New grad ER nurse

[FutureBSN17]

So, I am a new grad in the ER. I know this topic has been on here a lot but I still feel the need to ask questions! So, my question is for the experienced ER nurses: How long would you expect your new grad to start taking their own patients and being more on their own during orientation??

I just started in the ER, in a larger community hospital. My preceptor is great - He is easing me into the flow of things and I feel like I am catching on, but I just don't want to fall behind. I have not yet taken my own patients ... I have 9 weeks of orientation left, mixed with classroom time. Most of the time I feel like I do not know ANYTHING, like I often fumble over IV tubing, and look like a deer in the headlights when EMS comes rolling in .. other times I am confident and can easily educate patients and pass meds. I am just worried I will not be ready come 10 weeks.

Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated!!

[DayDreamin ER CRNP]

10 weeks seems appropriate. You will struggle for a few months but that is the time when you will learn the most because you WILL make mistakes.

Slow down when you get flustered. Breathe. Don't rush.

In our ED, we say it take a year to be comfortable on your own and two to three years to be proficient. We also try to place the new hire in the same area as his/her initial preceptor for the first month just to have kind of a safety net for the newbie. If not, ask the seasoned nurse you are working with to look over your charting and tasks if she has time just to be sure you are on the right track.

[FutureBSN17]

Thank you í ½í¸€ I know it's going to be a long road ahead. I'm so hard on myself and feel like I shouldn't forget anything, like every detail

Of charting, but I know I'm brand new and human. Just excited for the day when I am not a nervous wreck when I'm doing things by myself.

[amzyRN]

You should start taking patients ASAP, like start taking at least 1 now. I think it's good to have about 3-4 weeks left of your orientation with all 4 patients and minimal help from your preceptor. He should be helping you with your priority setting so that you are doing things in the correct order. You should understand why you would do things in a certain order. Don't wait to take patients though. I had a 10 week orientation and I wasn't a new grad. Many new grads have 12 or more weeks. But you can do it in 10 if you start taking patients now.