Please don't take this the wrong way, but I am totally feeling overwhelmed and just need some advice. I am grateful and incredibly lucky to begin my nursing career as a new grad in a critical care unit. That being said, I am so overwhelmed! I am now 5 weeks off orientation, and many nights I want to leave work and just cry. I often feel like I am not sure where I went for the last four years, but I can definitely say real nursing is not like nursing school. I know everyone says that, but you really need to be in the field to grasp this concept.
This new anxiety (swear I am having PVC's!), makes me feel incompetent as a new nurse. I am well supported and I am so thankful for that, but I really would just like to feel that comfort level that I can actually do this job and become a fantastic nurse. I love so many parts of this job, but often feel like I am on the edge and my boss is going to call me in the office and tell me that I am not cut out for this job! Honestly, I feel that if I am struggling with the "easier" ICU patients, how the heck am I going to take on heavier assignments.
I look for feedback from my colleagues and don't take offense to constructive criticism. I am also open to different suggestions about time management and nursing care. I try to get feedback from the oncoming nurse on how she/he felt I left the patient and what I could have done differently.
This is a second career for me, one that I have wanted to do since I was 19. I really can't believe that I am asking this, but how do I gain more confidence in myself and when will I feel like I can just breathe. The best way I can put it is that when I get to work a switch gets turned on, and I feel like the energizer bunny on steroids for my entire shift! Does this mean I am not cut out to be a nurse on this type of unit??
What do you feel is your biggest issue? Are you organized? Are you being too hard on yourself? It does get better.
Sometimes, I feel like I am going to miss something, or will I react quickly enough if my patient is decompensating. They say that usually a patient demonstrates changes several hours before they code (even if they are slight changes). I want to be able to recognize these!! For example, if my patient is having a lot of ectopy, I would call the doctor and draw their electrolytes. I don't want my patient to code because of something that could have easily been replaced, like their potassium. However, I am not always sure what to do.
Organization is big for me and I wish I had a better foundation! However, I am working it. I have developed a tool that seems to be working much better for me. I am also trying to couple my care and be more efficient, but I do not always not what to anticipate. Any suggestions would be helpful :)
My coworkers tell me that I am doing well and not to be so hard on myself. I had 14 weeks of orientation (phase 1 of orientation), and the last three of those were to transition me to the night shift. I was upfront and honest with my employers and I asked for more time because I did not want to cut the cord, so they gave me two additional weeks. My preceptors felt that I am ready and that I am conscientious and safe, but I still feel like I am constantly going to them to validate my thoughts. I secretly wonder if that will eventually annoy them.
From what I'm reading, the only person that feels you're underperforming is you.
Just wanted to put that in black and white for you to let sink in. Browse through this "First Year" sub-forum/section and I think you'll read pages and pages of posts mirroring yours.
Sometimes, I feel like I am going to miss something, or will I react quickly enough if my patient is decompensating. They say that usually a patient demonstrates changes several hours before they code (even if they are slight changes). I want to be able to recognize these!! For example, if my patient is having a lot of ectopy, I would call the doctor and draw their electrolytes. I don't want my patient to code because of something that could have easily been replaced, like their potassium. However, I am not always sure what to do.
Organization is big for me and I wish I had a better foundation! However, I am working it. I have developed a tool that seems to be working much better for me. I am also trying to couple my care and be more efficient, but I do not always not what to anticipate. Any suggestions would be helpful :)
My coworkers tell me that I am doing well and not to be so hard on myself. I had 14 weeks of orientation (phase 1 of orientation), and the last three of those were to transition me to the night shift. I was upfront and honest with my employers and I asked for more time because I did not want to cut the cord, so they gave me two additional weeks. My preceptors felt that I am ready and that I am conscientious and safe, but I still feel like I am constantly going to them to validate my thoughts. I secretly wonder if that will eventually annoy them.
Here is a great way to limit the likelihood they will get annoyed with your questions: explain what is going on with your patient, then say what YOU think needs to be done, rather than asking them what you should do. They can then confirm or correct as needed.
This way, they can try to gauge your critical thinking abilities and how to guide you best. And it can also serve as a great confidence boost if you give your opinion or idea and an experienced nurse tells you that you are right on!
Oh, and this soon after graduation, if you weren't still feeling this way, THAT would concern me. It took me something like 1-2 years before I started to gain some confidence in my nursing abilities and instincts. Just relax and give yourself a break. The fact that you even got this job in ICU as a new grad means that you must have impressed someone!
Indigorn
16 Posts
Sometimes, I feel like I am going to miss something, or will I react quickly enough if my patient is decompensating. They say that usually a patient demonstrates changes several hours before they code (even if they are slight changes). I want to be able to recognize these!! For example, if my patient is having a lot of ectopy, I would call the doctor and draw their electrolytes. I don't want my patient to code because of something that could have easily been replaced, like their potassium. However, I am not always sure what to do.
Organization is big for me and I wish I had a better foundation! However, I am working it. I have developed a tool that seems to be working much better for me. I am also trying to couple my care and be more efficient, but I do not always not what to anticipate. Any suggestions would be helpful :)
My coworkers tell me that I am doing well and not to be so hard on myself. I had 14 weeks of orientation (phase 1 of orientation), and the last three of those were to transition me to the night shift. I was upfront and honest with my employers and I asked for more time because I did not want to cut the cord, so they gave me two additional weeks. My preceptors felt that I am ready and that I am conscientious and safe, but I still feel like I am constantly going to them to validate my thoughts. I secretly wonder if that will eventually annoy them.