after job orientation

live4today, RN · Sep 22, 2004

:balloons: I'm sorry to hear you are having a difficult time adjusting now that you are a graduate nurse. Perhaps you should sit down with your supervisor and your preceptor and ask them how they think you are doing based on your work so far. Ask them in what ways you can improve your confidence in performing patient care. Don't expect to know it all so soon, and don't be embarrassed to keep on asking questions and seeking direction if you are not sure what you are doing or about to do is correct or not.

Too many nurses fail to be so forthright as you in asking....they just go ahead and do it, then sometimes find out had they asked, incidents or unsafe situations may not have occurred.

Do you feel you are truly being oriented by your preceptor, or do you feel you could learn better with another nurse you may notice on the unit who is "more teachable" and "easier to learn from"?

Not all nurses have the personality or the gift of teaching their nursing knowledge. Just because they are a nurse, doesn't instantly qualify them to precept new orientees. Speak up for yourself....after all....one day it will be YOUR nursing license and your nursing career on the line.

Relax, breathe, and ask for some sit down time with the nurse manager and your preceptor. Then, go from there. :)

I wish you nothing but the best as a new nurse! :nurse:

NurseKate · Sep 22, 2004

hello everyone
i've got a question for you.
when you just graduated from nursing school and started training and after finishing your job orientation, were you able to work independently as a nurse? were you able to make decisions about your patients about what you need to do? my problem is that i am being too dependent and not being able to make decisions on my own. when my patient is complaining of something, like c/o of difficulty in breathing i cant make decision about what i need to do so i ask my preceptor so she can make decisions for me. i ask dumb questions like what to do when a patient doesnt have a chair alarm. i always have a need to have someone beside me so i can ask them dumb questions. i dont think my supervisors feel that i can handle this job and i can work indepently. do you think i should just quit this job? i already feel like im a burden wasting this company's money for training me and i'm not sure if they are going to keep me there. maybe i deserve to be fired but my supervisor did not fire me yet.
another question i have is, how can i ask my supervisor nicely whether or not shes going to keep me there as a staff nurse without sounding demanding or sounding like i'm begging for a job?

first question, how long have you been on orientation and how long do you have until your are on your own? if you are starting out then your confidence should come with time. the good thing is you are recognizing that you are being real dependent on your preceptor. the thing you should probably do now is talk with him/her and figure out a plan and some goals for yourself so that you rely less on them and more on your own thinking. if you are near the end of your orientation and aren't feeling quite so ready then talk with your nurse manager or education person (whoever is in charge of organizing your orientation) and request that you feel as though your orientation should be extended. in most cases they should honor that.

i know how you feel because i am in the middle of my orientation. i was having some issues with my preceptor because she would just throw me into situations without showing me what to do first. for example, "go in and change that central line dressing." well, i had never seen one changed and even if i had a the policy right in front of me i felt it would have been helpful to observe it first, so i told her so. there are a lot of situations where i still don't know what to do and i call out to her, but i have found over time that i am starting to do more critical thinking on my own and each experience is a learning experience. the good thing i hear you saying is that you are asking questions. right there you are recognizing that you don't know everything and you really want to know the answers. the bad thing i hear you saying are that the questions are "dumb." you are learning and this is where you start pulling loose ends together and things start really clicking for you. obviously you are unsure about some things and you ask questions to make sure that you know what's going on. that's not a bad thing...it's just what your orientation is designed to do--answer your concerns, questions, and help prepare you for working independently. so, what do you do when the patient doesn't have a chair alarm? now you know, so if you have a patient who doesn't have one then you know how to manage it. the thing is to be able to recognize a bad situation, do what you can do in a safe manner to help it from getting worse or make it better, and get help when you don't know what to do. give yourself some credit here. you recognized a potentially dangerous situation, you had probably maintained the patient's safety while in the chair, and then got help with what to do next (where to get an alarm or who to call to get it fixed or whatever). see, you're doing great all ready.

this is the only lengthy orientation of this kind that you are going to get. after this orientation and this job you will be considered as having experience and your next orientation will be a lot shorter for your next job (if you move or whatever). so...this is your time to have someone with you answering your questions, showing you what to do, and helping you develop your critical thinking skills.

as for asking your nurse manager...it seems like you are unsure of your performance and where you stand. perhaps ask for a performance review to see how your orientation is going. you can sit down with your preceptor and nurse manager to figure out what needs to be changed or what is going well. it's just a suggestion. your confidence will come in time. make the most of this opportunity and ask a lot of questions. it sounds like you are going through the normal feelings and emotions of starting a new career in nursing. good luck to you and keep us posted.

Nurse_Newbie · Jul 3, 2007

Hi,

I'm a

.