Been on my own for 1yr now, was an aide for 2. I am sick of hearing about openness to learning and inexperience. I work on a cardiac step down unit that has a plentiful mix of med-surg patients. A few of the more experienced nurses have commented that I shouldn't do this or that due to my experience level. I have NEVER made any sort of mistake on my floor (but sure I will) but have not yet, and receive more positive feedback from patients than most on my floor. I do ask a lot of questions just not of those who criticize my work (imagine that).
Point is this. Experience doesnt make you good at anything necessarily. Lotta people have been driving their whole lives and are still poor at it etc. Some of us can do in 1 yr what others may need 3 to accomplish.
A good nurse is about time management, foresight, understanding complexities of patient processes/meds, bedside rapport, and others. Experience isnt a guarantee that any of those things develop.
So to all you vets out there recognize the talent not the years. I know many of you feel like you gotta earn your stripes in this work. Maybe be more concerned with the environment you create by trying to exert your stripes.
A truly good nurse has all the attributes to be a good nurse far before they are a nurse. Born not made.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
. Prevalence of codes and ICU transfers may not be the best gauge of nursing skill. I am an ER nurse. A lot of my patients die, or get admitted to the ICU.
I work in gerontology and palliative care. All my patients die. I have a really bad survival rate:yes:
Back to the topic at hand - to the original poster (OP) - you have received some great comments. The biggest take-a-way here is that you don't know what you don't know.
I am pretty sure OP is gone by now. Maybe following the thread, but not super likely to become a regular poster. At least under that name.
Unless, this is a truly brilliant troll. I am really on the fence on this.
In my imagination, some really bored nurse educator out there conjured jax, taking components from various orientees and new nurses to make the OP. Born not made, never made a mistake, and resented for being so darn cute.
A good nurse is about time management, foresight, understanding complexities of patient processes/meds, bedside rapport, and others.
I agree with that
Experience isnt a guarantee that any of those things develop.
True., but you can't be a good nurse without experience. You did not learn everything you need to know about every situation you will ever encounter from nursing school, orientation, or books.
I hope some posters here can do some self-reflection on what they have posted. We know nothing about the OP other that what he/she told us. Being overconfident or arrogant is not a reason to be made fun of, here or on other threads, it's embarrassing. There is nothing wrong with constructive feedback but that can be done without making fun of the person asking the questions. We were all new once and likely guilty of being over (or under)-confident at some point during our novice years.
Your type of nurses are the scariest of the bunch. Think you dont make mistakes ( you do ) think everyone is jealous of you ( they aren't ) and that good nurses are born not made ( ******* please ). You are the literal stereotype of the worst type of person to work with.
Look people make mistakes, and thats good, it is a great way to learn. You think I didn't learn anything when I accidentally overdosed my kid during an RSI, you bet your ass I did. It takes a better person to admit those mistakes then to brush them off and say you dont make them.
When people say they get more positive reviews from patients than any other nurse they work with it always makes me wonder how exactly they know this. Kinda think they really don't. Not a big fan of self-aggrandizing.
Let me clarify since you want to be so literal. I have never made a med error, never hurt a patient, never had a patient code, never had to call a MIT, never had to elevate to ICU. And also, I also stated that I will, but until that happens units should recognize when they have a good one on their hands.
How would I know this ? Well I suppose there would be evidence.
I will carry on. If you think experience makes you a good nurse then you are the one making a mistake. Care to argue any of the attributes that I listed. Probably not. Does experience trump competency ?
Well, since you asked. The bolded statements really are not reflective of your skill as a nurse, or anyone's skill for that matter. If we follow your supposition that the reason you have not experienced a patient going south is because you are doing such a good job then does that mean when, not if, but when it happens to you it's because you did something wrong? And will you be willing to admit that you will have then joined the ranks of the bad nurses you are casting aspersions on in your first post? I'm guessing the answer is no. Here's the thing. Patients will go bad on you despite how good of a nurse, how skilled of a nurse, how conscientious of a nurse you feel you are. That is the simple truth of it.
Tenebrae, BSN, RN
2,021 Posts
I work in gerontology and palliative care. All my patients die. I have a really bad survival rate:yes: