the hardest part about being a new nurse

[thekid]

I'd love to hear feedback from nursing grads and returning nurses about what you feel is the hardest part about that first year of nursing

Is it the workload?

Is it fear of clinical skills that you don't feel ready for?

Not being able to put the whole picture together?

I have recently returned to nursing after a long absence, I previously worked agency , mostly long term care. I have experience being a med nurse and doing treatments. But I find the toughest part is the paperwork and organization of how to put it all together..of course a six week orientation would have helped :)

I would love to see an orientation that listed in order what you do in each situation instead of touching on isolated points here and there and putting it all together at the end. Not possible probably as that is not how a day goes..but it would be so helpful to start with one or two patient load, and shadow a nurse thru the admit, care, and discharge in exactly the order it happens.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'd love to hear feedback from nursing grads and returning nurses about what you feel is the hardest part about that first year of nursing.

I'd say it's the fact that you no longer have someone telling you what you should and shouldn't do for your patient, as you had in clinicals with your CI. And gone are the days of following the orders of the nurse you were assigned to, where she's making most of the decisions and you're just helping her carry them out.

Instead, it's YOU who has to make the decisions and the judgment calls, and your staff is looking at YOU for instructions. And while you may have more experienced coworkers and staff to give you help and guidance if necessary, ultimately the decisions are yours...and so is the responsibility for the outcomes.

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

For me it's the feeling of knowing there is so much yet to learn and here I am in a job where 1 mistake could cost someone their life! It's scary. I also feel very overwhelmed most of the time. I'm always playing catch up. I have 1 good day and 10 crappy ones.

[Mykle559]

Im a little nervous i just graduated and got my license. Im looking for a job right now. Im really nervous cuz i dont know what to expect. I dont have any previous experience besides my clinical experience. I was a good student but still nervous. I dont want to be a bad nurse. SO much anxiety. I know i can do it but im scared

[palmettogirl]

The hardest part to me is time management, organization, and knowing that you're responsible for that patient. I'm scared I may not pick up on something as quickly as a more experienced nurse might. But I am very cautious (and hope I always will be) b/c I get so nervous, so that can be a plus sometimes! And it's also difficult coming out of nursing school because you don't just have 1 or 2 patients anymore (with your instructor by your side). There are some things I never saw in orientation that some of my patient's have, but I just get my charge nurse to help me. Sometimes the RN before me will go in the room with me and show me how to do things I may not have seen in orientation. Goodluck!

[shoegalRN, RN]

This has been the most hardest transition of my life. This is a second career for me and the hardest part is being GREEN and lacking confidence.

For me, it's been trying to put the big picture together and making sure I don't make a fatal drug error that may cause someone their life. I ask tons and tons of questions, even if I already know the answer because I lack confidence in my nursing judgement. I've only been practicing as a RN for two months now, although I graduated in May and got licensed in July.

I have been told that it takes about a year or two before I will feel somewhat confident. And the anxiety is the worst!

[GoldenFire5]

I was an LVN for a couple years, so some things aren't new. For me, it's definitely time management. Also, you have to meet a lot of people in the hospital environment to get your job done. Sometimes, the MDs are in and out so quick, it's hard to catch them. And when it's their day off or they're on vacation, the MD covering for them will say, "anything I need to know?" Sometimes I wonder if they're really filled in on the details of the case. Interacting with the MDs is still tricky for me.