First Year Almost Over, No Magical "Ah ha" Moment Yet

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi AN. I am a new grad almost at my one year mark and am worried. Everyone says that after a year something just clicks and suddenly you just get it. This famed moment has not happened for me yet and its starting to make me nervous... There are still so many times a everyday where I am not sure what to do and second guess my own opinions. I am anxious all the time. Nothing has gone horribly wrong, but nothing has been good either. Nothing has happened that I can really consider a success, I just get through each day doing the bare minimum of whats required of me and even struggling just to do that.

Its just not happening for me like it apparently has for everyone else. :grumpy: Anyone else at all have this problem and what did you change to get past it?

If you...can go home without feeling the need to high pitch ruminate you are there.

:roflmao: Hilarious, and oh-so-true...I used to have the market cornered on rumination!

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It takes 2-3 years to feel more comfortable. Keep up with education classes and looking up medically related things. You'll get the hang of it.

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it took me about a year to get my time management down, took me about another year to understand the balance between nursing & medicine... but not until about 4 years after finishing my new grad program did i feel proficient - not only skill-wise, but in therapeutic & professional communication. communication is so key. the ability to listen is golden. it also take several years to really get to know coworkers as well as their strengths & weaknesses.

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I dunno...I am 5 months in. I am learning to spot when pts are going bad. I know to hold Kayexelate if K+ is 4.3. I know to hold NS bolus if Na is 145 :) Its a clinical judgement thing. However, I still have not really had the chance to start an IV, etc etc. I have a lot to learn but I think I will get there.

Communicate with your boss and with your educator. If your facility is worth anything they will remediate you and help you build your confidence.

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As to time nanagement.

People talk a lot about this. The bottomline is that while I am hanging an IV I CANNOT do anything else. I can do one thing at a time period. Again its the little things. If I have a lot of IV to hang and a lot of PO or feeding tube meds...I can hang the first IV 1st and let it be running, then do the other things.

I can make my trips to the supply room productive. Not run back and forth every 5 minutes. I can tell others, listen I am in the middle of caring for a patient, you are going to have to wait. Allowing ourselves to be distracted by other disciplines because they think what they are doing is more important seems to be a big issue at my place.

I chart as I go, assessment, then chart off all the meds in the pts room. Always scan the room. Are IV fluids running low, is pt due for pain meds? If so, get those things and be ready before entering pts room.

If they are always asking for water, again, bring it proactively.......the little minutes saved through out the day can add up to an hour or more rather quickly

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Specializes in Cardiac, Neuroscience, LTC.

Don't be too hard on yourself. I am over 4 years in and have had a few "aha moments". For me it hasn't been just one thing that clicked. There have been several times I have thought, "ok, that's what they were talking about!". My point is, everyone is different and learning is a continuous process. As long as you feel like you are making progress and learning, you are doing it right. Everybody is different! Good Luck!! :yes:

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Specializes in SICU,BURNS,ACUTE DIALYSIS.

Give it a little more time. I started in a high acuity SICU at a University Hospital. Was terrifying the first year. Then one day in the elevator before my shift I realized, I wasn't even thinking about all the things which could go wrong over the next 12 hours. That was my moment.

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Thanks for the feedback =) I keep comparing myself to the other new grads that started at the same time as me who are already so comfortable... I guess all I can do is keep trying and hope that I get there soon!

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