New Grad RN

[addiewaad]

Hey guys,

I am a new grad RN working on a general pediatric floor in a Children's Hospital. I have been working for 6 months now - 3 months on orientation, 3 months on my own. I got hired on the floor that was my first choice, but the entire transition from being a student to working in a hospital has been very difficult for me. I knew it would be hard, but it has been much more of a struggle than I was expecting. I was hoping to love this job, and unfortunately I do not. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it. Very quickly I learned that I am not sure if the hospital environment is for me. There are a ton of things that I dislike about the hospital environment and only a couple of things that I do like. Before I come into work I am super anxious, and most every single time I am driving to work I am either crying, praying, or usually both. I dislike the unpredictability - never knowing what patients I will be assigned to, never knowing what will happen, the fast-paced environment (I like fast-paced, but not to where I hardly get to sit or think), the numerous amounts of medications we administer and being expected to know and monitor all of the possible side effects when there are always new ones I've never heard of, how we can be pulled to another floor such as the NICU or PICU whenever we have not been trained for that type of acuity, the large amount of employees because it feels not much like a "family" atmosphere, the "12" hour shifts when really it's 13-14 hours, families asking me questions that I rarely know the answer to, the importance of charting literally everything you do to protect yourself, all of the responsibility we have for each of our 4-5 patients can be very overwhelming...also a huge thing is that I am very much of a "what if" person. For example, if a family member asks me a question or tells me something they are concerned about, I will over analyze it and think "what if I told them the wrong information", "what if this happens or that happens because I did/didn't do this or that". It's like... am I too much of a worrier to handle this type of job? I am an organized person and time management has not been very difficult for me, it's really just the large amount of responsibilities we have during our 13 hour shifts that makes me so stressed out. I very much care for all of my patients and I want what's best for them. I absolutely desire to be the best nurse I can be and I want to make a difference. But I truly sometimes dread going to work and am wondering if a different type of nursing job would be better for me.

So with all that being said, I was wondering if there are any nurses out there who felt this way at first, but things changed after giving it a year or so? Or if there are nurses who felt this way who decided to go a different route that turned out better for them? Also, if anyone has suggestions on various jobs that may be less stressful than the hospital, I would love to hear about them. I have thought about doing school nursing, or just simply working in a clinic. I would love to work with one doctor, and be that specific doctor's nurse, but I am not sure if that job exists anymore with RNs?

Thanks in advance for your feedback :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

So with all that being said, I was wondering if there are any nurses out there who felt this way at first, but things changed after giving it a year or so?

Yes ... thousands and thousands. What you describe is the pretty standard picture of "Reality Shock." On one level, new nurses know that the transition will be difficult ... but when actually confronted with those difficulties, they are surprised by how hard it is.

It usually does get better with time. You do learn the answers to the common questions that families ask. You make friends with your co-workers and learn which ones will help you out when you need some help. You become more confident in your abilities as you get more experience. If you can, wait until the 9 month mark to see how you feel. If you are not beginning to feel better by then, then maybe inpatient peds is not for you. But there is a good chance you will start feeling better in the next couple of months. 6-9 months is typical.

Do a search here for "Reality Shock" and "New Grad transition" and you'll find that there are plenty of people who have had similar feelings in the 3-6 month range who felt noticeably better at 9 months ... and who went on to become great nurses, happy with their jobs.

Look for some mentors ... experienced nurses you can go to when you have a question and/or need a 2nd opinion.

[crazin01]

I never worked peds, but I believe the good majority of responses you receive will be you simply need more time as an actual nurse, not a nursing student. School does no justice to the real world of nursing. It's common for new nurses to feel overwhelmed, stressed, doubt themselves and ponder the question of "did I make a huge mistake choosing nursing?"

Multi-tasking, time management, prioritizing and delegating are learned skills and we all learn at different paces and different methods. Eventually a rhythm/routine will come and you will hopefully feel somewhat better about your performance. Quite a few of the negative aspects you list (medication interactions & side effects, not knowing patients/assignment until the shift begins, education for parents/family & patients) will come with time & exposure to patients with common issues (RSV, etc). It is nice to develop a rapport with patients & family, for continuity of care, but in an acute setting, turnover happens quite often. I'm sure you knew that before completing school.

If you truly have great time management skills as such a new nurse, that's great; but I think that takes a bit more time. The 'what if' worrying about almost any & every aspect of your job is probably your worst enemy right now (at least I would think so). It is not easy to change your mindset and the constant worrying will bring you down.

I think with time, your knowledge base, clinical skills and providing appropriate answers for family would increase significantly. You have such a limited experience of nursing school and these 6 months on the floor. To change jobs now isn't really giving yourself a chance to gain enough experience.

I would seriously give it more time and not seek out another job just yet, but everybody has to make their own decisions. Seeking input/advice from more experienced nurses in your specialty and facility would hopefully be beneficial as well.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I have never loved my job. Unrealistic expectation.

They always come with stress, but it will usually improve as you gain experience.