Published Dec 31, 2008
roadtorn
2 Posts
Help, I am a new grad and having a bit of anxiety about the hospital I work for. Nurses who give less than adequate report, nurses who document tasks they never did, doctors who treat you like a second class citizen, arriving to work only to be told they are over staffed and its your turn to go home, unsupportive seasoned nurses. Does this happen at every hospital?? Appreciate any feedback.
Up2nogood RN, RN
860 Posts
Welcome to nursing baby :scrm:The hospital I work at has magnet status and is pretty good but some floors are worse than others. You will always run into those nurses who shame the profession and Dr's who treat you like crap. It's time to put on the big girl panties and hold your head up high and rise above the BS that we work with.
NeoNurseTX, RN
1,803 Posts
yes, welcome to nursing! there's a reason why there's a shortage!
ajbsn2009
1 Post
Sorry to say this but not all hospitals are like this, but most of them yes have those certain nurses and doctors who treat you like a second class citizen. Certain nurses (nurses who have been nurses when we were in diapers) have a strong opinion about new graduates and nursing programs these days. They believe the focus has changed to more technical and "education" rather than patient care. They also don't like new ways of learning things since they have been doing their way of nursing for years. Not all nurses are as passionate and caring as some of us may be. Also doctors - some of them are just snooty and walk around with their nose in the air. Don't take it personally. From experience in clinicals the main thing is for you to be confident and show them that you are not just a new graduate nurse. You have to show those older nurses and those doctors that you are willing to learn and that you want to be a nurse on that floor, thats why your there. Eventually things will cool off and they will learn to appreciate you and not be so harsh.
Good luck in your new grad program.
Happy New Year too!
locolorenzo22, BSN, RN
2,396 Posts
some docs treat you like you know not a thing...some docs are very supportive and actually listen when you suggest things. some nurses don't care and leave you lots of stuff to do as soon as you arrive. some nurses are wonderful and have stuff done when you get there. usually units call you before you get there to tell you your on call, some wait til you get in, have you do tasks for 2 hours and then go home...it's crud.
some floors are better than others, but I'm a nurse for a reason: I care about my job. It's important...and some days the only thing that gets me through is saying :"at least I have a job."
flyakite80
57 Posts
Do you work at my hospital? :chuckle Sounds so familiar. The only difference is we are never overstaffed, always understaffed. Nobody gets sent home. I am new too and I'm learning quickly that this is the nature of the profession, there are a lot of difficult circumstances to deal with. I'm hoping it gets better with time.
Virgo_RN, BSN, RN
3,543 Posts
Some things I have learned in my first year:
1) Never, EVER rely on the previous nurse's report. Always read the progress notes and check the chart yourself, and do a head to toe assessment you can bank on.
2) Doctors are only human; some are nicer than others, and some have better social skills than others. Outside of downright abuse, the doctor's skill at practicing medicine is of more significance than their personality. I'd rather have a doctor make the right choices for treating a patient than a doctor who is nice but overlooks important aspects of the patient's treatment. Both qualities are ideal, but not to be expected. They're there to do a job, just like you are, not to socialize or win popularity contests.
3) Identify your resources early and use them often. Unsupportive seasoned nurses are not your resources. Seasoned nurses who are willing to help you are. If none of the latter exist on your unit, then you will have to become very self sufficient. Your resources are not only people, but policy and procedure. If you follow P&P to the letter, you can't go wrong.
4) Toughen up. Never let em see you sweat, never let em see you cry.
Some things I have learned in my first year:1) Never, EVER rely on the previous nurse's report. Always read the progress notes and check the chart yourself, and do a head to toe assessment you can bank on.
This is HUGE! I couldn't agree with you more. I can't tell you how many times I didn't get very vital information in report. Thankfully I learned while I was on orientation to check the orders and the chart before treating the patient.