I feel like a horrible nurse!

[luckylucyrn]

So I graduated last December and took a position in the ED where I already worked as an intern for 1 1/2 years. Once I got licensed I completed 8 weeks of orientation and have now been on my own about 4 weeks. The first 3 weeks went fine, but last week was horrible! I worked four days last week and each day I had something go on that made me feel like I appear irresponsible or unsafe, even though I am careful. For example, I had an infiltrated IV (i didn't start the IV) or I let an intern label my labs....with the WRONG labels. I feel like i'm doing the best I can but this week i seem to have had these little things happen! Nothing ended up badly but I just feel like a horrible nurse! I have found that Nursing is WAY more stressful than I realized!

I feel like all I can do is learn from my expriences and be 100 times more careful but I keep sitting here questioning myself with things like, "did I remember to write that verbal order for this?" or "I can't remember wasting that medicine". I'm driving myself crazy! Any advice?

[nightingale, RN]

Are you keeping a diary of what you have done? I did that a lot in the beggining. I would review what I had learned and concentrated on that rather then driving myself wild with, did I remember this or that. Develop a triple check method to review what you are doing so you will not forget a step; sometimes, I write all my steps down in speed writing so I can play it again in my head to review.

Make sure you reward yourself with your successes.

I hope we hear a lot more about those successes and challenges down the road.

[CarVsTree]

Wow, 8 weeks orientation for ED?? That seems much to short. I had 3 months new grad orientation in med/surg/trauma. My friends that went straight to ED had 6 months. We are a large Level 1 trauma center though. Does your hospital have a busy ED?

I wish I could offer you some advice, but I don't know much about ED. I can tell by your post though, that you are NOT a horrible nurse.

[chachh, BSN, RN]

I think I made a post with the same title a few months ago!!!! Don't feel bad!!! I still have moments when I feel like a horrible nurse and terribly paranoid!!! I work on a tele floor and we have a lot of acute pt and have the most codes in our facility. I am constantly second guessing myself (even though I know!!!!!) and just feeling plain paranoid!

It will get better!!!

It will be a year for me next month and I do have better days more than not now. I think nursing can be very overwhelming when you are new, and you just have to take it a day at a time. Just take your time, mentally go over steps in your mind before you do them, and then double, triple check until you become comfortable with the task. Learn from your mistakes because you are human and you will make them!!!

Hang in there, it will get better!!!!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

It seriously takes a year in a busy ER to even realize what you DON'T know! Don't be too hard on yourself. In our level one ER, new grads get 12-16 weeks and even then, we don't dump them into a code situation or trauma without assistance.