New nurse blues

Aquamarine · Sep 23, 2008

:)
i feel your pain. you didn't make a wrong turn, but the preceptors need to remember where they came from. no one pops out of nursing school and knows everything. we all learn every day of our lives. good luck to you. keep your chin up. and someday, when you are the preceptor and you have an overwhelmed new rn or lpn on your shirt-tails, remember what you wrote here. :)

i forgot to add, i hated every day of my first year. and nurses are not kind. do no harm? did you ever hear of that? they will make you feel like crapola given the opportunity...say....no as a matter of fact...i did what you did in nursing school...homework and only got to work on the patients that were assigned...and that didn't cover ever illness and every proceedure. i gave one im in nursing school. i gave thousands since then and continue to but it was fearful getting started. i prayed for fat arms or butts.

you can do it. it is what is in your heart. it does't hellp to have so many patients and a computer program you aren't used to either.

if it is in your heart to do good for mankind, to help patients, to be kind...stick with it.

if it makes you totally ill, then consider switching jobs or cutting to part time. i worked part time in a md office and only part time in the hospital because it was so brutal.

after i got my first year and a half i switched to dialysis, and still work for the md. they tried to make me full time in dialysis and i had to insist it was no. they still play with me a little but i stick up for myself very nicely. it isn't an easy field.

my patients and i have the best rapport. i make them feel secure and better. my fellow nurses are good, but some bad. i actually got hit by a rn last week. i told her if ever ever again, i don't care if i lose my job...i will dial 911 and press charges. i didn't because no one saw it but me and her, it was behind a counter. it is just what some people are made of...but decide what you want to do.

i don't think you picked the wrong career, just not a good place. it took me longer to orientate. i told them i wasn't ready. i didn't care. i left because they treated nurses unfairly and the end result was poor patient care. i am not staying in one place for that long, with nursing you can move around well. :typing good luck...:chuckle

Cfitz · Sep 23, 2008

i've got the blues too. I'm almost off orientation also, and I'm working nights. It sucks. i actually liked my job before I started working grave. I start out my night feeling ok, like i'm on top of things, and then the end of the shift just falls apart, and i go home crying. In fact, i go home crying more often than not. i did well in nursing school. Sometimes i just feel like my good grades must have been a mistake because i can not do this very well. I'll be thinking of you, and i wish you luck.

I could have written this post verbatim... :scrying:

SoundofMusic · Sep 23, 2008

Have no fear. When you're off orientation, it is now up to you to seek out those answers from your charge nurse and other resources -- I can't tell you how important now my "charge" nurse is to me. If I have a question, I go right to him/her and/or I seek out the friendly, helpful experienced nurses on the floor and go to them. For these nurses I have the UTMOST admiration and respect.

I have been fortunate to grow up around very competent and helpful nurses. Only the truly "bad" nurses have been nasty and unhelpful -- and to tell you the truth -- they are the ones who are usually NOT respected on the floor by ANYONE. I think these nasty trogyldyte types are usually taking that out on anyone they can -- they are just that nasty and small.

I am about three months off orientation now and I can't tell you how much has just started to "click." It just sort of happened, almost overnight. All of a sudden I know what is important to stress over and what is not. I'm faster at paperwork and have also come to know a few docs a bit better. Things are starting to get repetitive . . .. it really does come in time, but you have to GIVE it the time.

And I know how painful the bad days are . ..believe me. :)

lola80 · Sep 23, 2008

I am nearing the end of my "orientation" program in my first RN job. The first two weeks were spent observing various departments and then we went to the floors to orient. A month later and all the preceptors are tired of having new grads ask questions. "Didn't you people learn ANYTHING in nursing school?" Sure we did, we spent a gazillion hours on care plans, which are not used much here. Right now I am absolutely hating this hospital job. After a six week orientation we are supposed to be full-fledged RN's, ready to do anything! My feeling right now is that I am on a sinking ship. Never in my life have I felt or been made to feel incompetent, but I sure do now. I know I should say **I CAN do this** and so every day I say that mantra over and over on my way to work. But when I get there, and try to do everything for 4-5 patients as well as new admits and computer charting on a very user-unfriendly system, I am not sure if I really will be able to do this. Is being nervous and having a constant feeling of cold fear and dread normal for a new RN or have I made a wrong turn in life by going to nursing school?

i know this is an old post, but i would like to comment. i don't think we made a mistake in becoming nurses, i just think it takes time in getting the hang of things. hopefully, once i pass my nclex, i'll be able to say the same when i start working.

Aquamarine · Sep 24, 2008

[i think we all go through the same things. All I can say is nurses have to take other nurses under their wings. Share what you know, show kindness for Pete's sake! What does acting like you know more, or are better do? what is the result? Does it make you better? You have no more experience by not being kind, it does take away from your credit of being a good nurse, a good person. I think it is immoral to not take the underlings under your wing....

Why make new nurses suffer, where is the joy? If you are that good...it should be no sweat to help out even more than expected. No one comes out of school with real life experience. Even if you were lucky enough to do some of the proceedures, which often you weren't. You don't learn by doing something once or twice...it takes repetition and that can't be gained even in real on the job orientation, if it takes 4 times, 5 times...what difference does it make to help? It is shameful the way nurses treat nurses, animals can treat animals better in the wilderness:bluecry1:.

guislander · Sep 25, 2008

I can totally identify. I took the job I have because I was having trouble finding a job and felt it was the only choice. I too feel very overwhelmed. I came from a hospital (as an LPN) where the RN never had more than 5 patients. The hospital I'm in now I was told has a ratio of 6-8 pts, and I've seen as high as 13. The way my orientation has gone is just I take some pts, my preceptor takes some. I feel kinda out on my own with the pts I have. She's there for questions, but I not being shown or talked through anything. The worst part is I'm not even in a dept I like. I feel like I'm just stuck for a year. My preceptor says I'm doing just fine and she's tell me if I wasn't but I wonder. To make matters worse the last several days I've been finding errors from the nurse I replaced. I worte some of them up. But was told to let others slide. I don't like having to "clean up" after an experienced nurse who should know better.

WindyhillBSN · Sep 26, 2008

i forgot to add, i hated every day of my first year. and nurses are not kind. do no harm? did you ever hear of that? they will make you feel like crapola given the opportunity...say....no as a matter of fact...i did what you did in nursing school...homework and only got to work on the patients that were assigned...and that didn't cover ever illness and every proceedure. i gave one im in nursing school. i gave thousands since then and continue to but it was fearful getting started. i prayed for fat arms or butts.
you can do it. it is what is in your heart. it does't hellp to have so many patients and a computer program you aren't used to either.
if it is in your heart to do good for mankind, to help patients, to be kind...stick with it.
if it makes you totally ill, then consider switching jobs or cutting to part time. i worked part time in a md office and only part time in the hospital because it was so brutal.
after i got my first year and a half i switched to dialysis, and still work for the md. they tried to make me full time in dialysis and i had to insist it was no. they still play with me a little but i stick up for myself very nicely. it isn't an easy field.
my patients and i have the best rapport. i make them feel secure and better. my fellow nurses are good, but some bad. i actually got hit by a rn last week. i told her if ever ever again, i don't care if i lose my job...i will dial 911 and press charges. i didn't because no one saw it but me and her, it was behind a counter. it is just what some people are made of...but decide what you want to do.
i don't think you picked the wrong career, just not a good place. it took me longer to orientate. i told them i wasn't ready. i didn't care. i left because they treated nurses unfairly and the end result was poor patient care. i am not staying in one place for that long, with nursing you can move around well. :typing good luck...:chuckle

hit? what?!!??!!

WindyhillBSN · Sep 26, 2008

[i think we all go through the same things. All I can say is nurses have to take other nurses under their wings. Share what you know, show kindness for Pete's sake! What does acting like you know more, or are better do? what is the result? Does it make you better? You have no more experience by not being kind, it does take away from your credit of being a good nurse, a good person. I think it is immoral to not take the underlings under your wing....
Why make new nurses suffer, where is the joy? If you are that good...it should be no sweat to help out even more than expected. No one comes out of school with real life experience. Even if you were lucky enough to do some of the proceedures, which often you weren't. You don't learn by doing something once or twice...it takes repetition and that can't be gained even in real on the job orientation, if it takes 4 times, 5 times...what difference does it make to help? It is shameful the way nurses treat nurses, animals can treat animals better in the wilderness:bluecry1:.

Can I get an Amen! :yeah:

Aquamarine · Sep 26, 2008

Hit? What?!!??!!

hit my hand which had my assingment papers in it for the shift and garbbed then out of my hand and then threw them....

you know? like a ;mature adult RN. She is in her late 50's. I think she needs meds. Then she went into the FA's office and said "I did wrong didn't I?" I feel I would have been suspended but because she smokes with the boss...well that is a bond that can't be broken where I work. I don't smoke. Nothing happened to her, no witnesses, and she said she apologized to me, and when that was....I have no idea. She doesn't pick on me relentlessly anymore. I told the boss I would call the police next time. She is married to a doctor I heard, and that she doesn't even need to work, so I guess that is why she gets away with assaulting another RN.

I know I have to leave. It is in the making. I need some peace of mind. I will cry just to leave my patients though. I wanted to retire from this place....really did. I guess that isn't going to happen.

It isn't that I can't take it, I don't want to. I don't want to be bold, and don't want to fight, I just want to be a nurse. They think I am odd because I drink healthy drinks, don't smoke, and eat healthy. And not like a fanatic or anything....just generally. I care, I pay attention to what I do and I also eat a little junk.

One night one of the RNs, the charge RN.... forgot her stethoscope. I told her I had extras in my car. She said "why, do you sell them", I guess they decided that I must if I have several in my car. I just keep them in my car because that is when I will need them, not at home. I have 4 or 6 different ones, colors, etc. Isn't that my right? I don't have kids, I buy what I need for work and am not stingy about it. I was trying to be nice which is automatic. She asked to borrow some of my DVDs also....and I never brought them in. I should get abused at work and then lend them my DVDs from my collection. No way.

One night a nurse took out the hair extentions on a LPN in th emiddle of the unit where the patients could see. Had one of the techs go to the dollar store to get some cream rinse or hair cream to use like it was important...he went to get it. I was totally appalled. When I went to my RN in charge....she said "it's ghetto". Like I didn't understand...and I guess I didn't. I sometimes say I should have started a book, but then I say...why bother? who wants to read garbage? And who wants to remember it ??:typing Disgusting environment.