not used to feeling dumb

cursenurse · Dec 12, 2005

how long have you been in nursing? you sound like you just started- that you're a new grad. don't worry about feeling dumb, everybody feels dumb when they first start out, just try to keep learning. your time management will improve as you become more experienced. don't get discouraged. take advantage of your helpful co workers, ask them for guidance with all the things that you feel you have a problem with. don't think that you are alone, you sound like you have a good support system.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2005

Give yourself a break. You're just starting out. The problem is you think because you're older and successful in life you thought you were above all the new grad stuff. Nope, you're normal just like the rest of us.

It does get better with time. Although, sometimes even after 15 years I feel like a bumbling idiot.

Hang in there and be more gentle with how you talk about yourself.

Gail-Anne · Dec 12, 2005

I agree with the last posts. Whats so wrong with feeling stupid anyway? You are new at this. I'm concerned that you are creating a self-fullfilling-prophecy, you think you'll screw-up, so you do.

Try getting someone to help you with a standard daily worksheet. A place for timed procedures, priority stuff etc. Keep it simple enough that it's a quick referance through the day. Are you taking your breaks? Often nurses who feel slow or disorganized don't feel they can take a break, yet they are the ones who need it the most. Even a quick second in the bathroom, taking a deep breath, can get your brain back on track. Good luck.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 12, 2005

I also agree with previous posts. You just might be used to everything coming easy to you, and this may not be the case. Don't be so negative about things, and know that it is okay. You are normal. I bet that with a little more cheering and positive attitude, you will see things under another light and things will lighten up. Give it a try. Best wishes to you :clown:

Chaya, ASN, RN · Dec 12, 2005

First off, give yourself a big pat on the back for challenging yourself; for leaving behind a work environment you were comfortable in to try to take on a totally new and different skill set. Don't feel as if being good with patients "is all"; being good with patient is the single most important piece of the puzzle and the hardest skill to develop if you don't already have it. Time management can be developed. You may have a longer learning curve, but you've come this far. Virtually all new grads I've ever known of any age report feeling lost for an average of 6 months before it all "clicks". I entered nursing at the very ripe age of 49 and now can't imagine my life if I had never taken this step (although there are more than a few times I've said to myself "What WAS I thinking..."). Hang in there.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2005

It takes time to get acclimated to a new job and a new career no matter how old you are! I can recall making some of the same errors you are making. The trick here is to focus on why they happened and how to prevent them from happening again. You wrote on a wrong chart because you didn't pay attention to the identifying information (name) about the patient. So, start checking the patient's name before you type something. Once you do this over and over it becomes a habit and you don't make the mistake of charting on the wrong patient. The same thing goes for procedures. You have to do them over and over many times before you start to develop a routine at doing each one of them. Then, you are less likely to contaminate your equipment and have to change it out. Do you get my drift that you are constantly learning, assessing yourself, changing the way to do things, and working to improve? No one is ever too old to learn and improve. As my dad used to tell me when one of our horses bucked me off and I'd be sitting on the ground ready to cry, "don't cry. Get up and get back on." After a couple of times of this happening I learned how to stay on the horse when they started acting up, rearing up or bucking. This same idea is how you develop your nursing skills. Now, forget this nonsense about quitting and get back in the game! :icon_smil

azrn22 · Dec 13, 2005

Hang in there. I, too, was in another career in management. I have the same troubles you are having. I am disorganized and stay late, but I am giving great care to my patients. Don't sweat the little things.

A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

Good luck.

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Dec 13, 2005

Hang in there. These feelings are normal. You will get better w/ time management. I hated that feeling!

KatieBell · Dec 13, 2005

Well, I know how you feel, but really who has not charted on the wrong patient once or twice. Important that you recognized it and corrected it. Time management inNursing is difficult, and it takes a lot of time to learn as it is really quite different from other time management- most jobs you control your time- and decided when to have a meetings, work on a project- but in nursing the patients unwittingly control it- you start to chart- one patient vomits and requires a partial bath and complete linen change...then another has pain control issues, and still another complains of intense chest pain. It's very difficult to get everything done with the constant interruptions that happen. You can not ignore the patient's new complaints or issues, so you can get behind on things like charting. Little timesaving measures will start to creep into your routiene- such as getting as much done in one room as possible to avoid extra trips- you know hanging the antibiotic, and doing the assessment at the same time, or getting orthostatics done whiles someone assists with changing the bed- It is really difficult to get everything done. Keep your chin up and it will come to you.

DONN · Dec 15, 2005

Hang in there Sandy. No school in the world will prepare you for your own daily assignment. Delays, backtracking, and just learning "how to be a nurse" all take time. After all if a 51 year old fart like me can make it you can too. Write the resignation letter put it away for the next 3 months and then pull it out and read it. My guess is that you will chuck it into the trash where it belongs.....

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2005

I have the same troubles you are having. I am disorganized and stay late, but I am giving great care to my patients. Don't sweat the little things. A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

As someone who spent a lot of extra hours of my own time over the years staying late to finish up my charting, let me reassure all who do this that although it does cut into your personal time, every one of those extra minutes is never wasted. Whatever delays you from getting out on time are things you learn that will help you down the road. It also speaks to your individual dedications to your work and learning. It takes character and conviction to your own prinicples to put in that extra bit of time.