Help i"m overwhelmed and scared

MountainRN53 · Jul 15, 2012

I achieved my degree when I was 40 and recall those days clearly. Preceptors lightning fast and most times half your age. Just go with the flow and relax. I'm not one to drink or take script meds but I found a wonder pill called Remifemin! You can get a box of 60 at Walmart. When I know I'm going to have a stressful day I take one and feel really great! Maybe something you didn't expect to hear but us chics over 50 sometimes need a little extra help!

Nurse ABC · Jul 15, 2012

Congratulations! I totally understand what you're going through! I've been away from the hospital for abt 20 yrs and am in orientation for med-surg and my preceptor is the same way. What helps me is making a list of everything I have learned up to that point and making a list of things to further study at home on my own time. Once I see how far I've come I don't feel so bad. I also have to just say I don't understand or I need you to show me that again or I'm not comfortable with that yet. They're so busy trying to get everything done while teaching they get frustrated too but I try to not take it personally. Hang in there-it will get better. OB can be a very stressful place too so if you think it's just going to be too much after a few weeks you could always ask to be transferred or for a longer orientation. Our hospital will do that sometimes. Good luck!

tokebi · Jul 15, 2012

My precepter is as fast as lightening and she makes me very nervous. She corrects my every move and I don't have time to figure it out.

That's how I felt in the first few weeks of my preceptorship on a pediatric floor during the final quarter of my nursing school (just graduated too). I was so confused because things were done so differently in peds. Like you said, my preceptor was so fast and nothing I did seemed right. I just could not keep up.

Since things go so fast on the floor, I would just replay what happened later at home, and try to figure out why my preceptor did what she did and try to remember it. If I still don't understand something, I just swallowed my embarrassment and asked her the next day to go over it again. I felt like I was trying her patience so often during that time. But by the end, she was telling me how much I improved and trusting me to handle more responsibilities.

In a way, I think it's more difficult to be with a preceptor than being on your own. Having someone constantly monitoring your every move is a lot of stress. As long as you learn as much as you can with your preceptor to be a safe nurse, I think you'll be happier when you're done with orientation and independent. At least that's how I felt during my first LVN job years ago.

Hang in there. You WILL improve. As new grads, the only way is up, isn't it? :)

CheesePotato, BSN, RN · Jul 15, 2012

Starting out is always rough, but starting out in a specialty can definitely make it extra special nasty rough. Saying to hang in there and telling you that it gets better are kind of givens as far as I am concerned. Of course it will get better. You have seen enough of life to know that all new skills take time to form and developing finesse only comes with experience.

So what to do in the interim?

First and foremost, I would recommend talking with your preceptor and making sure that there are good, solid, open and honest lines of communication taking place. Correcting you on a mistake is one thing...but is she teaching you? There is a difference between saying, "Don't touch that." vs. "Be careful you are not reaching over the sterile packaging as that is considered contamination." Communicating with your preceptor can help you feel more bonded with her (which will help soothe that feeling of nervousness) as well as allow you to express whether or not she is meeting your teaching needs and you are making her learning goals. Over 90% percent of all issues can be solved with a little good old fashioned face to face. Make it happen.

Secondly, let's talk a bit about what you can do to improve your learning and retention experience. Begin by reviewing what helped you learn and thrive in nursing school. Do what you can to apply those techniques while at work.

Some thoughts:

~~ Begin keeping a small pocket notebook on your person so you can jot down thoughts/techniques/drugs/ etc that are either wonderful ideas or things you need improvement regarding/have questions or concerns regarding. This little notebook can then serve as a prompt book for daily (or weekly....however ya'll mutually choose to go about it) debriefings that you can arrange with your preceptor. That way when she asks you, "Any thoughts about how you are doing?" Your answer isn't the ever fantastic, "Ummm....".

~~ Try the practice of mental rehearsal. Mental rehearsal is when one practices/envisions a scenario in one's mind. It is actually a proven method of learning and success and is touted by both educators as well as self-help success gurus. I, personally, began utilizing this method when I decided to begin acting on stage when younger. It was a great way to remember my lines, marks, etc. I turned into a time of meditation and relaxation: dimmed lighting, comfortable place to roost, peaceful atmosphere. I continue that practice to this day, though sometimes it takes place in the cocoon of my idling car with harp music ringing against the leather interior and a freshly cracked can of Diet Sunkist in hand. At the end of a session, I not only feel more focused and prepared, but relaxed to boot.

~~ Consider keeping a reflective journal. Write out something that you need to remember, work on, whatever have you. Give yourself a set time to do this every day. For many, writing something down helps cement it into memory. In fact, this is a common homework assignment I give to my preceptees. Example: Let's pretend they are having a hard time remembering what they need to do when a patient enters the OR suite. I have them write out the process step by step. E.g.:

1. Introduce self. (Seems like a no-brainer....but, you know how that can be.)

2. Lock patient's bed. Hand off IV to Anesthesia. Retrieve/apply warm blankets.

3. Lower side rail nearest OR table. Elevate bed to acceptable level.

4. Assist patient to move to OR table.

5. Secure patient.

6. Apply secondary armboard to table.

7. Begin to assist with anesthesia monitors.

blah blah blah, insert rest of steps here ==> XX.

I know it seems simple enough, but you may be surprised as to how this can help you navigate the process a bit smoother.

As far as the panic and stress, be sure to take time at the end of your day to destress. Reflect on what worked for you during nursing school and go back to those practices. They served you well then and they will more than likely help you out now. Set a time limit for how long you will allow yourself to think about work at the end of every day. I give myself one hour to mentally unwind and go over everything that took place before I find something (like preparing and then "accidentally" consuming cookie dough) to force shut down the brain and redirect it to something else. You work hard enough as is...do your best to not take it home with you.

Wishing you years of success and fail-proof baby catching,

~~CP~~

Errors and typos = the result of my jam laden fingers (don't ask) attempting to manipulate a smart phone. Mmhm.

TeaPlease · Jul 15, 2012

Kudos to CheesePotato, great advice.

When I returned to nursing after a two-year break i had a preceptor who just HATED watching me fumble along when she could do it better, faster, and to her own satisfaction :) After a couple of days of constant critique throughout each and every procedure i finally asked (nicely) "please put your hands in your pockets and watch me go through the procedure. Please let me ask questions as they arise. And please God stop me if I'm in imminent danger of hurting anybody." She burst out laughing and let me do my thing withut a murmur, then gave critiques after the task was completed. We got very comfortable with each other, she taught me a lot with a minimum of friction, and I feel blessed to have had a good teacher.

julimom · Jul 15, 2012

I am a new over 50 year old nurse that just finished school and got my first nursing job in labor and delivery. I feel like I am sinking. My precepter is as fast as lightening and she makes me very nervous. She corrects my every move and I don't have time to figure it out. Being a new nurse is hard enough but then learning Labor is an added stress. Any advice out there. I have been having some panic today and not sure what to do.

Thank you everyone for the advice. It's good to see others have been in your spot. I appreciate all the hints. Love the notebook in the pocket one. I am going to try to put all your advice to practice. I have found that I tend to replay each thing so much in my mind I can't sleep. That's made things harder. I know I will get through these rough spots. THanks