Is everyone's first day this "Great"

[Feelgood RN]

Today is my first day after orientation as a nurse on my own. So far it's been a train wreck. I was assigned a Pt on palliative care that started crashing right after shift change. After a decidedly eventful morning they passed.

For lunch I got right up to the point of spiking a bag before realizing the name on the label was wrong. The med/dose/route and everything was exactly the same as another Pt, even after checking the band and the label I didn't see it until I was about to spike it.

Is this how the first day is suppose to go...man I feel like crap

Edit: forgot to add that my Pt was the first to pass on this Inpt floor and that no one knew what to do about it...it was a total ClusterF....bleh

[westieluv]

It sounds to me like you are being too hard on yourself as a new nurse on your first day off of orientation.

The palliative patient had a life altering illness in order to qualify for palliative care, so even if they were not yet on hospice, their dying likely had nothing to do with you or your care. I've worked in pretty much all facets of hospice and I can tell you that many patients who should be on hospice are not and end up dying on palliative care because they could not accept that they were dying. It's the nature of the beast. The fact that the other staff didn't know how to handle a patient death was also not on you, they should have been trained for the possibility of such an event and therefore been able to advise you. That was a lapse in training that caused a problem, not you.

The thing about the IV bag: You should be patting yourself on the back! The point is, you DIDN'T spike it and administer it to the wrong patient, you caught yourself before a med error was made. Med errors like giving the wrong IV med to the wrong patient happen every day, and by more experienced nurses than you. The fact that you caught yourself before you potentially did harm to the patient means that you are conscientious and did what you were supposed to do, especially in light of it being your first day working independently as a nurse and the other events that were going on.

Give yourself a break. It will get easier and you will learn to trust your skills and instincts. Bad days happen to all of us and then we move on, just as in any other profession.

Congrats on making it through a stressful day!!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Palliative patients are on palliative care BECAUSE they're dying. If you helped them pass with dignity and comfort, you succeeded as a nurse. Death is the natural conclusion to life, not a sign of failure.

[Feelgood RN]

I know about palliative care, it just felt horrible having one of my first patients pass away...also not a great way to start a shift with all the chaos and such.

I'm certainly glad I didn't actually give the med, but I've been ridiculously paranoid all day now with every med I've given. Man long day.

Thanks for the encouragement! I know it's not always bad, but to start out like today is...dangit can't find the little poop guy

[Farawyn]

Somebody said there would be days like these.

Congrats and good luck.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Don't beat yourself up! My first shift off orientation (in my first acute care job) was awful, but it got better!

Look at it this way: You didn't give the wrong med. You did catch it! Pat yourself on your back for that. Give yourself some credit and realize, it does get easier. You are a new nurse, correct? It takes time. Always ask for help. And keep telling yourself that you are doing a good job. Trust me, it does get better!

[lavenderskies, BSN]

Hang in there! You survived and this too shall be a good story to tell someday.