How to adjust to new job?? Struggling...

Nurses General Nursing

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Been an RN for about 8 years. Recently changed jobs going from one major hospital system in my city to another major hospital system (tele/obs floor on both). Every single thing in the new hospital is different...the charting, the equipment, the physical environment, workflow, absolutely everything. The charting is 100x more detailed and complicated. I feel like a new RN rather than someone who is experienced. The turnover, pace, and patient load is more than I'm used to. They have a million protocols, pathways, and processes that I've never experienced. To say I feel stupid is an understatement. I feel like I'm utterly out of my league here. I have no idea what's going on with any of my patients because the pace is so great that once you get report, you are running non-stop for at least the first 8 hours and have no time to read or retain anything. On top of that I feel my orientation hasn't been managed properly, my main preceptor makes me feel dumb, and my stress and frustration is becoming evident which makes me look bad. At this point I have no idea how I will ever learn all this. I just don't think I'm good enough for this place. I feel my previous experience hasn't prepared me enough for this yet I'm an experienced RN so there is an expectation that I know what I'm doing. If you've experienced similar, how did you cope/adjust/bring yourself up to speed??

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

Unfortunately I am utterly useless at adjusting to new situations, so not really any advice here, lol, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you're feeling so out of place! It sounds like you have a lot to offer and deserve more patience and support than you're receiving, both from your preceptor and yourself. You said this person is your main preceptor but there are others, right? Any way you can maybe lean more heavily on them? What would you say your biggest struggles are - documentation, workflow, coworkers, etc.?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Any time you change hospital systems you run the risk of finding that you have become pretty ingrained in how things were done at the old place. It can take six months to a year to adjust.

The first time I changed jobs, I discovered the place I had been working was pretty lax on things like labeling IV lines, timing on blood pressure rechecks, timing on charting things, etc. My new place was super strict. It was good for me to tighten up my practice, but it hit me in the gut hard. I felt like a bad nurse for being so sloppy, but honestly my previous employer was the only place I had ever worked and I had no idea that I didn't know what I didn't know. Ultimately I was better for it, but the first year I was spoken to a lot about my practices and I had to adjust my thinking and way of doing things. It was depressing and humbling for a while there. Then one day it all started to click.

I hope it gets easier. Just know what you are going through is pretty normal.

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Couldn't agree more with other posters. I was so secure and confident in my old job. I started out on the wrong foot when I changed jobs, (it's complicated ?). It took at least a year to regain my self confidence.

Ideally you could find a supportive manager, charge nurse, or someone from nursing education to talk to and re-inservice you on what's giving you the most trouble.

If your bosses have any sense they don't want to lose a good nurse. It costs money to start all over with a new hire. Assume "they" want to help you succeed.

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I know this is an old topic, but I'm going trough something similar right now. I switched and left my hospital bedside nursing job for something completely different after being a hospital nurse for a long time. I am doing something that is not hospital related. I was so good at my old job, not the best, but I knew what I was doing and how to get the job done even if I wasn't the fastest at it. Now I work somewhere else.

I work for County Jail doing a variety of things as a nurse.

I'm only 4 months in, off orientation, but I'm still adjusting learning the protocols, documentation. I didn't think I would have a hard time adjusting, but amount of charting I have to do, the details I have to put into my charting just in case it goes to the court of law is so much.

Like the topic creator posted, my current job has so much protocols and rules, and this is not even a hospital setting.

Some say it takes 6 months to a year to click. I know I'm still early. But what makes me so nervous is what if it doesnt click at 6 months, 8 months, 12 months? am I better off just leaving. I already know this job is not something I want to do for past 12 month mark.

anyways, I apologize if I hi-jacked this thread. But if anyone here can help guide on what to do, I would appreciate it. I didn't I would say this, but I kinda miss the hospital compared to working for the Jail.

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Wheaties, just curious if you ever adapted to your job in corrections or eventually left?

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