How long does it take before the other nurses aren't afraid of me???

[UnbrokenRN09, BSN]

I graduated nursing school in May '09, and have been an RN since July '09. I work at a heart hospital and worked there as an intern for about a year prior to passing boards, so all the staff know me and I'm comfortable with the facility. It has been 7 months now and I feel pretty comfortable with my new role at this point. I still have to ask lots of questions when I run into new things (which is like every shift of course!) I feel like I'm pretty strong with my skills overall....I'm skilled with a needle most of the time, and i'm excellent at pulling sheaths. We have 4:1 nurse:patient ratio and I still routinely just get 2 patients most of the time. They do that with the new grads for a while. I have made some mistakes, nothing that harmed a patient, just mistakes that new nurses will make from lack of experience. In one instance I actually asked another nurse something and was given a wrong answer....which resulted in me running blood w/ 1/2 NS. I was so nervous about hanging blood for the first time off orientation that I couldn't remember that blood is ONLY hung with NS. The pt was already rec'ing 1/2 normal as maintenance fluids, so I asked my co-worker who was checking the blood with me if I could do that, and he said yes....I got a little talking to about that one of cours and I still beat myself up about it to this day.

I have not gotten any feedback about how I'm doing. I just want to know so badly if I'm doing a good job or not. I feel like maybe since I still get 2 patients a lot they think I'm a weak nurse and can't handle more than that. Not to mention the patients I get are usually the more unpleasant ones....lots of poop, contact precautions, or just very routine type things. But then there's days that my assignment will go from stupidly easy to ridiculously busy. I'll get back to back direct admits with lots of things going on, or all of them will go to cath lab and I spend my entire 12 hour shift pulling sheaths and doing groin checks it seems.

So in nursing is "no news good news"? I'm just frustrated and want to get to where I'm respected and seen as a strong nurse and not just "the new girl". Plus it doesn't help that I'm a little shy and have a touch of social anxiety disorder....so I tend to clam up and just follow in group situations when I know what needs to be done and how to do it.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

hi, the answer to your question is: no, if you wish to progress and move to more challenging assignments and be treated with more respect, you must get feedback. in fact, in order to become a stronger nurse, you will need more challenging assignments along with additional training. btw, i have a similar issue.

i started in the er while i had less then a year nursing experience in acute care. since i changed over, i started (like they start all new nurses who are also new grads) with easy assignments. long story short, i have almost spent the last 6 months on beds that have become a joke to me! once in a blue moon i get cardiac traumas or assignments but that is usually by accident (the er is full) or because the charge nurse who does not think i am weak assigns me such patients. in fact i have begun to hate my job because i feel insulted plus i feel that i am wasting my skills every shift i show up to work!

for example, i have been in situations where nurses who have less ed experience, no certs (acls or pals), who are pt, and put in about 1-2 shifts per month assigned the difficult beds over me. i was never given an explanation as to why, though i heard rumors that the other nurses are "strong" nurses (meaning i am not). anyway, long story short, i finally had enough when the other night two new nurses that graduated in may got assigned more difficult patients. btw, one just got off of orientation and this is her first job!! therefore the other night i spoke to my nurse manager.

during our meeting, i completely kept the focus on me and my goals even though i was angry as heck and wanted to say a lot more then i should!! well, guess what? i found our meeting insightful and helpful.

my nm agreed that there was no way i was going to gain more critical care clinical skills given my current assignments. however, there are other areas of nursing in the er i could improve on while i take such assignments. in fact, we came up with a plan that will get me off of the easy beds and back on track to the more challenging assignments, which ironically i had prior to moving into this ed (i worked a cardiac step-down, a general med surge floor, an icu, and a chest pain unit prior to working in this ed). gl!

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

Do you ask questions after you try and figure it out on your own or before? Sometimes asking a lot of questions that can be problem solved on your own can look like your not ready for complex patients. I always try and look things up or call pharmacy etc BEFORE I ask for help. Questions ARE good but only if you try to use your critical thinking skills first.