i was a nurse for about a year and a half before i came to the icu. i felt fine out there (of course after the initial wanting to throw up every night i had to go to work;)) and i wanted something more challenging. i've been in the unit for a little over a year, about 9 months off orientation, and i'm finding myself wondering if it was the wrong choice.
i love it, but i'm having a really hard time with the whole big picture and having to think about meds, patho, etc so fast at times. i tend to freeze even if i know what to do. i always second guess myself even when i know i'm right simply because i'm so self-conscious about everything i do. well, not everything, but the stuff that's out of the ordinary.
i mean, i've only seen like 2 codes and only had one of them as a patient so i still have minimal experience with that. just because i work there now doesn't mean that i know what to do if something happens ( i mean, besides push the code light and get an airway, while, of course, yelling for help:d). i see all these nurses be so calm and cool about things when they happen and more than anything else i want to be like that.
i just wonder if it's taking me too long to adjust....my coworkers don't seem to have a high opinion of me, but when i do a skill (a swan, or something) and then i don't see it again for another 3 months, what am i supposed to do? i ask for help when i need it, but i still come out feeling lame.
also, if you couldn't tell, i'm in a whiny mood! lol