Hospital Nursing: Vision vs. Reality

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Sooo... I just started my first job. I'm in the float pool at a 425 bed hospital in CT. I just began my 6th week of orientation, and it's going really well.

Today I had a particularly stressful day. We were short a tech, so each tech on the floor had 13 patients.... I had a 6 patient assignment. This specific floor ranges from 5-8 patients per nurse. 5 and 8 both being uncommon, 6-7 being the norm. I know this is not uncommon for most hospitals. And I know I'm still orienting and things haven't become second nature yet. Nonetheless - I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off for most of the shift. I hate feeling like I'm put in a position where I cannot physically DO the job that I am responsible for. I hate not feeling like I am providing compassionate, thorough care because I am too busy passing this or that med, helping with a boost, charting, restarting an infiltrated line, etc etc. I know I am capable of this job, and I can see that I'm gonna have to adjust my expectations, and I will. I just wish I had had time today to feed breakfast to the 92 year old woman being sent home on home hospice care tomorrow.

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There are days like that where you are nonstop from the second you take report. You'll have good days too so hang in there.

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Specializes in ICU, Intermediate Care, Progressive Care.

I don't know what to tell you because I am a nursing student, I spent the summer working as an Intern (basically just a tech job) and I felt this way almost every shift I worked. :( I am terrified that I will experience the same thing when I graduate in December. Working my butt off all day just trying to do the bare basics that my job entails, then feeling terrible when I realize something I forgot to do for someone or the anxious patient I just couldn't get in there to spend time with like I promised to. :(

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Sooo... I just started my first job. I'm in the float pool at a 425 bed hospital in CT. I just began my 6th week of orientation, and it's going really well.

Today I had a particularly stressful day. We were short a tech, so each tech on the floor had 13 patients.... I had a 6 patient assignment. This specific floor ranges from 5-8 patients per nurse. 5 and 8 both being uncommon, 6-7 being the norm. I know this is not uncommon for most hospitals. And I know I'm still orienting and things haven't become second nature yet. Nonetheless - I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off for most of the shift. I hate feeling like I'm put in a position where I cannot physically DO the job that I am responsible for. I hate not feeling like I am providing compassionate, thorough care because I am too busy passing this or that med, helping with a boost, charting, restarting an infiltrated line, etc etc. I know I am capable of this job, and I can see that I'm gonna have to adjust my expectations, and I will. I just wish I had had time today to feed breakfast to the 92 year old woman being sent home on home hospice care tomorrow.

I was a nurse for 10 weeks total. That was all I could take. Most all the (burnt out) veterens always felt this way, were sleep deprived, felt guilty and prayed for days off. That is no way to live.

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My first job was hideous! 42 bed med-surg floor with 2nurses (i was one of 2) just out of school. 29yrs ago there were no computers or pumps:/ i left and was able to find a position on a cardiac floor, it was wonderful! U need ro be patient and find where u belong. And skills come before anything else.

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This is the beauty and the ugly of being a nurse we are driven to help those in need. We are overworked, sometime understaffed, underpaid but we press on. We change positions in an attempt to find the niche that is us. The area that despite all the muck and grime that goes with nursing still makes us feel fulfilled.

Those that are not cut out for the patient care sector will use their nursing education in other ways there are plenty of fields that still use your expertise. Try working in a nursing home and having 36 patients and 3 techs for 12 hours. Things can always be worse but remember to take care of yourself find a way to decompress, continue to vent to someone who is objective and a good sounding board. Pray it all works out for you.

Sooo... I just started my first job. I'm in the float pool at a 425 bed hospital in CT. I just began my 6th week of orientation, and it's going really well.

Today I had a particularly stressful day. We were short a tech, so each tech on the floor had 13 patients.... I had a 6 patient assignment. This specific floor ranges from 5-8 patients per nurse. 5 and 8 both being uncommon, 6-7 being the norm. I know this is not uncommon for most hospitals. And I know I'm still orienting and things haven't become second nature yet. Nonetheless - I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off for most of the shift. I hate feeling like I'm put in a position where I cannot physically DO the job that I am responsible for. I hate not feeling like I am providing compassionate, thorough care because I am too busy passing this or that med, helping with a boost, charting, restarting an infiltrated line, etc etc. I know I am capable of this job, and I can see that I'm gonna have to adjust my expectations, and I will. I just wish I had had time today to feed breakfast to the 92 year old woman being sent home on home hospice care tomorrow.

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I was a nurse for 10 weeks total. That was all I could take. Most all the (burnt out) veterens always felt this way, were sleep deprived, felt guilty and prayed for days off. That is no way to live.

What do you do now? Are you no longer a nurse?

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