i need support with my bad experience as a new nurse...

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a new grad; I graduated in November 08 and started orientation for my new job in January. I just came off my 8 week orientation period with my preceptor on a cardiac/telemetry floor. I have had two days on my own so far. Last night I had the worst experience in my nursing career (which i do realize is quite limited--just school and these few months). I started the night with 4 patients--which I can handle. By the end of the night I was assigned two new admits so I ended up with 6 patients by the end of the night. Between one really sick patient, another non-compliant patient, and various other complications that just sort of throw my still-developing routine, I had a meltdown starting about 4 hours before the end of my shift. I know this is probably normal for a new nurse, but I can't help but feel like there could have been better planning on my charge nurse's part. I guess I need to know if anyone else with more experience can tell me if this was an unfair experience...or if new nurses are just thrown to the wolves often and I should just get use to it! I feel so discouraged. I was told that my floor is a 4:1 ratio and 6:1 critical ratio. There were other nurses that had fewer patients than me, although I'm not sure of their acuity and I am feeling cheated out of having a good attitude about my new career. Any thoughts? Feel free to be blunt...my feelings won't get hurt!

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Specializes in GERIATRICS,MDS COORDINATION.

u poor thing :( i can't speak about your charge nurse but i think it was a little harsh. learn that time management is a big deal. having a routine is wonderful, but it may not always go as planned. do not be afraid to ask for help. delegate what you can and follow up to make sure things get done appropriately. you must speak up for yourself and let them know what you can or cannot handle. if u are having a breakdown, who is taking care of your patients? lol. take 5-15 minutes to relax and take a break. you may feel you do not have time, but your job is a lot harder if you are stressed. welcome to the wonderful world of nursing. good luck!!! :D

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i guess another issue i had is that if we clock out more than 5 minutes after our shift ends...they send a nasty-gram and then if it happens again we are sent into corrective action!! i guess i should have taken a few minutes even if it took some time out of my "routine"...because who wants a sobbing nurse giving them an injection?!? haha! i'm trying not to start dreading each shift...

thank you for the kind words and advice!

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wow. the clocking out over thing is no fun. My hospital doesn't do that, although if you want to get paid for staying over you have to fill out a form. I don't always fill out the from, like if I know I could have done things a little faster/better/what have you, but if it's because I was truly busy and/or the 'system' made me have to stay late I will fill out that paper with no problem.

They can send you all the nasty grams they want, and they can counsel you all they want, but if you have to stay you have to stay and they have to pay. Lots of experience nurses I work with sometimes just can't get out the door on time, you just can't control the shift like that.

6 pts seems like a lot. . . although so does 4 to me :) I work in the ICU and only have 2 (YAY ICU!). My unit is very helpful and when I was new people were always asking if I was doing okay, if I felt overwhelmed, etc. There wasn't always anything to be done about it, but they were sensitive to it. Even now we all ask each other how we're doing, even the nurses who have been there for 10 yrs. (I'm in an awesome unit!!!). As a new grad it does seem like your charge nurse should be aware that you are still very much in a learning mode and of course will need a more time to do your work and will be easily overwhelmed right now. And sometimes there's just nothing to be done about it and you have to cry and do your best. :rolleyes: GO NURSING!!!

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Med Surg, Onco.

I left my first job out of school d/t ratios of 9 - 12 :1...new nurse or not. In addition the work environment was caustic. My experience is that by and large most new nurses are thrown to the wolves. However, that being said, you don't have to take it...it's a vicious circle. You would think that a profession of mostly women would be more protective and mentoring...but good new nurse experiences are hard to find. I believe that if a new nurse accepts poor treatment...part of her/him becomes complacent and angry...and the cycle repeats. Please take care of yourself...stick up for yourself...and let someone know. If nothing is resolved, move on...it will be their loss. In a nation faced with an astounding nursing shortage...any facility not willing to be accountable for what you are describing is short-sighted indeed.

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Specializes in Paediatrics.

I am sorry to hear what had happened...when I started as a junior, I had a good team to work with. I believe our colleagues play a vital role in determining the situation of the unit.

Next time you endure situation like this, talk to your team members. Explain exactly why you could not handle the 6 patients. Anyway, if you keep quiet then this situation will repeat. :clpty:

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Talk to your charge nurse and let her know you had a bad night and that perhaps the 2nd admission should have gone to someone else.

On the other hand, when orientation is over, it's over and there are expectatations and you can only get away with "I'm the new guy...." for so long. Learn how to ask your charge nurse for help during those drowning times. As a charge nurse, sometimes my eye is on the whole floor's situation and I might be oblivious to someone whose drowning, if I'm real busy myself, and I would appreciate it if someone would communicate their needs with me.

If you get a nastygram about being late, you can explain your situation.

You sound like a typical new grad. You're going to have those days when it's overwhelming and you're going to question why you ever became a nurse in the first place.

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Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

Melt down can happen even to those who are very experienced. It is less about the number of patients as opposed to how complex are they. I have seen nurses assigned only 3 patients who were very complex struggle through a shift, while another who had much easier patients sail through with 6-8 patients. So it all depends.

We all must learn to not be afraid to let our co-worker know when we are starting to drown. Ask for help if you need, try and be specific in what someone else can do to be helpful such as " can you medicate patient so and so, can you do the dressing on patient so so"

You will have good and bad shifts, it comes with the territory. I do not necessarily feel new nurses are thrown to the wolves. It would not matter how much time a person were in the nest, it is still uncomfortable when the time comes to fly. It is during the time of flying that ones confidence soars.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

What shift are you on? I'm on 3-11, and 6 patients is too much for a cardiac tele floor on evening shift. It's not safe.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU/Oncology/CSU/Managed Care/ Case Management.

Wow that sounds pretty rough!! I do want to commend you for coming here and seeking advice and commend you again for showing up next the shift to work!!:up:

What i would suggest is try to build a rapport with the one who trained you and let him/her know that you feel a bit overwhelmed. Somtimes going to another nurse who knows the ins and outs of the unit can vouch on your behalf; that helps.

Another good idea is show up a little early with a smile and find out the assignment and explain hey this is day 3 or whatever for me as a new nurse and I felt very overwhelmed with the assignment I had on Day 2 of my nursing career--smile---is there any way we can spread out the acuity of patients?? smile and wait for response....

Being new I know you want to prove to yourself you can do it but especiallly to your new collegues(this desire will pass as you continue to grow) that you can handle it. But if its a bit much (which I believe it is) than let them know.

IF you feel like you are sinking--let your charge know. Just say hey this is the situation I need some help here please...and go from there.:nurse:

IF you see that you continue to have overbearing assignments then discuss it with the charge--no resolve then talk to your manager about your "concerns"

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In my experience, this is simply the reality of acute care hospital nursing. It's not really an abberrance, which is not to say that it shouldn't be. But it's all part of the scene. In time, you will handle a night like this better, but in the meantime, try to remember that every nurse you work with is experiencing this, perhaps not as the same time as you, but experiencing it none the less. It sucks. Believe me, I know. I also know it won't change.

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What shift are you on? I'm on 3-11, and 6 patients is too much for a cardiac tele floor on evening shift. It's not safe.

We have 7-9 tele patients. No it is not safe. On days when census is low and we only have four or five patients, (which is terribly rare) I cannot believe how much "easier" my job is.

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