New Grad Stupids

Nurses General Nursing

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Help! I am a new grad and my co-workers have forgotten what it's like. I'm not sure how this can ethically be done, but I need to hear the stupidest things you experience nurses have done, please.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
Originally posted by bbqchick:

Help! I am a new grad and my co-workers have forgotten what it's like. I'm not sure how this can ethically be done, but I need to hear the stupidest things you experience nurses have done, please.

Hi! I'm a 32 yr "veteran"; I have tried very hard to realize that "you kids" are going to enable me to retire some day, and, if I really want to do that, I'd better make sure you guys stick around.

How long have you been on this paradise of a unit so far? How much orientation did you receive? Did you have a preceptor? Have you had any evals? Feedback? Has anything improved since your original posting in October?

Hang in there!

Thank you to all of you who are helping me to believe that there are nurses who are not evil and there are nurses have hearts. I was beginning to believe that the only time a nurse cared about a patient was to get a gift or kudos. I am still terrible at time management. I expect to be able to be everything to every patient. I still drop everything and fetch the ice water, or assist to BR, or check on "funny" cardiac rhythms. I still race to finish my med passes on time and still fetch, reposition, call for missing meds (every night), etc. I still try to remember to look for all my labs and catch the docs or call them for any abnormals. I still try to know all the details of a patient's stay and be informed and be able to rattle off the name of their doc or allergies at a moment's notice when asked by one of my veteran co-workers who would be so THRILLED to find something on me so they can write me up. I'm still trying to improve my relationship with my assists so that I can count on them to get my V.S. to me, the IO's done, weights done, fetch little things I was asked for to free me up for setting up PCA's or wait for phone call backs, etc. I'm still trying to understand all the in's and out's of the meds and actions and interactions. And I still try to keep my temper when I walk down the hallway and hear them shredding me behind my back about why I did such and such or why didn't I do such and such. And I still wish I had never been born every time I realize in the middle of the night that I will have to give report to a certain old white-haired nurse who expects all the duck to be laid out just exactly and moans and complains that I will never make it, if I failed to find a lab or complete every task. I don't think I'm stupid, I just don't see how you all have managed to get all of this done on one shift. Just the other night, I had a pt. back from a gruesome surgery screaming in pain. It took over an hour to get the order for a PCA and obtain the pump from central. Meanwhile, trying to finish other meds and teach pain control and make several phone calls to finish a discharge who was impatient and answer umpteen phone calls from family and doctors and then get an admit. I get questions answered if I ask, but I wouldn't dare ask for help. It would be broadcast all over the grapevine that I couldn't get my work done. I run and run and run and can't get it all done. Five more tasks pop up while I'm in one patient's room. It takes me a good ten minutes to asses one patient. If I want to see their back, it takes them eons to roll over. And they always want to go to the bathroom, EVERY single time I go to their room. If can't just leave them, I have to stop and help them. It's overwhelming. I love being a nurse, I know it sounds like I don't. I really like the patients. They are often appreciative and often thank me and give many compliments. I'm am just so overwhelmed and feel about 1/4 th inch tall at my inefficiency. The day shift nurses really struggle. Our evening shift nurses struggle. It's seems my worst problem is from the night shift, who maybe don't have so much time pressure. I don't know. But it can't all be me. No matter how fast I work, the snowpile towers over me. I have to make sure dietary sends the right trays and I'm too busy giving insulin and making sure that my assistant's get my accuchecks to watch all the trays. I try to use other nurses as models for time management but I spend so much time in patient's rooms, I miss a lot. I never get to sit down. It gets so bad that I feel like it's a conspiracy. When I sit down, a light goes off and the assistants are nowhere and I can't stand to listen to the lights like that. I'm smart, I'm good at procedures, I'm slowed by inexperience, but I must be the world's worst at using my time.

What other positions does anyone know of that would be better suited for someone slow like me?

Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and advice! As a student on the verge of graduation I have found myself becoming more nervous with the idea of how much can go wrong, along with what goes right, on the job as a nurse. All of your stories have helped calm the nerves to some degree!

And to respond to bbqchick's last posting: It sounds from everything so far that you will do great doing anything you want, just not where you are. I also agree with earlier advice that it is no failure to know when to say when. As the news becomes louder across the US about the nursing shortage, there is no reason to suffer on a unit where you are not appreciated! Please remember that you, and all of us, have much-needed skills and knowledge. It would be a shame to let one uncooperative group of people taint the incredible career that waits in front of you. Hang in there!

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

From your reply to my post, I don't think anything's wrong with YOU!!!! You're conscientious, thorough, and I'd want you to take care of me, were I misfortunate enough to be in that unit.

I'd still like to know what kind of an orientation you got, and if you would feel comfortable talking to your supervisor, or if there is a more experienced nurse you can use as a sounding board/mentor.

I do think you need to think about moving on to some place more supportive. It's not WHAT you're doing, but WHERE you're doing it.

If it's any comfort to you, I've been a nurse for 32 years, in NICU for over 20, and if I hear a baby crving (which is kinda the same thing as a call light), I STILL need to check on them, change their pants, and comfort them until their nurse is able to come back. And if a nurse is sitting next to a crying baby charting, I can feel my BP rising....

Originally posted by wiskey:

I also am finishing nusing school (thank God). As a male, I have a story to tell you but one that stands is one morning I was asigned a 345lbs lady who had a gastric bypass 4-days earlier and had not voided yet and the staff were beginning to be concerned and contemplating putting in a catheter. Well that morning I go in her room, introduce myself, and help her get ready for a shower. so far so good. After her shower she was quite tired so she was sitting on the toilet while I helped her dry off and put on an IV gown. Well I have never seen an IV gown before!!! I had this lady sit on the toilet for 20 min while I figured out how this stupid thing went together. I had this lady laugh so hard at my comments during that unforgetfull 20 min she voided, and voided and voided. The lady thanked me for giving her the best laugh in years, the staff laughed so hard after they were told that some had to go to the bathroom and said that I should put my new way to help people void in the care plan. When I left the floor that day they gave me an IV gown to take home so I could make other people "pee their pants". To this day I'm still refer to as the "PEE MAN"! Don't get down on yourself, All the nurses I talk to say we are all human.

Just love it! What a fun group of nurses and a patient with a sense of humor too!

At my former hospital my nickname was "Aunt Bea" I did as charge make sure everyone got lunch.One tall well muscled young male RN would imitate Opie when I asked him to help pull up a patient, "Oh, all right Aunt Bea."

Now all from that place who visit this site will know who I am. Oh well. They were great to work with.

Hi bbq. Nurse who present themselves as being all-knowing are self-centered and could be setting themselves and their patients up for disaster. This is different from being confident that you could help a patient. Arrogance or the refusal to admit a mistake can be costly to a patient and yourself.

There is no way that school training alone can afford you all the opportunities to know what nursing is all about. That only comes with individual experience in the role. I say all of these things to you because you need to know that you will make mistakes.

My opinion is that as a new nurse, you need to open to criticism (hopefully the person delivering it knows how to be constructive) so that you can prevent future errors from happening.

Also, wherever you work, make it a point that you are going to learn every possible thing you can about your role and your patients. This may include things like attending physician rounds, doing continuing education,etc. Knowledge and the continuation of it can only help you be a better nurse.

I would be here for another hour writing to you about dumb things that I have done as a nurse. An important thing to remember is that whenever you are not sure about something that you are about to do a patient, no matter how trivial it may seem, check with another nurse more experienced than yourself. I still rely on my seasoned colleagues for advice and support that way.

I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me at LLitwin [email protected]

I just wanted to thank hollykate and stormy for their responses to my post. I really felt like I was going to go into a deep state of depression for a few days there. I was starting to doubt myself. I do feel better now and have my self confidence back. Thanks.

Hey, hang in there, from what I have experienced and I've been in the nursing profession for along time, Nurses are not very therapeutic to their own. In fact when a nurse calls in sick, they (nurses) are the first to criticize. So hang in there, don't let them intimidate, and stand your ground!

I am male student nurse, I am 34 y/o and have been a psych tech, NA, CNA, and a CSM.

I am beginning a career in nursing and during clinicals, the staff nurses have tried to intimidate me (Without success), I

respect their ability of course, but I am

not about to let anyone intimidate me regardless of what their title is. You do the same! After all you've earned the title!

Take care and don't let then see you sweat!

;-) Robert

Yes, "Aint Bea"! tee hee

I would thank you all with my victory war cry, but then people would know who I am. Just like everything else I've ever done, I guess, it's time for grit, grit, and more grit, and maybe some spit.

It's just that nursing requires EVERYTHING I've got and then some. It's very, very difficult for me to look stupid, when it's so expensive to look stupid.

I thought that I had made many sacrifices and earnest effort throughout my life to develop strong and quality character and whew the things I just didn't know! It's almost crushing to reach middle-age and realize that you are just a babe!

Here's a student stupid from when I was in school (a short 4 years ago). I had been doing a placement on a palliative care floor for about 3 months, feeling quite good and competent. I had to give an IM injection of gravol. So I landmarked perfectly, spread the skin between my fingers, pure textbook, lined up my needle and fired it down.... right into my own finger... went right into the knuckle. My preceptor saw me cursing and swearing out in the hallway. She almost fell over laughing when she heard what I did!

I read with sadness bbchicks experience of feeling like she does all the work and gets no support. A few years ago our hospital deciced to recognise the 'more competent' nurses with an extra pay step. Charge Nurses independantly chose which nurses to give this step to. I got the step, and it caused a lot of bitterness and horozontal violence at work. No-one would help me, but I was expected to assist everyone with their care problems. I got all the 'difficult' patients, or those with 'difficult relatives', I got admissions noone else wanted, especially those that occurred at shift change. I found very few staff would do more than briefly address me. I had just become a solo mother, and couldn't leave my job - so I hung in and worked my butt off! Then a funny thing happened - well it took 6 months to happen - one day I realised my skills had become far greater than anyone elses. Through always getting the hardest patient loads, the rarest conditions, the most procedures, and having just knuckled down and taken the challenge, I had become a better nurse! So I started referring to myself as the performance nurse, and saying I was paid extra to take the difficult patients and do the hard jobs and help everyone else.

From that time I treated myself as a resourse for other nurses, and slowly their attitude changed - especially as I also developed teaching skills, and tried to share what I had learnt.

As for stupid thingd to do....once I got a job as a night nurse in a remote hospital working 8 days every 3 weeks, with an aid.

We alternated on hrly checks of all patients. I had been working for some months when curiosity got the better of me and I looked inside a cupboard at the far end of a two bed room. I found a terrace room - with 3 long-term residents in it! LOLOL! Boy was I shocked - so much for my orientation to the area!!

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