First year nurse. Thinking about leaving field altogether.

Oly · May 19, 2020

I think the major cause of these med errors and how you are feeling is your anxiety. Consider changing meds/increasing your dosage with your provider. Also practice positive thinking.

louanna · May 19, 2020

23 hours ago, louanna said:
my dear I do understand and feel your pain. I was a sing parent and went back to school things were very hard for me I didn’t have any Help from anyone. My entire time as a student nurse was very difficult and depressing not being able to reach to clas on time because I had to drop my kids to school very early n leave them there alone and I would get locked out of the class because my co ordinator said to me one day it’s either your a nurse or a mother make up your mind and with tears in my eyes I said I’m a mother first and always because that was the reason for me being there. Trust me I know what it feels like to want to give up because ppl in this profession can be cruel but my faith in God and my desire to make a better life for my kids pushed me. I promised myself that I won’t be that wicked nurse to students I’ll make a difference and I did now I’m living in the states and studying again after that long journey to be a nurse here and continue to do Gods work. Believe me when I say the tears will turn into strength that no one can break the harder the journey make sure you use that pain to be a better person and a great nurse. No nurse knows everything we all had to come from zero to reach to a hundreds and we are learning everyday. Stay humble don’t be rude and don’t let no one intimidate you. God chose you for this profession. Nursing is a calling from God it’s a very rewarding job to do yr best and help others. Just have faith in yourself and let your patients be your best friend. That’s what I do and I don’t see the negativity even if it’s thrown in my face. Focus and don’t give up the race is not for the fast runners but for the ones who endure to the end. May god guide your footsteps and your hands you will be a good nurse you have a good hart.

SmilingBluEyes · May 20, 2020

Hmmm. I don't know but that's a lot of jobs and med errors in a matter of months.

It does not get easier as you go; nursing is tough no matter where you work.

Self reflection would lead me to try another career altogether in your situation.

Best wishes.

natural thing · May 21, 2020

Please don't go!

The profession of Nursing attracted you - you must care! Before you leave, I believe there is a niche for you and the loving care you have to offer others. There is a place for you. More than ever, we nurses are needed in the community to help as we all are making serious adjustments as a society. Nurses are a critical element of society's safety net.

Thank you for considering this suggestion: ask your question about Nursing while outside communing with Mother Earth. She will help you find your answer.

Link648099 · May 21, 2020

I didn't read all five pages of posts, so maybe this was already covered, but I'd recommend a careful assessment of your situation.

Your anxiety is expected, especially as a new nurse. It will take you several years of nursing to get to a point where you're comfortable as a nurse. Think of it like when you first started driving at 16. Lots of nervousness and anxiety, but hopefully by now you drive well and relatively safely without much thought. Nursing is the same way. It takes time.

Regarding your medication error problem, that's a big thing to start working on. I would recommend, aside from slowing down, is create a list you can look at that lists the five "Rights" so you can go through them for each and every patient. Do that for a week and it'll be second nature and you will get better as long as you stick to those five Rs.

Finally, have you considered different fields of nursing? I don't like giving medications. Nor do I like having more than one patient at a time. I also like doctor's close by, and my patients asleep and family far away. So I'm an Operating Room nurse. The only things I insert in patients are Foley catheters. I don't worry about meds or patient vitals or potty breaks or baths or nagging family members or all the stuff that goes on on the floors.

Maybe something like that would be a better fit for you. You have to look at your own strengths, weaknesses, and desires and go from there. Maybe you can find something that's a better fit for your strengths?

Think about that before you torch your entire career.

spn2sn2eng · May 21, 2020

Oh, dear. What a situation!

I haven't been in nursing school in 30 years (graduated with a BA English, hence my moniker), and remember having anxiety issues myself when there. I was eventually diagnosed with Autism, as was my son, (in 2002), which had spawned the anxiety. What I actually had was adjustment disorder with depression. There were also unresolved abuse issues I didn't know existed.

That's a long way of saying that perhaps your attraction to psychiatric nursing is your mind's way of searching for answers for your own riddles.

Also sounds like you've got attention deficit disorder.

Could there not be any preceptors available to assist with transitioning to real nursing?

Perhaps working out would help calm the body so your brain isn't paying so much attention to it.

Blessings, spn2sn2eng

Sherrylin22, BSN, RN · May 21, 2020

reading this makes me anxious....I feel the same as if I don't belong in the acute care world....

lregister · May 22, 2020

I agree with Tricia.

An old saying is “if it ain’t documented, it ain’t done.” The opposite “if it was documented, it was done.” Once or twice, maybe alright but you can fault a supervisor or nurse manager for doubting you. never ever let a situation or series of situations potentially put your license in jeopardy. You worked hard for it; don’t let anxiety or stress be your downfall.

Also, if you’re feeling like you’re overwhelmed (You’re not alone, btw) and need to get out of nursing, do it. Do it before a mistake mandates that you get out.

Best wishes to you on whatever you chooses.

guest1135744, ADN · May 23, 2020

On 5/12/2020 at 9:58 PM, mhadvrn34 said:
Hey y'all. I've been a nurse for almost 9 months now and I'm seriously considering leaving the profession altogether. I graduated in December of 2018 and was ecstatic when I got a position as a new grad RN in a med surg residency program starting July of 2019. Packed up all my things and moved three hours away to a very rural community knowing no one.
From the moment I started, I struggled heavily, mostly due to anxiety which I was clinically diagnosed with two years ago and take meds for. I made a lot of mistakes and was constantly on the radar of my nurse educator and supervisor. Two months later, I got called in to my boss's office and she let me go over lying to my preceptor over charting something which I didn't. They felt as if they couldn't trust me anymore.
My options were get fired or be forced to resign. I was devastated. Moved back home to my parent's house and began looking for a new position.
Luckily, I landed another job in a psychiatric rehabilitation facility. Even before starting nursing school, mental health was my passion. I knew I wanted to work psych in the long term. I started this position late October of 2019 and lasted 3 1/2 months until Valentines day. I worked NOC's and was the only licensed staff for that shift. I was overwhelmed, had virtually no support and had to deal with toxic coworkers.
On February 12th, I made the mistake of covering an AM shift and was responsible for pulling meds from a med cart in sheets the old fashioned way and giving them to 50 patients. The next day my boss found out I made a ton of med errors and I seriously thought I was going to be fired on the spot. He gave me another chance to my surprise, but I had had enough and decided to quit.
My current position is in an acute psych facility which I started per diem in January of 2020. Here I feel like I have tons of support, charge nurses who are constantly checking up on me. I've only been called into my boss's office once in 5 months over messing up charting. I feel as if this is less hectic than my last job but I am very unhappy with it.
Psych nursing is not what I glorified it to be. What I thought psych nursing was vs what it really is is not what I expected it to be. What I feel like I really want to do is more in the line of social work or clinical psychology.
On top of all this I screw up constantly and have this fear of getting fired every time I step into the hospital. Today, I made a med error and sort of freaked out and stormed outside the patient's room after realizing I gave meds to the wrong patient. My coworkers tried to comfort me but now I feel like they feel like I can't be trusted.
I'm starting to think nursing is just not for me.
I'm fed up, burned out and I've come to the point where I just don't care anymore and I feel numb.

So, first off, take a deep breath. You’re not the first nurse to make a mistake. I think you should request a few days off to really think things through here.

My first question for you is what brought you to nursing?

Are you, typically, an organized person?

What aspects do you enjoy about nursing; I’m not asking you about general idealized thoughts about nursing, but what are the things in your job you enjoy right now, today.

Do you have moderate trust in your co workers?

Do you feel like you can be open with you manager enough to have a transparent conversation with them regarding your training needs; because I think you need re training with a reliable co worker.

Do you have a mentor to talk to about this?

In my opinion, you need to review your facility’s medication policy, make a copy of the 5 rights of medication administration, laminate it, carry it with you and follow every step, every time you administer a medication.

The biggest most impactful thing for you to do is to look at each patient like they are your family member. Now, treat them as you would a family member, take the extra time to safeguard your patients by slowing down and making the commitment to make the right decision. Do not be swayed by pressure or rushing through your tasks when it’s time to administer medications. Follow the steps, be safe. I’m sorry to say that I would not want you to be my family member’s nurse. You need to commit yourself to safe patient care and administering medication is the most important part of this job. If you cannot learn from the mistakes you’ve already made and develop an improvement plan, then I can’t say nursing is right for you. I feel like you’ve made a lot of mistakes, but continue carry out your job duties without trying to improve. You can’t do this job on a wing and a prayer.

MikeMSN-RN, MSN, LVN, RN · May 23, 2020

Every single nurse feels anxious often. I still do. We can relate to bad systems that prevent us from practicing safely. However, making more than a few med errors within a short period of tome are not acceptable. We all know that a med error is serious even though it does no harm. I hear 10% of new grad nurses quit and never return. You could be one of them.

There's nothing wrong to change your career. Nursing is my 3rd career.

louanna · May 23, 2020

On 5/22/2020 at 1:21 AM, lregister said:
I agree with Tricia.
An old saying is “if it ain’t documented, it ain’t done.” The opposite “if it was documented, it was done.” Once or twice, maybe alright but you can fault a supervisor or nurse manager for doubting you. never ever let a situation or series of situations potentially put your license in jeopardy. You worked hard for it; don’t let anxiety or stress be your downfall.
Also, if you’re feeling like you’re overwhelmed (You’re not alone, btw) and need to get out of nursing, do it. Do it before a mistake mandates that you get out.
Best wishes to you on whatever you chooses.

Great advice where were you guys when I was a student. This information would have help ease my stress level It’s advice that a student and nurse can use. It’s very organized info. Thanks

spn2sn2eng · May 23, 2020

Another suggestion: return to your alma mater, and let them know that you've encountered this anxiety and are making these mistakes. Surely they will help, or try to. Alumni usually have privileges. See what's available and use them.