Ever feel "spacey" at work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

I was always so OCD with my work...everything had to be so-so for my patients. Well, lately Ive noticed how I take shortcuts (nothing major and nothing bad) but trying to get things done. Ive noticed that I feel "spacey" and so clumsy and forgetting things. I cant remember my patients' names and having a hard time making decisions and critical-thinking. Do you think its work overload? I mean, I consider myself a good nurse, usually. But lately I dont know and question myself daily. Has anyone else been thru this?

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

For me its giving report, I feel so cluttered and unorganized. Some days I am good others I am off the wall.

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Specializes in Acute rehab/geriatrics/cardiac rehab.
I was always so OCD with my work...everything had to be so-so for my patients. Well, lately Ive noticed how I take shortcuts (nothing major and nothing bad) but trying to get things done. Ive noticed that I feel "spacey" and so clumsy and forgetting things. I cant remember my patients' names and having a hard time making decisions and critical-thinking. Do you think its work overload? I mean, I consider myself a good nurse, usually. But lately I dont know and question myself daily. Has anyone else been thru this?

Check with your doctor.

I felt spacey at work due to feeling depressed and overworked at my first job. I ended up quitting the job. I remember another nurse testing the pulsox on me and my HR was beating at 145 bpm (and that was when I was standing still). Then there was the fact that sometimes I was not eating a lunch until late in the shift (who has time for lunch (sigh) and lack of sleep....

At any rate... everything went back to normal when I quit that job :specs:

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

yes...when my blood sugar drops

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

Yes, a couple of times when I work nights (I'm a dayshifter). I have felt like I am outside my body while giving report- weird feeling.

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i would take that as an omen.

time to reassess your work situation.

leslie

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

Yeah, my HR usually runs around 135-145, standing still, even at home now. I have experienced anxiety attacks to the point that I thought I was having a MI. I have gone from nightshift to dayshift a month ago. Hmm, maybe that's it, the stressful mess of dayshift, I dont know. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Thanks for your replies.

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I think it's called sensory overload.

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I call it thought train de-rail - it happens when I have too many balls in the air - good notes helped no need to remember - when it happens I hit a quiet room or hall close my eyes a sec take a couple breaths and think "ok what is next" helps me snap back

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Sometimes I feel like that the week before my period. Is there any chance it is PMS related?

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I'm in nursing school right now, I feel like that sometimes, what usually helps you focus, didn't nursing school perpare you enough for the real world?

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I'm in nursing school right now, I feel like that sometimes, what usually helps you focus, didn't nursing school perpare you enough for the real world?

Give the OP a break. "nursing school prepare you enough for the real world??" My nursing program (back in the dark ages) did more to prepare me as a nurse to function post graduation than what is offered now. I've been in nursing a very long time and I STILL have days where I get spacey. The spaceyness (at one time) was getting really bad for me and then I found out I had sleep apnea. No wonder!! I was hypoxic! We intubate patients that had better sats than mine! After wearing c-pap, I have found that my fuzzy headedness has cleared quite a bit.

Sometimes depression or hormonal changes (especially perimenopause-menopause) can cause it. Keep looking until you find a solution.

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