I feel so incompetent

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I had a lousy day. Get in and a 93 yo lol who had stomach pain the day before - I had repositioned her and it alleviated it - was puking and sick. Call the doc and am missing a vital sign he wanted. Felt like an idiot. Get the order to send her out. Another LOL has a really bloodshot eye and the doc asks me for her last INR. I had completely zoned and didn't even put together that she's on Coumadin AND antibiotics at the same time so bleeding was affected. Felt like a bigger freaking idiot. Call the squad to transport the first LOL and completely forgot to print out any paperwork. Of course, the boss is standing at the printer and getting everything that I should have done.

Of course, the passive-aggressive LPNs are ignoring all of this because I am *supposed* to know.

Then my highlighter uncaps in my pocket and completely ruins a white skirt.

Meanwhile, yesterday a LOL is pinching and scratching everyone. I clip her nails and nipped her pinky. It wasn't bleeding. This morning an LPN notices a tiny scab and asks me if I clipped her nails. I said yes and I must have nipped her while she was trying to pinch me while I clipped. Before I can even get the paperwork started on the incident she's told the DON who is at my desk telling me to do one.

Then there's a class at 2:30 and the nurses conveniently don't bother reminding me. They leave while I'm on the phone with a family member and I feel like a flaming orificehole.

I'm a lousy nurse.

Specializes in long term care Alzheimers Patients.

Sue

I'm glad you're feeling better. I want you know I also look up to you.You have been an inspiration to me.

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Specializes in ER/Geriatrics.

You are very new. These skills come with experience. You recognize you are easily rattled in emergent situations. If there is someone working with you that can assist you such as a unit clerk, ask them to prepare the paper work. Don't call the doctor until you have all the info in front of you that you need. Of course until you are more experienced you won't always know what they will need.

Keep pushing yourself to improve. That is all anyone can do.

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.

Stuff happens (Forest Gump mentions it in a more thought provoking way ;) Anyways, like everyone else has mentioned, lousy nurses wouldn't care.

Just have a little cheat sheet handy. I carry a small notepad and write my to dos as they come up in the shift. Hasn't failed me yet.

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.

I feel incompetent every single day i'm at work. i just can't get it together. yesterday morning a patients blood suger was 63. the day shift nurse was steeming mad about it. of course i heard her mumble some things when she seen that i was still there. i mean DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG, HERE? when i last saw this patient she was fine no signs of hypoglycemia. it seems everytime i'm doing something wrong.

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I feel incompetent every single day i'm at work. i just can't get it together. yesterday morning a patients blood suger was 63. the day shift nurse was steeming mad about it. of course i heard her mumble some things when she seen that i was still there. i mean DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG, HERE? when i last saw this patient she was fine no signs of hypoglycemia. it seems everytime i'm doing something wrong.

Yeah, you hijacked her pancreas.

;)

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
Yeah, you hijacked her pancreas.

;)

Are you serious? how did i do this and she was fine when i did her dressing change at 5 am? she was talking and laughed about her behind being exposed, lol.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Are you serious? how did i do this and she was fine when i did her dressing change at 5 am? she was talking and laughed about her behind being exposed, lol.

Apparently some people can't take a joke.

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
Apparently some people can't take a joke.

why not say it was a joke? i kinda thought maybe you were just kidding that's why i did the lol at the end. :rolleyes:

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why not say it was a joke? i kinda thought maybe you were just kidding that's why i did the lol at the end. :rolleyes:

I was kidding, nursey. It wasn't your fault, nor was it even serious. That's a 1/2 cup of orange juice crisis.

:)

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

I feel incompetent too. The other night at work I had a resident who was agitated, turning her remote to tv and raising volume, yelling she wanted to go home. I took her vital signs and it was okay except her pulse ox was 75% on room air. Also noticed she was on tobradex for her right eye which she had surgery on earlier on the week. I didn't think anything of it and just put her on 2l of O2 and her pulse ox went to 88-91%. I just left her like that. Then when the day nurse came and put her on nonrebreather and called 911. I'm beating myself up because I didn't do that. I don't know why I didn't think to send her out. She wasn't unconscious or anything in the morning but just irritated on 2L of O2.

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