Need advice

[momo0415]

Hello,

i am a new nurse and have been having difficulties adjusting to being a nurse. I have come to this site for advice as I am at a loss of what to do.

I am new new to OB and work on postpartum unit and I am scared out of my mind. I have my good days where I feel okay in my abilities and I have other days (which come too often) to where I question why I thought I could ever be a nurse and how I ever got licensed.

my main struggle is the responsibility, what if I missed an order? What if I missed something with my patient? What if that wasn't her fundus I just felt and it really is boggy? What if this and what if that? Just constantly overthinking. I try talking to my classmates about it and all I get are head shakes and eyes rolled. Why am I the only one to deal with these insecurities? I have started to think nursing isn't for me? What do I do? Throw in the towel? Admit that I failed? I wasted 6 years of my life?

I am struggling with this career and it has only been 5 months! How can I do this for 30+ years! I enjoy my patients and the difference I make in their life, but I can't forget that I have a life as well and I shouldn't neglect mine as well. I can't sleep at night I am eating way too much and I have zero energy and desire to do anything but lay in bed and watch tv.

I was starting to feel okay and then then this past week I had a patient who's blood pressure was low and I could not figure out as to why! I had 3 other nurses double check things with me and assess her and still we could not find out why. I called md and was told to run fluids at a high rate for her, but her blood pressure did not increase much. I felt defeated, like I failed that day. Now I'm panicking that the patient tanked and it is all my fault? Maybe I should have pushed the doctor for more? The shoulda coulda wouldas rolled in. Now I'm dreading going back to work out of fear that something happened to my patient and I missed it and now it's my fault. Then I begin to feel embarrassed that the new nurse did that.

Has anyone been here before? What did you do? Did it ever get better? Idk what to do! Please help me.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

Take a deep breath. It will and does get better. When in doubt always ask another nurse for a second opinion and notify the MD. I've been a PP for 4 years and still have other nurses double check things with me. Sounds like you are doing just fine.

[hexoptic]

Give yourself a break. I agree with all the first poster said. Anyone who's worked on OB has felt this way and spent nights lying awake worrying about this or that, it's incredibly stressful. It would be ideal if you found someone you worked with who you could talk to. My first year in OB my buddy and I worked together (both new) and consoled each other over patient fears, physician rants and unexpected outcomes. We were never in crisis at the same time (fortunately) and spent time talking each other out of quitting.

You had coworkers double check that's great and the best thing to do when you feel unsure. After 30 years I call in my coworkers when things aren't adding up. OB should always be a team effort.

You sound like you might be dealing with depression. If this feeling of not enjoying anything continues please see someone about it. Depression can steal the melody of life and often is hard to see when in it's grasp.

I'm praying things get better for you soon.

[Semper_Gumby]

It takes time to feel comfortable in your role as a nurse. Was about a year (as a nursery nurse) before I started feeling like I was really getting the hang of things, and before I stopped being constantly terrified that I'd miss something in my assessments and a baby would pay the price. You'll get there. You'll feel better if you take care of yourself, nursing is such a tough job, mentally and physically! You probably have some anxiety about your job that is keeping you from sleeping--figure out a way to relax or talk to your doctor.

Are your coworkers supportive? You can always ask a more experienced nurse for a second opinion if you're uncertain. Ask them how they tell the difference between a fundus and some other organ (I have done a teeny bit of post partum but am not always comfortable with fundus assessments, still). Ask them their little time saving tricks and tips. Run things by them like you've been doing.

There will be times when you miss things or make mistakes. Learn from it but don't spend loads of time beating yourself up over it--that just makes everything harder and kills your confidence! Believe me, when you make a mistake or miss something, you pay that much more attention in the future with similar situations! As you grow more comfortable in your role, you will learn to recognize what's normal, what's not, and develop that sense of when something is just "off." But again, it takes time.

Hang in there. You'll get it. Go easy on yourself, you're still a new nurse who's learning! (And since I'm moving into a new specialty, I may need to look back on these words in a few months myself! Ha!).