I'm an ADRENALINE junkie...and I'M SCARED!

Jennifer, RN · Jun 14, 2006

Assume every pt has a life threatening illness. Watch your ped pts closely, they can go bad QUICK. Treat the techs/emts in your dept with the utmost respect, they bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to the dept.

scrmblr · Jun 14, 2006

pray.

and ASK QUESTIONS!

JMBM · Jun 16, 2006

First, if your facility has a 6-month internship, they won't let you out without training wheels until you are ready. So, relax, you'll have guidance and help. Next, it may seem counter-intuitive, but concentrate (at first) at slowing down. Learn to take a deep breath once and awhile. You get fast by knowing what you are doing. You learn what you are doing by concentrating and understanding the tasks. Internships are for learning, so take full advantage of it. The speed will come naturally as you learn. Third, memorize the following phrase and use it often, "I don't know how to do that but I'd really like to learn." Whatever you do, don't pretend to know something you don't. Ask for help. Good ED nurses are team players. You'll never be alone. Finally, adrenaline will not get you through a 12 hour shift, let alone a string of them. The codes and traumas do happen, but I think you'll find that 90% of ED nursing is an endless parade (or flood) of sick and not-so-sick folks from all stages and walks of life. If you are in it just for the codes, you'll soon be unhappy. But if you can appreciate the challenge of constantly juggling umpteen balls in air in a constantly changing situation, you'll have a ball. Best of luck.

HillNPStudent · Jun 17, 2006

Hey,
I just started my new job Monday into the ED at a Level 1 trauma center. I am SCARED to death! I just graduated/got my RN liscense...and now onto the bigger plans. I will be in "internship" for the next 5-6 months, but it's still SCARY. Any words of advice to get me through my "jitters"???
Kari, RN :-) ...i just like writing that now!...

Hey Pike! I too am from that area, maybe you are familiar with Belfry? I did not attend Pikeville College, however, moved away to school. I have been a nurse now for a couple years; I started working post-graduation in Lexington on a post open-heart unit and LOVED IT...hubby and I eventually moved and now I am in a 12-bed CCU and working on my MSN as a nurse practitioner. I have learned SO much since graduation and still do every day. You will find that a big part of your learning begins AFTER graduation. The real fun starts now.

Just from my own experience, ask tons of questions, my former nursing preceptor once told me the only dumb question is the one never asked. No nurse knows everything. Learn as much as you can from every experience. I have also found that acting confident and competent around your patients, even though you may be shaking in your boots can help ease the patient and family in any stressful situation. Fake it till you make it, basically, when it comes to acting competent and professional. Make sure you take time off for yourself and relax; our job is a stressful one and you will burn out if you don't enjoy yourself every now and then. And finally, remember why you started this career in the first place. You will have to deal with short-staffing, high acuities, stressful situations, etc...etc...etc....but remember you are there for your patient and everything you do should revolve around that. Message me if you want, I'm sure you'll do fine, Lexington has a lot of great hospitals and programs for new grads, you'll love it. Congrats again!!

bamagurl · Jun 19, 2006

So how is the er nursing going. This is what i had thought about doing once i graduate. Its seems to be exciting.Bamagurl

jbird125 · Jun 25, 2006

I agree, always act confident infront of the patients, they don't know you have just started, they have just arrived with an unexpected injury or illness and are frightened, let them think you know everything and they will trust you 100%, and it will become easier.

Saying that don't be afraid to ask questions. We always say the most important thing in our department is knowing when to ask a question, whilst it is ok to bluff it infront of patients it is most certinatly not ok to bluff it infront of your work mates, while you don't always have to follow what they say, they will have years of experience for you to draw on.

You will meet a nurse when you start who to you is what a nurse should be, although they were not my offical mentor ive found one and unoffically adopted them, they are what i think a good A+E nurse should be, find your own person to follow.

Happy-ER-RN, RN · Jun 30, 2006

I only had 6 weeks of orientation as a new grad in the ED, so don't worry, you will be well prepared before you are off on your own.

First off, you have to think about what exactly is making you nervous.

If you feel like people are expecting you to know more than you do, don't worry, they don't!!! Nursing school is just to prepare you to learn how to do your job. You are not supposed to know how to be an ER nurse yet.

If you are worried about harming someone, just vow to yourself that if you are ever in a situation where you are unsure, you will just ask someone to help you. You can say, Hey, I haven't had a lot of patients like this, what do I need to look out for. Or if it's a new medicine or drip, just say, hey, I've never done a dopamine drip before, can you help me make sure I titrate it right. They will usually then volunteer any information you need to know to safely give this medicine to the patient and what to watch for. If not, just ask, Is there anything specific I need to watch out for? the drug book just gives you a list of everything that could happen, you will need to ask questions to really know what a medicine will do. I have been in the ED for over a year now and I still ask questions anytime I am doing something I have never done before, even if it's something simple. I don't care if people think I am stupid, my patients are safe and well taken care of.

At first try to just relax, kick back and observe. You will learn little bits at a time, DON'T try to put it all together at first. Don't even think about how you will ever learn to do everything, just learn a little bit every day. I used to have panic attacks about little things, like how do they always know who to call--they are always on the phone (we have portable phones), calling repiratory, CT, the charge nurse, the doctor, I finally made myself a little phone list that I carry in my pocket. I also carry a little calculator in my pocket. My phone list and especially my calculator have saved my a$$ countless times. When the trauma surgeon is screaming call the OR and tell them we are coming up NOW! And everyone is looking around at each other trying to remember the number since sometimes your brain doesn't work when you are stressed, I just pull out my little phone list and off we go.

Good luck, you will be fine. I always used to tell myself when I would really get stressed "Okay, this is not rocket science, I just need to assess, give meds, and if all else fails, know how to use an ambu bag and push the code button." I know it's not that easy, but it really helped to tell myself that!

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2006

gets better as you get older and wiser