i have just started my new RN position and i am officially off orientation this week - and basically i feel like i am drowning. most of what i think i need to vent about has been said by many of you in multiple threads but i think i will just recap my top concerns and frustrations:
1.) my delegating skills basically suck. when i ask the techs to do stuff i am always very polite and eventually it gets done but i get so frustrated when they give me grief for asking them to do their job. unfortunately, i am the type of person that takes it personally and i feel bad for the rest of day even asking them to help a patient to the bathroom.
2.) even though there are tons of really nice nurses around, i tend to have the tendency of gravitating towards and asking questions of the one or two nurses working that either a.) know about as much as i do or b.) aren't generally very pleasant or willing to help - it just makes the transition more difficult.
3.) i moved 2000 miles away from where i went to school, and the most difficult thing is that i don't really know anyone at my new hospital. i come home and vent to my husband but i think you can't really understand what a new grad RN is going through unless you've been there. and i feel that work is all that i talk about - it seems to encompass my whole life and i really hate that.
4.) the actual work isn't that difficult but it is the possibilities that make me the most overwhelmed. the possibility that something will go wrong, that a patient will code, that a doctor will yell at me, that a patient will go AWOL (oh wait that's not a possibility it really happened on my first day off orientation). i know that you can't work yourself up over things that haven't happened yet but for some reason i can't stop.
i realize this thread is basically venting but i do feel a little better just putting my feelings in writing.
is anyone else feeling similarly? if not, could someone just lie to me so i don't feel like such a loser! :)
Happy Nurse it sounds like you are solving your own dilemmas..by changing your routine, by evaluating what you can do on your shift to make it go more smoothly. I wanna say as I read your post and others here that you are great nurses! How I know this is that you care, that you want to learn how best to handle those uncomfortable feelings that come with being new at something. The responsibility a nurse has are tremendous. We come out of school so educated on do's and don'ts. We learn what the ideal nursing situation should be. Then hellooo, we get on the floor and try to be aware of all those things we're taught. It's a heavy load, life and death always a part of our thoughts. But most important of the nurses venting here is the CARING, it's the ones who fluff off these feelings who should consider leaving the profession. If you weren't feeling unsure at this point in your career, then there would be a real problem. Make sure you pat yourself on the back after a tough day. Do something special for yourself. And know that any caring nurse ,no matter how many years she/he has been at it, knows how hard it is to start out. Making a mistake, or forgetting to add your I&O's are something that we all do at times. We are only human, though there are some nurses who would like to make you think otherwise. Find the ones who understand and can reassure you that these feelings are all part of the process of making an excellent nurse. Trust me time and doing will bring the comfort level. And realising you are not perfect, much as you would like to be. Have a great day!Kathleen
Katmae RN
74 Posts
Happy Nurse it sounds like you are solving your own dilemmas..by changing your routine, by evaluating what you can do on your shift to make it go more smoothly. I wanna say as I read your post and others here that you are great nurses! How I know this is that you care, that you want to learn how best to handle those uncomfortable feelings that come with being new at something. The responsibility a nurse has are tremendous. We come out of school so educated on do's and don'ts. We learn what the ideal nursing situation should be. Then hellooo, we get on the floor and try to be aware of all those things we're taught. It's a heavy load, life and death always a part of our thoughts. But most important of the nurses venting here is the CARING, it's the ones who fluff off these feelings who should consider leaving the profession. If you weren't feeling unsure at this point in your career, then there would be a real problem. Make sure you pat yourself on the back after a tough day. Do something special for yourself. And know that any caring nurse ,no matter how many years she/he has been at it, knows how hard it is to start out. Making a mistake, or forgetting to add your I&O's are something that we all do at times. We are only human, though there are some nurses who would like to make you think otherwise. Find the ones who understand and can reassure you that these feelings are all part of the process of making an excellent nurse. Trust me time and doing will bring the comfort level. And realising you are not perfect, much as you would like to be. Have a great day!Kathleen