New Grad: Time & Management, Med Errors, & being swallowed up by old bitter bettys!

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 15, 2011

Hello fellow nurses!
I love this site. It gives me a chance to vent, a chance to gain experties from the wiser ones, and to build on my knowledge.
I graduated from LPN in April and started working on a busy acute care unit in June, so I've been on my own for about 5 months now. I'm come to a realization this week that I'm just not cut out for this profession. I still have a hard time critically thinking in situations and can never put 2 and 2 together. I have two jobs & between them both I've made about 8 med errors since I started. I always get picked on by some old burnt out nurses. From call bells to asking questions they always seems to get irritated and ****** off with me. I'm so focused on what I need to do and my priority is my patients. I feel like I'm never gonna catch up and never going to be a "good" competent nurse. I just want to be liked. I try my best to be a part of the team, always making time to co-sign for other people when I've got a million things to do and getting PRNs for other people's patients. But the minute I sit down to chart people think I'm being lazy if a call bell goes off. Last time I checked I wasn't the only staff member. Is this wrong of me? What are some good tips on proving myself to these ladies?

Am I not developing at the rate I should? Am I infact "lazy" ? HELP! I feel like I'm always runnin my butt off.

Do NOT focus on wanting to be liked- you will always fail. Focus on learning to ONE thing better each day- and you will be doing better before you know it. Let the jerks whine- but if they have a valid point- LEARN from it :)

Five months isn't that long (though it can feel like it). By doing your job for your patients, they will soon see that you're doing ok- and like you for your work. Never depend on coworkers to be friends- friendly is nice- but you are only together because you are being paid to be in the same place at the same time. That's it. After you get the nursing part down- and that can take a couple of years to feel really "there"- you'll still learn all the time- but you will have a better idea of how you like to work.

From what you describe, it's a time management thing- and that just comes with more time. Find a routine that works for you :)

If the whiners don't sign your paycheck- phooey on them- unless it's a valid thing you can learn from :up:

pkt00 · Nov 15, 2011

I agree with the previous post, it sounds a bit harsh but screw them lol. Do your best at YOUR job. Helping ppl especially your coworkers is a great thing to do but when you are some what not concrete on your responsiblities it could only get worse. Although i haven't started working yet, i was somewhat in your shoes when working as a technician. I wanted to get accepted so much by those bitter ones. Check this if not only you are messing up on med orders and etc and those bitter ones are complaining abt you being "lazy" HR are may have a vacant position, which will be yours.

tcvnurse, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2011

Also, and this may be unpopular, but keep your focus on YOUR patients and YOUR duties. It's nice that you want to give prn meds to other patient's than yours, but you're not doing anyone any favors if you cant get your own work/charting done.

RhinoRocketRN · Nov 18, 2011

i thought the same exact thing as the other posters - work is not about being liked by coworkers, it is about providing the best care for your patients. It is very important that you triple check your medications and work prior to focus on your coworkers liking you. Focus on your work and then if you do have time - or there is an emergency, assist with others, but you need to focus on your patients so they can receive competent, quality care.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2011

Hello fellow nurses!
I love this site. It gives me a chance to vent, a chance to gain experties from the wiser ones, and to build on my knowledge.
I graduated from LPN in April and started working on a busy acute care unit in June, so I've been on my own for about 5 months now. I'm come to a realization this week that I'm just not cut out for this profession. I still have a hard time critically thinking in situations and can never put 2 and 2 together. I have two jobs & between them both I've made about 8 med errors since I started. I always get picked on by some old burnt out nurses. From call bells to asking questions they always seems to get irritated and ****** off with me. I'm so focused on what I need to do and my priority is my patients. I feel like I'm never gonna catch up and never going to be a "good" competent nurse. I just want to be liked. I try my best to be a part of the team, always making time to co-sign for other people when I've got a million things to do and getting PRNs for other people's patients. But the minute I sit down to chart people think I'm being lazy if a call bell goes off. Last time I checked I wasn't the only staff member. Is this wrong of me? What are some good tips on proving myself to these ladies?
Am I not developing at the rate I should? Am I infact "lazy" ? HELP! I feel like I'm always runnin my butt off.

I think you should focus less on being liked or worrying about others who might view you as lazy and MUCH more time on becoming the best nurse possible. Making 8 medication errors in five months on the job is pretty disturbing in my opinion. What is going on that has caused you to make so many errors? As a nurse giving medications, you have tremendous responsibility and your actions can make a huge impact on your patients' lives. I would address this situation immediately. If you have too many patients, that's a problem. If you don't have the resources you need to give medications safely and properly, that's a problem. If you are not focusing while doing your med run, that's a problem. Figure out what has caused these mistakes and work immediately to correct the problem, even if it means you find another job which has a safer nurse to patient ratio. All that work you put into your education won't mean a thing if you lose your license over a devastating medication error.

tiroka03, LPN · Nov 27, 2011

I agree with the above posters.

However, I would add two things. First is to pick the thing that is most probmatic to you, go home and think about it. Research it on your computer, or on this site. The first year or so, you are still in "school" mode, keep up your research. The second thing I would suggest is to keep a small note pad or address book and write in it the answers to things that slow you down. Put in there all peritant phone numbers and expalin to yourself all difficult procedures.

Nurse Betty's(like me) still have to do this kind of stuff ourselves. It is easy to think the old timers, like me, have got everything down by rote. However, procedures and machines change every other day. Fax numbers change faster than that. We have the added aches and pulled muscles you younger ones don't necessarily have.

I look at you new nurses, and wish I was younger, more fit, and had your energy. I wish I had the lastest training out there. I have to make due with what I have. That is why I am constistanly retraining myself, looking up new labs and diagnosis and machines. I listen to medical podcasts on my way to work. I work as an LPN, in long term, on night shift, but I take my job seriously, as you also need to do.

Here is a goal, try to shave off 15sec to 1 min off a particular procedure. From then on you will save that time every time you do it. The next day find a way to shave off another 15sec to 1 min. This saved time will add up, and soon you will be surprized at how fast and efficent you have become. One minute saved every time you do a gt tube will effect you in 5 or 10 mins a day, depending how many gtubes you do. The next day find a way to do lung sounds saving 30 seconds. The next day try to talk less and give meds faster. By the end of the week you will probably have saved 10 mins. After a couple of weeks of this you will have saved approx an hour each day. After twenty years, (like us old Betty's) it seems like we don't even work hard, but we do.

Chixie · Nov 28, 2011

Ive been in my job for 6 months and im in the same situation. If i help the techs do the washes,toileting and the observations etc (we have two techs and one nurse for 12 patients) then i get told that i need to learn to manage my time better but if i dont help with the washes and focus on the med rounds,doctors rounds and the billion and one other things then im called lazy. I simply cannot win.

netglow, ASN, RN · Nov 29, 2011

Sounds like you work with the types that will take your help gladly, but will kick you in the teeth for doing them the favor. I'd stop helping them before you lose all your teeth.