Self sufficient???? When????

Nurses New Nurse

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deeDawntee, RN

1,579 Posts

Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

Oh My Gosh!! What a shift from 'you know where'! I don't know of any nurse, no matter how much experience they had, that wouldn't be stressed out by all that you had to deal with.

Self-sufficiency is certainly important in nursing, but I don't see that as the ultimate goal. I would concentrate on being effective. I work in an ICU now, and we are always consulting each other with what is going on with our patients. There is a whole team of people that are there that you can access as resources, the trick is to learn to use fully those resources that are available to you. Being "self-sufficient" can actually hamper diagnosis and treatment of what is going on with your patient or in preparing your patient for an exam. If you keep your patient's welfare in mind, and not worry about doing it all yourself, you will be a much more effective nurse.

Please don't see this feedback as pointing out a deficiency. Not at all. You are so new and you really have to give yourself a huge break! Just know that it is OK to ask for help as often as you need help. Just practice it: "I need help" those 3 magic words will take you from novice to competent to mastery...faster than "self-sufficiency" ever will. I can't think of any of the nurses that I really look up to that don't know how to ask for help and use every bit of help as fully and completely as possible.

You really don't have to do it alone. And by the way, I am truly impressed by how 'together' you stayed through that shift, it shows in how you presented all the chaos. You have what it takes to be awesome (and you already are!). You didn't complain or talk about wanting to quit...very impressive!

:yeah::yeah::yeah: asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness!

cfrimer

49 Posts

Specializes in Graduating in 2009.

Wow, I'm so glad I looked into this thread!

I'm still in nursing school (final semester), and my second day of clinical was yesterday. I'm feeling totally ignorant and incompetent at this point, like all the info and skills I learned last year have evaporated from my brain.

The thought of taking the NCLEX in the winter and god-willing getting a JOB as an RN is terrifying; I feel that I'll never be ready in time; maybe if I had another 10 years of nursing school. MAYBE.

Reading all your comments makes me feel so much better to see that my learning curve isn't out of whack! Of course, I KNOW this intellectually, but this thread helps me feel it emotionally as well! Thanks, all!

Lynda Lampert, RN

15 Articles; 101 Posts

Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, post op, ICU.

LOL, thanks for all of the replies!

Angie, I love to write, actually. I just don't often get the time to sit down and do it. All of those things actually happened sequentially. I keep joking that I start at one room with a problem, then everyone in the assignment has a problem. Once I finish with the last patient, last problem, the first patient has a problem again!

Well, it is so good to know that my desire for self sufficiency is not something I should be striving for. Most of my shifts I handle okay. When people ask me if I need something, I truly don't. I had the charge nurse the other night put in an iv for me while I handled an admission (mostly the paperwork by that point), and I only felt minorly guilty. She got it the first time, too.

I do feel like I can ask questions of the people around me. I am just projecting my inadequacies on them and imagining that they are feeling the way about me that I am feeling about myself. When I'm calm and haven't worked in a day or so, I'm lucid enough to see stuff like that. When it is the fifth time I've picked up the phone to call the charge, though, I feel guilty.

I don't expect myself to know everything. Well, if I'm being honest, I guess I should say that I probably deep down do expect myself to know how to deal with most things. It just isn't possible and I know that. Like I said, I'm just trying to adjust. Part of that adjustment is learning to ask for help and "swallowing of pride" though I don't feel I'm particularly prideful or a know it all. I guess that's just it. I know I don't know it all and it scares me. That's the problem.

So, I'm going to work on that. I'm already feeling better about it. I had a really good shift on Thursday night. I still had to stay after to chart a bit, but I didn't feel as stressed. I find that joking with my coworkers is very helpful. They all think I'm crazy and a character.

As for my lady with the temp, the cbc and cxr had already been done and she was on an oral abx. They were checking her first for cardiac issues, then were going to move on to other diagnoses. EKG, CXR, CT angio, and enzymes were all neg. WBC was elevated. I was thinking pericarditis or inflammation of the intercostals. Or perhaps something like a herniated ulcer. Don't know, but this chest pain was why she was there. The doc said give her the tylenol, but you're all right about the blood cultures . . . and no, I would not have known about that. So I did the right thing and its okay . . . until the next time the stress gets the best of me. :uhoh3:

Thanks again and hope this helps some newer nurses out there!

Iona

deeDawntee, RN

1,579 Posts

Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

Wow! You are truly impressive my young nurse! You can be my or my family's nurse anytime.

Just remember: our life is more enriched by our questions, then by our answers!

Way to go and off to a fabulous career for you! ;););)

AprilRNhere

699 Posts

Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

I'm still on orientation, but I've been told by multiple nurses that they MUCH rather have a new nurse who asks tons of questions..than the one who acts like they know everything. Keep at it...they all know what it's like to be new.

Lynda Lampert, RN

15 Articles; 101 Posts

Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, post op, ICU.

Just wanted to tell you deeDawntee that you made me blush. It's nice to have praise when you can sometimes get caught up in a sea of your own criticism. Just wanted to let you know it helped me.

Iona

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