New Grad, Need Advice for Success

[NewToICU_17]

Hey all! So, I'll try to make this post a good SBAR. ������

S: I'm worried I might lose my job.

B: I am a new grad, 16 weeks into orientation. This is my last week so far as I know. Met with my bosses on 1/11 for what I thought was a checkup meeting. Wrong. They told me staff thought I was overconfident. Yikes, not at all how I felt on the inside. They want me to succeed so they give me some communication tips and ask how I'm building good habits to avoid missing things. Meeting ends well. That very same night/the next shift, I'm doing great until I realize I forgot to place a verbal order to change Q4 hr breathing txs PRN to Q4 her breathing txs SCH. I was 4 hours late in entering this, so technically my pt missed one dose. I immediately fessed up and talked with charge nurse and preceptor. No harm came to pt.

A: I'm freaking out and feel embarrassed and guilty. I know it was a big mistake and my fault entirely. I feel embarrassed because anyone who thought I was cocky before (which I do not feel, I'm worried all the time) probably feels this solidifies their judgment of me.

R: I need some input. Any advice/opinions/help? Thanks in advance!

[Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN]

As someone who was labeled 'cocky' and 'overconfident' I know what you're going thru. I was received as cocky because my answers to questions came with 'I know' or whatever and that was taken as me being cocky....dont ask me how but what I'm saying is try to watch what you respond with, not how to respond to questions.

- Ok so the PT missed a breathing treatment. Big deal. Not the end of the world. Lets be realistic how much of a difference is one neb going to make? Probably not much. I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. And someone will probably slap my hand for telling you this, but depending on what type of charting your doing and your particular EMR...you can back time things..Not sure how it works for ordering meds because even as a CRNA i don't do much ordering to be honest. So don't throw yourself under the bus for no reason.

Just breath and take it one day at a time. F whatever anyone else thinks or says, people.....and by people i mean old, jaded nurses can really be not nice, why ? Who knows, but don't let that ish bother you. keep your wits about you, don't rush and always do the right thing and you'll be fine.

[simplyme28]

Take what was told to you and use it. For whatever reason you are coming off as over confident to the nurses training you. Just because they said that does not mean they are trash talking , and I most certainly would not say 'f whatever anyone else thinks' they are the ones training you and often when you train someone you can see things that person doesn't see themselves. I've had new nurses training under me and it puts you in a position where you have to be very honest. One of the nurses I trained is absolutely over confident which I passed along when asked how she was doing. That's not a reason to feel like everyone thinks you can't do the job. Find out why they felt that way and work to correct it. As far as your error goes, mistakes and errors happen, we are human after all just make sure you learn from it.

[NewToICU_17]

Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate the input. I'm not too sure how I can minimize their impression of overconfidence other than over usage of phrases such as "do you see anything that I have missed?" or "do you see anything I can improve on/do better?" I'm not going to kiss anyone's behind, but I certainly don't want to miss out on learning opportunites. Thank you again!

[MYSTICOOKIEBEAR]

First of all, technically, it is the MD's or mid level provider's responsibility to put that order in. You are NOT going to lose your job. Unless the patient was in respiratory distress or REALLY needed it, it's not that big of a deal. There are definitely bigger fish to fry.

When it comes to being labeled as overly confident, prove to them that you know what you are talking about. When I came onto the unit, people thought that I was cocky, overconfident, and aggressive but I had the goods to back it up. I was the youngest person on my unit for a long time and by the end of my first year I had already surpassed both of my preceptors (skill, effectiveness, and efficiency) who both had 10+ years of experience.

I never claimed to know everything, but I did know a lot of things, and I was never afraid to ask questions if I didn't know the answers. I asked a lot of questions and was, and still am, insanely curious about everything we do and why MDs make certain calls. I think it is that inquisitive nature that has helped me to do so well and to add to my knowledge base.

You're gonna be just fine. Keep up the good work!

[Icunicenurse]

I have found that most nurses expect us newbies to make mistakes. I am embarrassed and hard enough on myself when I mess up but I strive to admit my mistakes and learn from them. Usually this causes nurses to be supportive towards me and offer me advice or education to help me in the future, which I am always appreciative of.

I have also found that the nurses I work with really despise new nurses who try to pretend they know everything. I work with a new nurse that has the same problem as you do of coming off as cocky. I don't think she is it is just her personality. In my experience just being polite and thankful for help/education when you mess up goes a long way or at least it has for me so far with most of the experienced nurses I work with.

Of course there will always be a few people we can not please and will never be able to make happy. Sadly some people forget how it feels to be brand new. I have learned who these people are. I avoid them and try to never ask them questions or for help.