Just need to vent alittle

Nurse`Chief~Chickie · Oct 31, 2006

i know how you feel. i work 2 different jobs, the first i have been there 7 yrs. and am now off orientation. the nurses that i work with there are receptive to my questions and supportive of me learning and want me to learn well. conversely, at the other facility, the staff is totally unsupportive. it is 'team' nursing; me, an rn a cna for up to 8 pts. since i've worked there in the first week of september, pre-nclex even, i've encountered alot of the situations i would need to know about. it's a very small hospital and w' team nursing, the lpn isn't responsible for much paperwork, or much of anything really. i was off of orien for the 1st night, asked the rn a few ??? and she called the don next day and told her to put me back on orien. :banghead:

this because we had a pt w/ a peg tube, i had never encountered that and wanted help to learn! @ narc count one day, the other lpn got pi**y w/ me because i was too sloooowww and i said, look, i have to learn, you have to be patient so just deal with it for 5 minutes! they have no interest in helping me learn, and thats why i took a 2nd job! ever since i went back to orientation, i've done everything and the 'precepter' sits and reads. i dread going there because of their attitudes!

sorry, i'm rambling about myself. my point i guess, just ask your ???s. it's a process. the experienced nurses know it, they've been where we are. some are good and want to help. some just plain suck and want to keep to themselves. never feel stupid. you've gotten this far. and i bet you had atleast a few instructors tell you how much you'll learn out of school. be confident in what you know, and don't be afraid to stop and address the 'stupid' looks. tell them you don't appreciate it and definately don't be afraid of ruffling feathers. you'll be fine, and they'll gain respect for you when you speak up.

good luck!:icon_hug:

RNLisa · Oct 31, 2006

Thank you, I appreciate your post very much. I just sometimes feel like I ask too many questions, but I want to learn, need to learn. I don't want to always feel like I will get "the look" when I ask a question. I know there is no way to learn everything while on orientation and most things that I do know, I had in school alot, but there are other skills that I learned in school or in lab, but haven't had yet in the "real world". I dread the day I have those skills and have to ask for help. I will feel really stupid. The nurses haven't actually said it, but I feel like they are thinking "what did you learn in school?" Well, in clinicals, I didn't get many different skills. And where I work, not all skills come around everyday. It may be a month before they see an NG tube, or a PEG tube. Most patients are elderly and they all get a foley in ER before coming to the floor, and already have IV's. So, I don't get to actually initiate alot of different things.

I just want to be able to get to a point where I can go to work, NOT get sick to my stomach, NOT have diarrhea when I arrive to the floor, NOT be so grumpy the night before I have to work. I want to go to work, feel confident in my critical thinking skills and clinical skills. I want to be a good nurse. It's just so frustrating somedays.

Thanks again for your kind words of encouragement. And good luck to you too.

willdgate · Oct 31, 2006

I feel that nursing can be stressful, but if you don't have too many financial obligations, I would suggest you work somewhere else, where the staff is more supportive and you can initate different skills.

Good luck

kenny b · Oct 31, 2006

I feel that nursing can be stressful, but if you don't have too many financial obligations, I would suggest you work somewhere else, where the staff is more supportive and you can initate different skills.
Good luck

Took the words right outta my mouth! Please, please, please NEVER stop asking the questions!

I'm still as student and I make computer wafers right now (been in it for 10 years). When I started in the fab I was intimidated by the senior techs. After being treated like an idiot for asking a lot of questions which had (for them) obvious answers, I stopped asking as much. I'd wait and ask some of the more patient people. And that is how I scrapped hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of material.

I'm NEVER letting anyone intimidate me into refraining from asking questions ever again. I most DEFINITELY do NOT want to scrap a human being.

I very much admire your persistence in continuing to ask the questions and if I were you, I'd leave the unsupportive enviroment and go full-time at one in which you feel more comfortable. That flexibility is one of the many things about nursing that appeals to me.

Regards,

Kenny B. - Smooth Jazz

incidentally, you sometimes find out later that there are many people who respect you for asking the questions in the face of ridicule and some who appreciate it because they themselves are unsure, but don't want to ask. I was a math teacher and I had to cultivate the courage to ask questions that seems to come quite naturally to you.

kenny b · Oct 31, 2006

I also am not sure I can handle these 12 hour shifts for very long. I can stay awake and all, but by the end of my shift, my feet are killing me. I even wear good walking shoes with heel inserts.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Please, please, please find the best podiatrist in your area (there are some that are not good enough to help you, so choose carefully!)

Then get yourself a great pair of CUSTOMIZED orthodics. This is a must have because of the long-term debilitating injuries you can sustain by not getting the treatment you need from a good podiatrist. Buying store brand inserts can do more harm than good.

Please, please, please!