I've worked on a tele floor for 6 months. Great hospital, great co-workers. I'm 50x faster than I was, and 110% more experienced, but I feel grossly inadequate. (I'm a LPN, finish RN in Dec.) I'm haunted by being told (4 weeks ago) that I was "unsafe" by a charge nurse. (ESRD pt w/low platlet count and possible PE, MD ordered heparin. I couldn't start IV #2 on pt and asked charge to help. I then thought (duh), isn't heparin contraindicated w/ low platlet count?? Why didn't MD see that in the labs? Anyway, I was told that I'm unsafe because I didn't catch the contraindication right away. ~geez, I'm an inexperienced LPN.)
I've talked with the charge nurses, and with the manager who hired me, and they are all very supportive. I just feel like crap, and can't seem to get out of this rut. I'm told this feeling is "normal", but I don't think that crying myself to sleep every night seems normal. How long will this go on?? I don't want to quit my job, but I hate my job. I feel pulled in every direction all at once, as if I'm required to be all-knowing and all-seeing. (I'm sorry if you got d/c orders at 0830, I've got meds to pass before I can do your paperwork, and the charge nurse has to approve the paperwork... after I track down the MD who ordered "continue home meds" without specifying on that pesky MEDICATION RECONCILIATION FORM exactly which meds are to be continued. And, oops, the pt across the hall claims to be having 10/10 chest pain.)
I recognize that this is stuff that happens every day, and will continue to happen forever. I just HATE the way I feel about it. How do I get through it without being so miserable?
Wow! I should have put my post about orientation that's in the LTC forum over here.
I believe that if these nurses, that give people a hard time during preceptorship/orientation. Would just remember, that when they got out of school, there were alot of things they didn't know and/or wasn't prepared for and someone had to train them. That would help facilitate the new grad's learning process.
I really dislike it when nurses act like they never moved slow, never made an error and know everything.
Nursing is an ever learning process, for the seasoned as well as for the beginning nurse.
i don't think it's any easier in long term care. on my 4th shift, i was put in charge of a medicare hall with 30 patients on a night shift with a HUGE 6 a.m. medpass, 3 new admits and a deaf cna. here i am, grossly undertrained as far as paperwork goes, i don't know where anything is, and i've got to run get the cna when an alarm goes off, while she sits there and reads a book. it is an exercise in the ridiculous.
in the meantime, there are rules galore about everything you can imagine, and some stuff you couldn't have imagined. i've got to personally apply all the prescription cremes, the patients need 3 sets of eyedrops spaced 3 mins apart, etc. the workload is designed for someone who is familiar with everything and can move with blinding speed. that's not me!
it sucks. i'm absolutely astounded that the company i work for doesn't have enough sense to properly orient someone. when you're being told the red is for this, the blue is for this, the orange circles are for this, at about the 8th color your eyes glaze over. of course, not a single bit of this is written down in an orientation packet (there is no orientation packet that applies to the things that really have to do with patient care or to run the system). tonight, we may have the state board come in. so here i am on my 5th shift. ugh.
but there it is. the upside is with overtime i'll make almost 90k this year. i've got to survive the first month, and then i think i'll be o.k.
we're all in good company :). i'm doing this for 2 years, until i get my mba. it's a small wonder there's a shortage of bedside nurses!
Believe me, the same stuff happens after 27 years in nursing. Doctors are uncaring/incompetent/unresponsive. Too many sick patients to care for. Crisis upon crisis, all needing your time and expertise, and none of them geting the attention they deserve. The littlest problems making the biggest noise. Supervisors focusing upon the mundane and missing the big picture. It is universal, seemingly unending and ultimately what drives good nurses into other professions. What would Florence say?
Yeah I am sure we all feel it. It comes from all the hard work we do in school and the the under appreciation we get from the people we work with when we get out. I can understand sick people being cranky and families in crisis being needy, I get that and realize it is how it goes and I amy be the same way. @#%^& Fellow nurses that bob there heads and roll the eyes and click the tonque I am over it. I am a nurse to and NO I AM NOT PERFECT, but don not treat like I took you life savings becaue I did not get something the 2nd time you told me. GROW UP AND BE NICE. Your educator was right it is very depressing. THis email is not directed to yuo just to the people that cant help themselves but to feel better but bring misery to people who happy to be there and eager to learn. THanks for letting me vent. I will be working the night shift maybe I will talk to you later on tonight.
Thanks for all of your comments - I read them all. I've been so miserable but somewhat relieved to know that I'm not so crazy after all and many of us are having similar issues/problems.. About three months into employment (including 9 weeks of OT), I work in busy med/surg unit at night and my life is just out of whack.. It's usually okay when I don't have to think about work, but whenever I do I get emotional and cant' stop crying.. (almost everyday.. ) I guess I'm depressed too.. Being a floor nursing is not what I imagined when I was in nursing school.. I just want my health and sanity back.. Where is my happiness..?? I used to be a happier person but all I have now is feeling of resentment, sadness, and hopelessness..
I moved from Oregon to California simply because I couldn't find a hospital job in Portland for three months. My husband even quit his job because of me and came down here to support me.. Now I'm finding myself hating my "nursing job" and wanting to quit it everyday.. Is there such a nursing job that is less physically & emotionally demanding and less stressful..? I don't care even if I get paid considerably less. Even working at a grocery store sounds good to me.. Since I signed the contract, I have to work at least for a year - otherwise I have to pay back 6,000 dollars of relocation assistance fee. What have I gotten myself into..? I want to have a baby this year but I don't know if I can carry a healthy baby under this much stress and compromised immune system.. I wanted to be a competent, compassionate nurse but I can't even care for myself now.. I'm so drained and burn out already.. I try to do my best while at work, but life gets miserable outside work.. My mind must be doing some kind of trick on me.. I wish I were stronger.. I have no choice but stick to it for a year and decide then.. Sorry for rambling on.. I hope everyone is doing better than me.. I still have tremendous respect for nurses.. Best wishes to you all.
A while back, I was having the exact thoughts as yours now - what am I getting myself into??? Not too long after I grad, I already tried to explore some other non nursing areas, even thought of getting back into my previous career. And I hate that my school didn't tell us the real aspect about nursing. My school preached that to be a nurse is like to be a saint. They said nurses are being respected everywhere....blah...blah...blah and they preached on and on and on...
When I read the "Grad nurses vs. Experienced nurses joke" thread couple of days ago, I found it is so true and laughed big time. I think as time goes by, you know there is no perfect nursing jobs and we are not really doing much nursing jobs on the floor anyway, you will build up your survival skills. Everyone wants to do a good job but when the floor is crazy, there is only so much you can do therefore you will leave behind something important hoping nobody will die as a result of this. Therefore, many of us turn to smoking or other relief mechanisms to reduce stress. And the wrong choice may lead to family disasters.
Anyway, I'm still a floor nurse and I have definitely noticed my changes before and after. I'm still doing the best I can do for my patients but I will prioritize with patients' safety as the top goal. I'll make sure the md's orders are making sense and MARs are up to date with the orders put in the computers. Then comes basic charting/documentation. Those extra picky unnecessary documentation "required" by admin will be on the bottom of my list (optional).
Regarding the depression issue stated in earlier replies, I think this is due to the broken dream of nursing. In school, they won't tell us what the floor will be like, nor do they teach us floor nursing survival skills. We are only fed with positive information (except the tremendous tests/exams at school). So we all graduate happily with our eyes all looking up only to find out the *mysteries* of floor nursing. It feels like you have won a $10m lottery ticket then found out the ticket was fake when you redeem it. Then you said to yourself- "I was in school for 3 years and look what I've got now."
I'm sure if you hang on, you will get better as you have more experience. Sometimes there may be an experienced nurse on the floor that is willing to be your mentor to help you through this period. There are areas that is less stressful (like OR or OB) I believe but it may be harder to get into. Usually, the career will eat the young so pretty much 99% of us go to the big med/surg gator pool first for a year or so, then look for opportunity to jump out of the sinking boat.
I typed as my thought led me and I may have offended somebody reading this post. If yes, I apologize in advanced.
Well put AC439. I think the disillusionment does stem in part from nursing school, and of course the stars in our own eyes. I mean really, if someone had told me the truth, I don't know if I would have believed them. Of course, with my aspirations to be supernurse I could at least "make a difference" with the patients I took care of. As my one instructor told me (post graduation of course) "sometimes i stand up there and think I should tell them how it really is." But of course if our instructors "warned" students against the perils of nursing--I don't think the instructor would keep their job too long!!
Hey, this is the saddest thing I have heard of in a long time. We arent not going to make big changes especially the one we thought we would in school. However, with all the things that nursing is you never have to at the bedside if you chose. I love the bedside, I realize patients are demanding sometimes and there is never enough time to do all the things we want let alone the things we need to get done. I always think back to why I went to school because people d need us and Doctors need us. I realize Doctors can be asses and so can patients. I htink we are worse to eachother than all the Doc and patients combined. Please do not give up on a dream that you worked sooooooooooooo hard for. Look in different avenues. You should not feel the way you do so find a different road to travel. You will make a big difference in a different way. You can and will be suucssesful. I hope you see that. Much lick
I just started working on a med surg/telemetry floor. Very tough. ONly 3 weeks in and feel I am being eaten alive. Will give it 6 months. Using this as a platform to move to other units. Thank God nursing has much to offer.
Nursing doesnt have to be miserable. orientation is miserable and even for the nurses that have been for along time and move to differnet places andhave to learn a new system/ Please dont give in or give up. I know it easy to want to though.:chair: :pumpiron:
BlessedbyGod
108 Posts
Wow! I should have put my post about orientation that's in the LTC forum over here.
I believe that if these nurses, that give people a hard time during preceptorship/orientation. Would just remember, that when they got out of school, there were alot of things they didn't know and/or wasn't prepared for and someone had to train them. That would help facilitate the new grad's learning process.
I really dislike it when nurses act like they never moved slow, never made an error and know everything.
Nursing is an ever learning process, for the seasoned as well as for the beginning nurse.