How did you feel when you came off orientation?

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

In some ways I'm looking forward to coming off orientation, and others, I'm petrified. I still don't know where to find everything and the speed with which I perform patient is still pretty slow. On the other hand, I think I might benefit by not having someone looking over everything I do. It can be time consuming to chart to someone else's liking and nerve wracking to know you're being watched. Most importantly, will the patient benefit? Do I know enough to recognize the subtle signs of a patient going down the tubes before they become not too subtle? I feel like I'm relying too much on my preceptor to think for me.

Everyone here is pretty much new to nursing and this might be a fresh experience. Can you share with me how coming off orientation affected your ability to deliver patient care? Did things get better or worse? Did you find your groove? Did you feel more comfortable?

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Specializes in Adult ER.

i have about 5 shifts left of my orientation and i'm kind of looking forward to it. i am very scared :) but i think its the kick in the pants that i need. i am finding the transition from student to nurse a bit difficult because instead of trusting myself i find that i go to my orienter first.:uhoh21: :nono: sooooooo hopefully this will help me.

dani

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I felt scared out of my mind- in fact I think I gave myself an ulcer : P

The night I came off orientation (recent), it felt like nothing went right straight out of report. But it wasn't horrible, and I did fine : ) Once I had to go in the bathroom for a few minutes of some deep breathing. A couple days into being on my own I had my first emergent situation (young man having an MI on me : ( ) and my old preceptor just happened to be working that nite. He let me handle it on my own, but popped his head in to ask me how I was doing and did I need help etc. and when I had a ? all I had to do was ask him or anyone else working and they were so helpful.

I had a relatively long orientation at a place I have already been an employee at, so I am happy to be out on my own because deep down I know I am ready, and the confidence will build over time.

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Remember just because you are no longer orientating doesn't mean that you can't go to your supervisor, preceptor, and coworkers with questions.

In fact at my hospital if you even think someone is going down hill you go to the supervisor and give her the heads up. In most cases they will go with you and have a look.

melissa

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.

I also just came off orientation and am happy to be on my own. It's not that different really because I still ask lots of questions. I am definitely finding my own way with time management and I like that.

Also, when I was on orientation, there was a HUGE push by my preceptors to get my charting done, etc. I found that my preceptors were doing some of my patient care so I (they) could get out on time. I would rather experience the whole thing (get help when I really NEED it) and stay a little late finishing the paperwork. I can totally understand though that my preceptors wanted to get out on time and show me how to manage my time. I had a 12 week trauma/med/surg orientation and feel it gave me a great foundation. I also worked on this unit as a tech for a year prior to graduating so that helps in that I'm very used to our crazy trauma population.

You'll do fine. Just make sure to ask when you're not sure. The staff on my unit has and continues to be very helpful and supportive.

Good luck!

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Well....I've been off orientation for about a month now...I normally work in my home unit where we only care for 5 patients (total care) and our unit is an overflow of the ER (med-surg/tele)....I was doing fine until our unit temporarily closed due to low census of the hospital and bed control sends patients from ER directly to the med surg floor in the hospital...So since our unit was closed I had to float to the other floors....First day I was sent to the med-surg floor with 10 patients and I had an LVN and NT working with me...but still 10 patients...taking care of these patients was alright the only bad part of it is having to do all the documentations and then dealing with the families questions ( and the patients and the doctors...I work days by the way)...It was hell for me! But I survived it! Thank God!

Second day, I was sent to med-surg/tele floor with 8 patients and an LVN and a Tech. after listening to the report and the PM nurse giving me update and telling me it was an easy round, I told myself "hmmmnnnn....nice"....But it was a different story after that! I had a patient who was on restraints ( elderly) and the PM nurse had given her Ativan and Haldol during their shift so the patient was out if it and was literally oversadated and lethargic...so I had to deal with her family and doctor as to why this patient is so "out of it" and to top it this patient was a s/p knee replacement. To make story short, the day was hell for me too because I had a NT who was lazy as hell...I didn;t get to take my 2 15 minute break and my lunch break because I was constantly getting interrrupted by call lights and having to help patients to the BSC and getting ice, turning and repositioning patients,blanket etc for them because my aide was hiding somewhere or taking breaks ( I mean frequent and long breaks)...But I do appreciate my LVN though coz she helped me out so much. I seriously didn't feel like I have accomplished so much patient care wise. I was just glad that I made sure that I stayed focus with thier medications and did not make any meds error (knock on wood) that day. I ahd very needy patients and falmiles and then Doctor coming in giving orders or asking how their patients were. There was a time where I was confused and just went brain fart. Thank God that these doctors were nice enough not to yell or get mad at me ( knock on wood again). Oh and I had to stay another hour because I was behind with my documentations and clearing patients IV's for the next shift and also giving reports...The following were my group of patients:

1) s/p knee replacement with hx of AFIB/elderly

2) GI bleed with mental retardation/obese ( 2 patients)

3) Brain abscess with ALOC

4) Appendicitits with sudden onset of 18 beats Vtach (non English speaking)

5) ESRD with BKA (receiving dialysis)

6) ESRD with uncontrollable hypotension

7) s/p cholecystectomy r/o DVT (PE)

8) chest pain s/p MVP

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Specializes in Adult ER.

FRESHRN05

Wow that would have been hard. I had an opportunity to go with a float pool position but I declined it because I like to have a home to go to where things are some what familiar. I give you tons of credit, and hope that you don't have many days like that ..... OK I know its a nursing pipe dream that days aren't hell but I thought that I'd say it non the less :)

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FRESHRN05

Wow that would have been hard. I had an opportunity to go with a float pool position but I declined it because I like to have a home to go to where things are some what familiar. I give you tons of credit, and hope that you don't have many days like that ..... OK I know its a nursing pipe dream that days aren't hell but I thought that I'd say it non the less :)

Hi,

After what happened to me last night at work ( doing almost everything that my Nurse Tech should have done on top of my own responsibilities...hence not being able to take breaks and not able to get out in time) I came to realize that next time I come to work I will try to set my foot straight at the start of my shift and if I get to work with this aide again and she does the same thing, I will write her off or maybe tell my superior...maybe it's my mistake too for not saying anything to her but it was a mistake that I have learned the hard way and I promise myself not to let it happen again. I don't like to limit myself with my tasks just because I have an RN next to my name but hey there's a reason why we have team members and each member has to function within their own level of responsibilities...I don't mind wiping butts and changing linens but I have more important responsibilities that either an LVN or Nurse Tech are trained to do...Arggggggggg....I now feel the hard work I did yesterday...I woke up this morning with body sores (from lifting patients and running around like crazy at work yesterday):smackingf

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I was afraid I was going to kill someone. I wasn't confident, felt I didn't have the knowledge to be practice safely, felt inferior to the other nurses there, felt I would never get it, longed for the days when I was "just a tech" (no slam to techs there, but new grads will know what I'm saying), etc. etc.

Quite normal feelings actually.

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.
I was afraid I was going to kill someone. I wasn't confident, felt I didn't have the knowledge to be practice safely, felt inferior to the other nurses there, felt I would never get it, longed for the days when I was "just a tech" (no slam to techs there, but new grads will know what I'm saying), etc. etc.

Quite normal feelings actually.

BINGO! You have described every feeling I have. Unfortunately I'm coming off a rough patch of shifts where nearly everything I did was wrong. It's kind of like the domino effect. My orientation has been extended and I was given a pep talk by my very supportive unit directors after a mini meltdown at the med dispenser. I had been doing so well and then it just all seemed to fall apart.

Neuro trauma ICU is a pretty challenging place for a new grad. Downright brutal if I may say so. We (most of us orientees) are melting down and questioning our futures on the unit. I'm determined to see this through.

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Specializes in PACU.

Well . . .I am supposed to be off orientation this weekend . . .however, reality is, I have been on my own for the past 4 weeks. There has been someone "watching over" me, but reality has been, I did the work and asked questions where I needed to. I suspect that is how it will be once I am "officially" off orientation. I am scared though . . .which I know will continue for at least the next several months -year or so. Then hopefully it will get smoother. Some nurses I work with are great . . it is mostly per-diem or float people that I dont like bec they are lazy and not willing to help you - but then tell everyone you are incompetent bec you dont know something. I guess they forget what it is like to be new. I hope that each day will just get a little bit easier.

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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

I was scared, but I wanted to impress the nurses I was working with by being organized and on top of things, and asking questions when I needed to. Hmph. Well I managed to get an admission who turned out to have a dissecting aorta, ascending and descending. Yikes, is all I can say. It was a miracle he didn't code while I was holding the trashcan for him as he puked up stuff from lower down than it's supposed to be puked. After that I thought, oh well if they don't die or even come close, it's a good night.

I had a series of bad nights... and I'm sure they will all seem good the first time one of my patients codes, which fortunately hasn't happened yet. If you don't already have decent or good relationships with your other nurses, time to work on them 'cause they can be your lifesavers.

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