I suck!

Sabby_NC · Mar 14, 2008

You are a 'fresh' nurse and it will take time.

Can you speak with the preceptor you had before being 'let loose' on your own and get some positive feed back from them?

Don't be so hard on yourself either.

Be proactive ok? :)

pagandeva2000, LPN · Mar 14, 2008

I have been an LPN since 2006, and I thought that I could not critically think, either for some time. In fact, I still question occasionally if I can. But, when I compare myself to when I first started to now, I know differently. I learned tons more. And, I learned to be patient with myself because I am learning each day.

Also, do not pay attention to RNs that disregard LPNs. Bottom line is that you are basically still a new nurse. It takes years to learn how to navigate the system, think more independently and instinctively. Good luck!

Miami NightNurse · Mar 14, 2008

Also, do not pay attention to RNs that disregard LPNs. Bottom line is that you are basically still a new nurse. It takes years to learn how to navigate the system, think more independently and instinctively.

I agree with above statement. When I was a new nurse I relied on experienced LPN's to teach me because I was the only RN, I learned alot from them. I work with a few LPN's now who know alot more than most RN's- so don't pay attention to that trash. As for Critical thinking it takes time. I didn't feel comfortable as a nurse for atleast the first 3 years. When you come across something you don't fully understand. Type it in Google and read about it. I do that all the time, learn something new every day. Ask lots of questions

pagandeva2000, LPN · Mar 14, 2008

I agree with above statement. When I was a new nurse I relied on experienced LPN's to teach me because I was the only RN, I learned alot from them. I work with a few LPN's now who know alot more than most RN's- so don't pay attention to that trash. As for Critical thinking it takes time. I didn't feel comfortable as nurse for atleast the first 3 years

It is not (always) the title, it is the dedication and experience that will get you by. You will always meet some LPNs and RNs that are sucky, and others that are phenomenal. Do your best. Have some ready made resources with you like a small pocket guide for drugs, lab values, and a few of the things you need to remind you of things, and bottom line is to ask questions. No one knows or can do everything. This is why they employ more than one person.

Diary/Dairy, RN · Mar 14, 2008

First off - Being new at anything makes a learning curve. We all have to go through that.

Second, be good to yourself. You made it this far. Give yourself some credit! It is going to get better. Don't say, "I suck" Talk back to that internal critic! It is something I am still working on myself!

:icon_hug:

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2008

Girlfriend, you need to take a deep breath!

First of all, you aren't happy with the program you graduated from. What can you do about that now? Yes, you are right, there is nothing you can do about it, it is water under the bridge. You have your education, you passed your NCLEX you have what you need, time to move away from the stinking thinking. I feel like my school didn't prepare me enough, but the more I think about it, the more I realize, there is no way any school can prepare you for everything you may encounter as a nurse.

Whenever someone has a better intervention than me, I file it away in my mind to use next time I am in that situation. There is no way any nurse in their first year is going to know the correct intervention for every situation. The reason more experienced nurses get paid more is because they are MORE EXPERIENCED NURSES. You have to make a deal with yourself that you will do the best YOU can for your patients and do the best you can do, leave the rest at the door.

For the RN/LPN thing. If someone has an issue with you because of the letters behind your name and their name it is their problem, why are you owning it? You can't control what people think but you can control how you think and respond to it.

I mean this kindly, but it sounds to me like you lack self confidence. Self confidence is something you have to give to yourself, nobody else can give it to you. Instead of focusing on what you perceive that you are doing wrong, focus on what you do right. Nursing is overwhelming, the learning curve is almost vertical and we have people lives in our hands, when they are vulnerable. It is scary.

You can do this, focus on your good qualities. Keep a journal of your feelings and be sure to give yourself a pat on the back about something you do every shift. Believe in yourself, you got through nursing school and passed the NCLEX, you can do this!

eccentricRN · Mar 14, 2008

Dear, YOU ARE NOT ALONE... i find myself second guessing the littlest things sometimes... thankfully the nurses I work with are great... usually I know the answer already, but... you just need a little nudge... and you know what nursing is about always learning... old or new, you have something to learn always & always will... if you're anything like me that's what drew me to the field in the first place... I'm only into my second month of nursing & usually I'm feeling nervous, but I get good feedback from those I work with... I figure give me a year or 2 & maybe I'll be feeling ok as a nurse... we'll see... HANG IN THERE I'm rooting for you!!

nursemike, ASN, RN · Mar 14, 2008

I don't think finishing the first year is some kind of magic milestone--it is a milestone, but you don't automatically wake up on your 366th day and say, "Aha! Now I get it!" I'm sure you are a good deal more skillful than you were, a year ago, and you'll be better still, a year from now, but it's kind of a gradual process. It's possible you may never have an "Aha!" moment--doesn't mean you aren't building a body of knowledge and experience every day.

I'm not looking to start a fight, so please bear with me a moment, but as far as critical thinking goes, as an LPN you are a Licensed Practical Nurse, so--at least in theory--your training is focused more on the practical aspects of nursing, and less on the theoretical. That's why we RNs get to do all the highly technical stuff like initial assessments and first runs of antibiotics, IV pushes and hanging blood. You aren't supposed to be as good at critical thinking. That's why you do the not-so-technical stuff, like second runs of antibiotics and follow-up assessments, and...Ahem...well, that's the theory...

So, will you suddenly acquire better critical thinking skills when you get your RN? Uh, well, actually, you might, since you'll come to it already having the knowledge and experience you've gained as a working nurse. There were several LPNs in my ASN program, and they were miles ahead of the rest of us. Personally, I was so focused on passing the next test and not killing anybody in clinicals that I couldn't even think about critical thinking. I do think I developed some skills struggling through all those cursed careplans, but critical thinking remains a challenge, and likely always will. I think it gets easier as your practical skills improve--now that I can start an IV in less than an hour, I have a little more time to think--but I don't think it ever gets easy.

Most of all, I think it's important to be realistic in your expectations. You are an apprentice nurse, beginning to move into the journeyman phase. You say you're doing hospice, so I imagine you work a lot more independantly than I do, but going on three years I still rely a lot on my more experienced co-workers when facing unfamiliar situations. A lot more situations are familiar, now, than they were a year ago, or two, but these pesky patients have a real knack for coming up with surprises, and I've seen them catch my "rockstar" co-workers by surprise, a time or two, as well.

With all my...months...of experience, I now define a good nurse as one who shows up, takes their assignment and does the best they can with it, and comes back for more on the next shift. It sounds like you fit that bill, so you don't suck. I've seen a few first-year nurses who were pretty darned sharp, but I haven't yet met a great one, and wouldn't expect to. I think you are on the right track in thinking more education will be helpful, and I would expect to get some benefit from my BSN, if I ever get around to going back for it. I mean, when I get around to going back for it. But you're learning more on the job than you ever will in school, and you'll get to greatness soon enough, if you continue dragging your sorry butt to work.

Oh, and about the letters: I sometimes find myself in the position of having to "cover" LPNs on my floor. Some with 10+ years of experience, some with the same or less experience than me. With the less experienced ones, we put our heads together and figure things out together, and if we still aren't sure, we ask the charge nurse, or someone else with more experience. With the more experienced ones, I ask them what they want me to do, and I do it. That's delegation in the real world.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 14, 2008

I like to think of the evolution of critical thinking as coats of paint. Your education in theory and basic clinical skills is your base coat. Each new experience that you learn from adds color to the next coat and each coat adds depth to your thought processes. The more you learn and understand about something, the more intuitive your thinking becomes, in the same way that successive coats of paint eliminate the streaks and patchy areas on your wall. For example, after 11 years working in PICU, I'm processing things as I walk up to my bedside and making my plan of action simply from looking at the patient and equipment at my station. I already have a fair idea of what the first hour's priorities will be before I even get report. I certainly didn't get there overnight, and I still learn something new almost every day, adding color to the paint in my bucket. Does this make sense? (I'm post-nights and only took a nap... maybe I sound psychotic!)

SillyStudent, ASN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

The RNs dont even want to work with the LPNs less alone give a new LPN advice.

A Rockstar LPN taught my New-Grad RN Butt to start IV's a few weeks ago. I only thought I knew how to do it. She is in Endoscopy and could put a line in a stump, I am convinced. She is also really freaking smart.

My MIL is also a Rockstar LPN. Do not let anyone make you feel somehow inferior. You are new and have to get seasoned. So am I, and the letters after our names have nothing to do with that. :twocents:

LPN30 · Mar 15, 2008

Thanks to all who replied. I really needed the support. Im just taking a day at a time and I will try to suck in as much info as I can to become better. Anyone have advice on how to communicate more effectively with an interdisciplinary team during meetings? I get so nervous I get sick and break out in sweats and I have to go through this as a hospice case manager every two weeks.