New Grads after 6 months: How do you feel?

[RNcDreams]

I've hit the 6 month mark.......and the warm-fuzzy feelings that I had toward the end of my preceptorship have evaporated.

Before work, I now find myself feeling anxious, nauseated, and afraid....yet hopeful.

I think this is for a variety of reasons:

1. There is no longer a preceptor by my side to encourage, guide, and safeguard

2. I'm adjusting to the lack of bathroom breaks, meal breaks, and rest

3. I'm coming face to face with my inadequacies--there are so many meds to know, so many different patient presentations, so much paperwork, so many personalities to work with, and so many "different" family members to answer to

4. I am hating the fact that I can't get through a day without messing something up and feeling like an idiot

5. I am horrified at how easy it is to make serious errors

6. I am frightened by the amount of responsibility this job entails, yet I am proud of myself for attaining it

Is this a common way to feel at this point? I've heard over and over "after your first year, you'll feel much better."

Is there such a thing as the 6 month slump?

[NICK-RN]

You Tend To Have That Slump Because Things Are Going To Start Coming Together For You Very Soon.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I used to call in when 2 particular people were working, because I just couldn't DEAL with both of them at once...it got better, then they both left....I miss them both now, and wish they were still on the unit to see how much I kick butt now!...I'm just a tech, not a RN, and I know the feelings will reset right after I start a new position, but I know that this, too, will pass....keep it up, I'm sure you're a GREAT nurse!

PS take a break, everyone needs one!

[Nurse Lulu]

I am just past the year mark (12-28:w00t:) and I have to admit for me, the 6 month mark was the worst over the last year. I dreaded going to work was starting to have anxiety issues (which I never did) and really just being depressed. I think it was worse because I started in Dec by myself, in critical care, and had no one going thru the same experience on my unit. IT GETS BETTER! Now I don't have anxiety about going to work and it doesn't rule my entire life the way it did (not that I don't love nursing). I am often in charge, and that used to really freak me out too. (I am still what my preceptor called "purposfully paranoid", but not on the edge of attack). Admits aren't quite the threat they used to be. I think everyone goes thru it, because I watch the people hired in the summer, and they are dropping like flies. They will make it too. Hope this helps CAT

[al7139, ASN, RN]

I just started my seventh month as a nurse.

I can understand how you feel. I often dread going to work, especially if the last shift I worked was horrible.

Sometimes I wish I was a bartender again. Dealing with drunk people is easier than dealing with sick people and their families.

On the other hand, I think that what you feel is normal. I work with alot of new grads like me, and we all have days when we wish we had chosen another career. The more experienced nurses on the unit say that they felt the same way at the 6 month milestone.

I just try to keep in mind that I am not alone, I have the resources to help me, and I guess I am lucky that the other nurses I work with are willing to help out the newbies.

One of the patient care supervisors at my hospital is also an instructor at the nursing school I attended, and I see her frequently. The last time I saw her, I asked (joking, of course) if I could come back to school and be a student instead of a "real" nurse.

It's just so very different than school was. I had no idea how sheltered we were as students. The full on experience of being a nurse is just so different and scary.

I have to say though, that it is getting better, and I do love what I do, and most of the time I feel confident in my knowledge and skills.

Hang in there!

Amy

[Agnes Anne]

You Tend To Have That Slump Because Things Are Going To Start Coming Together For You Very Soon.

Please expand on this.

As I was approaching my 6 month mark I was straing to feel a bit more on top of it. Now that I'm smack dab in the middle I've feel like I've lost all the ground I've gained!

Part may be due to some horrible staffing... folks moving away, changing to "day jobs" or calling off sick. Last night I had 5 pts. 1 d/c on admit, 1 total care, 1 very disoriented all QID accu checks, no aide, and no unit secretary. I left an hour late and discovered I forgot to chart 2 d/c vaccines prior to taking the pt out of the computer system.

argh.

[sweetmuffin48]

I really hope things get better...I hope once I am no longer a "new grad" my voice will be heard better...I get slammed with very high acuity patients, my techs don't listen to me, and my documentation could be a lot better....Some days I leave work in tears because I didn't have the time to give my patients the care they deserved...all I know is I did what I could do...i stay late to catch up on paperwork and I don't even get to eat lunch or pee when I needed to...

[zena231]

I'm hitting the 6 month mark this month and I can say I see differences in myself all the time. I am one who has to do something several times before I feel confident. I have finally got to the point where more things are now more confortable to me. I still have many episodes of lack of confidence or times when I feel overwhelmed , like there is just not enough time in the day to do what I want to do. In our area, we dont tend to insert many IVs, Just last week my patient needed one and I knew I had time to think it out and if it didnt work call in another more experienced nurse. Well, I hadn't put one in since last August, so I was nervous--but I did it! I was so excited and now maybe not so fearful to try again. And, I have more experienced nurses asking ME to help them with things like blood draws(which I have gained confidence in while working night shifts). I think we have a ways to go, but just like those last few quarters in nursing school--I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know nursing is a continuous learning process, but feeling like I actually AM a nurse and fitting in will make life more "normal" again.

[bubbly]

I am just hitting my 6 month mark as well. It definitely is more scary not having a preceptor around me just to make sure I am doing everything right and not missing important details. I think I am in the 6 month slump too. Admits are still scary for me and I am so afraid of a patient dying because I have never had that experience before. I am nervous going into work a lot because I never know if my patients will be fairly good or if they are on the verge of crashing and burning. I am so afraid sometimes of my patients going bad that I often double check things, which I guess just helps me from missing things but is a little more time consuming. I still wish I was a little faster at things, but I am still able to keep up so far. What is comforting to me is having great and supportive coworkers who I can lean on for any questions or help with my patients. Some days I feel really good and confident leaving work and other days I keep going over in my head things I wish I did a little better. LOL sometimes I fantasize about doing a career that is less stressful and people's lives aren't at stake. Deep down I know that I love my job and the positive impact it can have. Sometimes it's just hard for me too see that when I drag myself to work each week praying nothing bad will happen. Good luck with your job and I hope we feel better after our first year is over. :)

[NICK-RN]

please expand on this.

as i was approaching my 6 month mark i was straing to feel a bit more on top of it. now that i'm smack dab in the middle i've feel like i've lost all the ground i've gained!

part may be due to some horrible staffing... folks moving away, changing to "day jobs" or calling off sick. last night i had 5 pts. 1 d/c on admit, 1 total care, 1 very disoriented all qid accu checks, no aide, and no unit secretary. i left an hour late and discovered i forgot to chart 2 d/c vaccines prior to taking the pt out of the computer system.

argh.

hi anne. i went right from school to the er. i was placed on a 4 month orientation with a day shift rn and a night shift rn. the day shift rn treated me horrible. the night shift nurse was awesome and eager to teach as the day shift nurse challenged me in unprofessional ways. orienting on days was very frustrating and had me rethinking my choice to become a rn. it's unfortunate nurses have a tendency to eat their young. i stuck it out because i saw the better half that existed on nights. around the 6 month mark everything came together. my nursing judgement was appropriate, my shills were sharp and i felt like an equal. things changed on day shift. i was now one of them starting the iv's they failed. i was grateful i was finally accepted, which is a big part of being comfortable on whichever unit you belong, but swore to myself i would lead a nursing career like my night shift preceptor. so, keep on keeping on because things will come together for you to. let's face it, the bulk of nursing is learned after you graduate and further compromised by certain staff members and the challenges of not being oriented properly to a unit. good luck anne-nick.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Thank you for contributing to the discussion NICK-RN. AS a gentle reminder, in future please don't type your entire post in capital letters. In netiquette that is considered the same as shouting and as such is a violation of our terms of service here at allnurses.com.

[NurseLecia]

I'm not exactly at the 6 month point, but I still find this forum interesting because I too am a new nurse. I just had my 4 month anniversary 5 days ago, and I can honestly say it's finally now getting better. When I first started (like the first two months), I was already thinking about changing careers. I would go home and actually research different jobs that I could qualify for with my education and previous career experience. Somehow I found the strength to hang in there, and now I am finally feeling about my career choice. My biggest issue about being a new grad is the lack of empathy from the more experienced nurse. When I first started, most of the nurses on the floor told me, "if you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask, no matter what." The reality is, when you really need to ask a question about something, everyone is too busy to answer. It's as if the older nurse totally forgot how it was to be a new inexperienced nurse. Now I'm at the point where I can finally see a light at the end the tunnel and I am so happy I stuck in there. Hope this gives a new grad some sort of inspiration and hope. :-)

[NICK-RN]

Lecia, when our new era of nurses become experienced or well seasoned, do you think nurses will stop eating their young?