1st day off orientation was HORRIBLE

[TigerGalLE]

Today was my first day off of orientation. Of course the 2 weeks leading up to me being off orientation were smooth, calm, easy... ect...

Well today was my first day off orientation.. and the first day i've ever cried on the job (in the bathroom of course where no one could see me).

For starters I got out of report an hour late. Our tape recorder messed up and the nurses who taped had to give verbal reports over again. Charge nurse listens to all reports so this took a while. So when I finally got out of report I was an hour behind. Right away I noticed one of my IVs had gone bad. I put that on my to do list. Then I have a discharge at 9AM... Right in the middle of morning rush. And this guy and his family are standing at the door with their bags packed at 0910. They bugged me so bad that I finally stopped giving meds and D/C him. Right when i get him out. They page house keeping to clean the room stat b/c i was getting an adm.

I finally get morning meds out (late).. shove food down my throat before my adm. got there. When i got my adm.. he was a total mess.. orders were all screwed up (spent about an hour getting it all straight).. LONG story short ... everything went wrong.. 2 more of my IVs went bad.. my adm went to surgery... It was so horrible. I kept getting critical labs called to me. I hate leaving things for the oncoming shift but I just didn't have a choice. This is what I left for oncoming shift...

1. a pt wanted a laxative (i just didn't have time to call and get it)

2. a pt had questions about her meds (never could get down there)

3. a dsg change

4. and a late IV antibiotic due to having to restart the IV

5. and i was still awaiting a call to be returned about another order

I did get the pt sent to surgery at shift change, I did all the IVs that went bad. I just feel like i looked horrible on my first day off orientation. I was so embarrassed!!

Thanks for letting me vent

[cardsRN]

if days could get it all done, then eves could stay home, right? as others have pointed out, 24/7 job. don't let anyone give you crap about that. it will get easier. except for the days when it's not.

[kmblue39]

I don't remember my first day off of orientation but I do remember that when I was a new nurse I used to think that I needed to just move into the back room and stay all the time just to get all the work done. Then one day I reasized that even if I was there 24/7 it is not humanly possible to get it all done. Sounds like you hung in there through a bad first day and nothing bad happened because you did such a good job. So, hang in there and keep up the good work! It really does get better with experience.

[crissrn27, RN]

Don't let anyone be ugly to you about not getting everything done. Just tell them, very calmly, that you are still learning and that no one can do everything in 12 hours! I work nights and I certainly don't expect day shift to get everything done before I get there. What the heck would I do for 12 hours?

[TigerGalLE, BSN, RN]

wow y'all have really made me feel a little better... HAHA today was awful too but I handled it better and got out of there at 7:30. What someone said earlier i really took to heart today.. I stopped.. made a list of everything I had to do and then I prioritized. I didn't cry and I didn't spaz. I just did it! I guess I just want to look "good" to the oncoming shift and I don't want to be someone that people hate to follow. But you are right. I can't do everything!

Thanks

[Wen83]

My 1st day off of orientation will be this Sunday and I am honestly terrified I hope things will click in the future. Eek, I'm so nervous!

[jill48, ASN, RN]

This won't be the last of your bad days. And then you will also have slow, boring days. That's the way it works, crazy as it is. Any nurse who has a problem with you leaving some things for the next shift shouldn't be there. That's just part of the job, that is why there is more than one shift. The best thing you can do is organize and prioritize your time well, which it sounds like you did. Just keep doing the most important things first. Your list will never get done, as you will keep adding to it; but as long as you keep doing the most pertinent things first, you will do fine. Good luck to you sweety. Just remember, we all have shifts like this. Even the experienced nurses. And don't feel bad about crying. We still do that too. It was a good idea to cry in the bathroom so no one else would see. Everywhere I have ever worked, the dressing changes are the things that get pushed to next shift if needed; some LTC's even schedule all of the dressing changes in the evening or night for that reason. Good luck.