it is not uncommon for new nurses to feel this way, I promise you you're not alone. Stepping into an important role of staff nurse can be daunting for anyone...and on a busy floor it may seem at first undoable.

Your preceptors job is to be there for you when you have questions, problems, et cetera...you find her any time you need to, busy floor or not. It's her responsibility to see to it that the patients you have are adequately cared for just as much as it is yours.

Don't waste your time worrying about what others think. Nurses can be pretty petty in this area...don't suffer fools when you're just trying to establish your "sea legs". You're new, and that's that. It doesn't mean you're not worthy...you're just new to the whole process and IT TAKES TIME TO GET IT RIGHT. Hell, I know nurses I've worked with for years who still occasionally don't get it right. Not to worry.

Give yourself a big hug and know that you can do this, because you can.

Have a better day!!!

vamedic4

taking the older one to school

healer27 · Aug 24, 2006

Hi Vamedic,

I can't even BEGIN to tell YOU HOW MUCH THAT MEANS TO ME; I just needed to hear that and it made me feel better.. :bow: I'm sending you lot's of good thoughts back... I thought I was a pretty thick skinned person but I guess I'm softer then I thought. Thank you again for your kindness! :redpinkhe

Chaya, ASN, RN · Aug 24, 2006

Sounds like your preceptor was a little pissy, whether intentional or just b/c she was frazzled. Ideally she will be able to provide you with specific, constructive suggestions for improvement. Figure it this way, for every false step you take you are learning to do one thing correctly. So every day there are fewer and fewer things you are messing up on! Try to think things through on your own as far as possible. You will learn to anticipate what kinds of questions might arise ahead of time. Then check in with your preceptor ask her to give you about 5 minutes to "check in" when she has a moment between tasks. Try to go over a number of issues that you need clarification on while you "walk and talk" instead of running to her with more frequent interruptions. (I'm not a new nurse but this approach has made me feel like I was less of a nuisance during my recent career change).

Good luck- hang in there.

Chaya

healer27 · Aug 24, 2006

Thank you Chaya! I do try to think and do as much on my own as possible but so many times I feel like I'm in a "grey" area or a little unsure.. You're suggestion is a good one though to try to accumulate and then ask a bunch of questions at once...

whippetgood · Aug 25, 2006

Hi Healer,

I am in the same position as you. I do not have a lot of confidence and I often wonder what the other staff members think of me as well. I am trying SOOOOOOO hard to get over that! I do think things will get better for the both of us. Your preceptor sounds a similar to mine. I'm going to wait and see how the rest of the week goes, and if things don't improve then I'm going to sit with her and talk about ways we can communicate better. I came home in tears today just feeling awful about myself, and I don't ever want that to happen again. It's not worth it!!!! I know both of us will make it through!

ladside, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Aug 25, 2006

To all of you 'rookies' out there, guess what? It's not that you are new. You just haven't been in nursing long enough to realize that you will get this same behavior when you go to a new facility. I'm an agency nurse and have been an LPN for 21 years and it is always the same. I was also a preceptor on a med/surg floor. Fortunately for me and the 'rookies' (no offense), I have an overactive sense of humor. My theory is to play as hard as you work simultaneously. It makes everybody feel at ease; even th patients. They are already scared of being in the hospital. One of these days you, too will be a preceptor. An effective technique that I used was to introduce myself as the trainee and the 'rookie' as the trainer. You would begin your assessment of the patient and if there was something that you were unsure of, you look to me (pretend trainee) and ask what do you think I should do in this particular situation. That way, all eyes would not be on you. That would make it much easier for you to learn and gain the confidence of your patient. For now, just smile and win us "old farts" over. Not everybody has my sense of humor; tends to get me in trouble sometimes but so far it has not been with the people who tend to want to sue.

CaseManager1947 · Aug 25, 2006

I agree with what chaya had to say. It sounds to me like you are like every new RN... still feeling your way thru a new role. To your credit, you want to do it right, and know the importance of seeking guidance on some things about which you are unsure. We all went thru it. I've been a nurse 37 years, and I still remember walking in to that new job, feeling overwhelmed. Believe me, in 1968 you did not have internships. I had 2 weeks of orientation with an experienced nurse, and then I was on my own, 2nd shift, medical floor, only RN on my unit! Of course this wouldn't happen today (???? I hope). You might jot down notes of things to clarify with your preceptor for the next shift, so that you feel more confidant.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Morghan, ARNP

supernova004 · Aug 25, 2006

Healer 27,

I'm a new grad RN and not feeling too well about myself these days. It seems I've become my own worst enemy and critic. I'm hoping I've reached the anxiety plateau and am now coming down the hill; I have to be because I don't think I can take the negative self talk and doubting much more...it's so embarassing to me that I'm having such a hard time coping!!! I assume I'm being way harder on myself than anyone could possibly be, but I'm paranoid that I'm gonna get tapped on the shoulder and asked to my manager's office for my walking papers. My fears have been getting the worst of me, but I'm ready to go back tomorrow and make a turn around. I say that everyday and I think it's getting better a little every day. I know that the whole day may not be great, but I'm just going to take it task by task. And I'm trying to give myself the support I need instead of beating myself up all the time. I work in a nice org. but I've been so needy for positive support and I'm worried that I have weirded people out... I'll send some good vibes your way.

grentea · Aug 26, 2006

If you realize that things really aren't working out with your preceptor at some point, don't be afraid to ask for a change. I did when I was on my orientation and it really helped. My first preceptor was really hard on me and I was really not learning like I need to be. Talk to the other nurses on your unit too and ask them how they would handle different situations. Sometimes during my orientation I stayed glued to the hip of my preceptor but then I realized that there are a lot of really knowledgeable nurses on my floor who are happy to share what they know. Just the other day an experienced nurse asked if I thought a cardiac med should be given with the vitals signs she just took. I told her what I thought and then today I had a similar question for her. So you're never alone even after orientation. I've been doing this for about 9 months now and I've really been feeling more comfortable lately. Over time, you'll find that the daily ins and outs of doing your job won't throw you for a loop so much. I know it's more easily said than done but don't be so hard on yourself. We are our own worst critics. I bet you're doing much better than you think. BTW, what kind of floor are you on right now?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

Healer,

Just wanted to invite you to stop by the NICU/Neonatal Forum any time! Here's the link: https://allnurses.com/forums/f33/

As you can see, your feelings are common for new nurses - the sense of uncertainty with your skills, the feeling of not measuring up and feeling like people are judging you behind your back - so many of us have been there. In fact, until recently, I had 'Green Neo Nurse' under my username instead of 'Nurse/Medic.' (When I became a moderator here, I decided I had to at least project some sense of confidence. :) )

Hang in there! If you're pleasant and try to keep smiling and having fun, the skills will come with time.

healer27 · Aug 26, 2006

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to thank you ALLL so so so so much for the + thoughts, and suggestions. I AM LEARNING every day, I just don't think my preceptor is the greatest match for me. I forget who suggested it but yesterday if I couldn't find her and needed help and couldn't figure out something I just asked someone else around me, the other nurses for the most part are very nice and helpful. With the program I"m in I think I have only another 2-3 weeks with this preceptor then I go to another floor with another preceptor. SOOOO I think I've decided that I'm going to stay with this person BUT talk to education about hooking me up with someone who is willing to be there a little more for me. For example yesterday I asked my preceptor the end of shift to please review my documentation. IN one case one of my pts had some vitals that were out of whack and I wanted to know WHERE to chart an explanation for this. She said just write in your note that the doc was notified and meds were increased as a result. Fine, so I charted that and then later found a screen/are by accident (its all computer charting) that says what doc did you notify blah blah blah, and I'm like why didn't she point me there. So it's little things like that that make me worry and make me feel like she doens't have my back. I am trying to remember, do and understand everything I'm supposed to do but at this stage its tough. And with my charting this really makes me nervous b/c I want to make sure I'm documenting correctly. oh well, thanks again for all the positive input as I said it really has helped. I'll keep you all posted with more. :typing