Liver transplant med surge nurse to CCU-OVERWHELMED, wants to quit

[marieinla]

I've been a nurse for 2 yrs now, worked in a liver transplant med/surge floor and chronic dialysis at the same time as a new grad and managed well. Last June, I accepted a CCU RN position at a small hospital. Their pt population ranges from kidney, pancreas transplant to open heart surgeries. I've been off orientation since Sept, been on my own but I still feel over whelmed everyday I come to work. We don't have CNAs which means you have to work with another nurse every time you clean your pt or turn or what not.High turn over rate due to post PTCA pts come to us as well so u have to DC then admit with all the paper charting, unit is staffed with all older nurses avg age > 50 y/o, refuses to help. Since off orientation, I jst feel like I've never really had a real ICU pt but I'm already overhwelmed, what more when I get fresh post ops??? I feel like 2 yrs of med surge experience is still not enuf for me to be comfortable in taking care of ICU pts with all these drips. People are not very willing to help which makes it harder. There's a charge rn who cannot help u all the time and there's also a resource nurse who does not have any pt all day whose suppose to relieve fro breaks and help with pt care but only chooses to help people they wanna help. There's 3 of us who are new i the unit and are all having a hard time coping because there's no resources availabe to us. I want to quit because of too much pressure that this job entails. I did 2 jobs before w/o problems, but now, just thinking abt going to work makes me sick, frustrated, worried, miserable. It's taking a toll on me. I spoke with our educator and she thought it's just me lacking self confidence and also because I have another job too that Im getting too stressed out. I felt I made the wrong decision. I should have kept my med/surge and dialysis job. I just feel like I can't handle it, I don't have time ti think when Im at work, Im just concentarting on the TASKS to be done and get home on time. I am not enjoying it, maybe ICU is not the right place for me. I've enjoyed doing both dialysis and working in a less stressful med surge floor, didnt have these anxiety/stress problems. What do i do? My educator told me to give her 2 wks and she said she will try to find where the problem is. need suggstions please........