New Grad !Help!

[Newbienurse27]

Hi there!

I'm a new grad who started on the ICU and has now switched to Step-down. I was very timid/overwhelmed in the ICU hence the switch. I feel a lot more confident on the stepdown unit however, having 4-6 patients is really throwing me for a loop. I feel like I'm just passing meds and completing tasks and not really looking and not really seeing the whole picture.

Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated! I really want to be a great nurse but I'm truly doubting my ablilities.

Thank you!

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day:

Are you using a brain sheet to keep track of your to-do items, assessments not yet charted, etc.? If no, then check with your coworkers to see what they are using and use one of theirs or make your own. The Ultimate Nursing Brain Sheet Database (33 nurse report sheet templates) has a lot of types, and if you check the forums here, many have shared their brain sheets.

As you gain experience, you'll get better and better at time management, at least with handing four to five patients (six can be rough if it is day or evening shift). Learn to group tasks such as patient education during the medication pass as well as what IV antibiotics to run in what order when you only have one IV site.

Also, ask your coworkers what works for them, and see if what they do will work for you.

Thank you.