New nurse and feeling so discouraged

Nurse2bbrody · Oct 17, 2016

I am not a nurse yet as I just started school, but I work in a busy environment as a patient care tech where I hear and see what you are describing every day. Stroke patients/dementia mixed with sun downers, incontinence, Alzheimers is a normal day. By the end of my shift I am exhausted, covered in germs, and have taken flak at least once from somebody who didn't have to clean a butt hole while its still farting during their shift. The flak is not because I am lazy either its just what happens when people get stressed that is life.

First, your never going to get it all done. The day that you manage to hone your skills to the point to where you get everything done perfectly will be short lived since there will be a nurse waiting right behind you to say that you missed or didn't do something correct to your face or behind your back. Its not nursing its just how people are in virtually every work environment there is. Its what people do, especially to new people, and you will too if you don't already. Be thankful for the ones who say it to your face as they have some empathy and would rather see you succeed than crash and burn.

Second, You are not alone. I guarantee the nurses that are working with you are just as stressed about getting their stuff done as you are from time to time. Veterans know how to address the problems you run into quicker and what to do because that is all they have done and it is not new to them. It is for you so give your self some credit and realize you have lots of nuances to learn. That should excite you and keep you engaged throughout your career.

Finally, the relationships you form with your fellow nurses may be superficial and useless from your experience so far, but I highly doubt there is not one soul that you work with on a shift that wouldn't mind referencing you to the correct information. Maybe consider the way you approach them, or consider how you can help the whole team and show them that you are valuable enough to help out when you are struggling. Do not expect anyone to lift a finger for you unless they are an aide, cna or lpn. Even then I would always expect to do everything yourself and then once you learn who you can ask and count on to help you, other than another RN, you should find things will get easier as far as labor goes.

In conclusion, If all else fails and no matter what angle you try or how hard you work if others refuse to work with you and help you when you have questions that can compromise patient satisfaction you have managers and HR for a reason. Just use the phrase "the morale of my team" or "my workload is" and end it with "compromising patient satisfaction". That will get the attention of your manager, and if not him someone above him will care enough to make him do something. Not the charge nurse, not the supervisor, the manager that deals with the numbers and complaints of patients and other employees. Do not single out or point fingers as that will make you look immature and will only make the target on your back bigger. Be diplomatic about it and try your best to work with others and be enthusiastic if you can. Your attitude is contagious so pick yours carefully and dont take it personally if someone else is subconsciously trying to knock you down a peg by not helping you. The longer you stick with it the more they will notice and others in charge will too. This should enable you to remain calm and collected enough to make brief yet significant contact with your patients when you look them in the eye, which should fill the patient care void you are worried about.

djh123 · Oct 17, 2016

I'm in a LTC/rehab facility, not an acute care unit, but: it'll get better. The two things that will probably get better but not perfect, and that I still have a hard time with, are spending enough time with each patient and enough time to get everything done. You have to prioritize and re-prioritize every shift, which means some lesser things may not get done, and you may not get to spend as much time as you'd like with some patients.

AvaRose · Oct 17, 2016

This is so true. I've been working my first RN job for about 4 weeks now at a short-term Rehab center and most of my shifts start well. I've gotten the dreaded 8 am med pass down to an hour (the first 2 weeks it was at least 1 1/2 hours). Now though they are leaving me progressively more alone when admissions come in to the point where I feel like I'm scrambling to get anything done at all. At first I was slightly upbeat thinking they must really trust me to do this on my own already. Then I quickly realized it was something no one else wanted to do so they pawned it off on the new girl. On top of that, the only other nurses I am working with are even newer than me and the nurse who relieves me always wants report immediately as soon as she arrives (at 6pm for a shift that starts at 630pm) and throws a hissy fit if there is ANYTHING left over for her to do...meaning I get to stay nearly 2 hours late some nights to do work that she could do considering that she doesn't have any med passes to try to squeeze in between admissions and a terribly unstable diabetic patient who swings between a BG of 584 and as low as 40. Last shift I was on the phone with the Doctor trying to fix the swinging BG and modify orders for the patient and the other nurse started yelling at me about not giving her report. The Doctor heard her and everything...so embarrassing...I hope this week runs better...only bright spot is I have almost 6 hours of OT on the check I get on the 22nd.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I've been working my first RN job for about 4 weeks now...
(the oncoming nurse) throws a hissy fit if there is ANYTHING left over for her to do...meaning I get to stay nearly 2 hours late some nights to do work that she could do...
only bright spot is I have almost 6 hours of OT on the check

Be cautious; your bright spot could turn into a thunderstorm if your boss is unhappy about the OT.

None of my employers would have tolerated me staying late for such reasons; even now, OT must be approved in advance.

Just a word of caution.

AvaRose · Oct 18, 2016

Be cautious; your bright spot could turn into a thunderstorm if your boss is unhappy about the OT.
None of my employers would have tolerated me staying late for such reasons; even now, OT must be approved in advance.
Just a word of caution.

I'm pretty sure they don't care since after this hell shift on Thursday the DON texted me and asked if I could work an extra 12 on Friday which would have been all OT. I said no to that pretty quick, though if money gets tight I may pick up extra shifts once I stop feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing. I did end up having to go in on Friday for 1 1/2 hours to redo the admission assessment that didn't post properly. All I know is my new answer to the demanding night nurse is sorry I have to go considering even if I finish everything she treats and talks to me like a stupid 2 year old.

Kallie3006, ADN · Oct 18, 2016

Breathe!! The wonderful thing about nursing is that it is 24 hour care!! Having said that remember it when you are getting report from the opposite shift. I try to go in to work with the mentality that, " I have no idea what this nurse went through before I got here." Nursing isn't the repititious shift over and over, not all of your patients will always stay stable, not all admits will be sweet and cooperative, not all family members will understand that the code down the hall tumps their loved ones cup of ice, and not all coworkers want to sprinkle the "teamwork" fairy dust on before coming into the building. That's just reality and you going in knowng that keeps you one up on the game. Novice or expert you wll not always have shifts that you feel like you are drowning after every cornor, and you will not always have shifts where you dare to say the "Q" word. This is the wonderful thing about working with people, especially sick people, always expect the unexpected and if the unexpected doesn't happen that day, don't say anything about it until you are clocked out and on your way home.

You will never please every nurse, but after some time you will figure out their "quirks" and that may make it easier. There have been times when I felt like all I knew about my patients was that they were breathing. It happens, but you have to remember you are only one person. You will get in a rhythm that works for you, one that you get your charting done in a timely matter, your new orders will have gotten initiated ect. You will have a day when you can look back on this post and think, " Sheesh Im glad all that is over with." Keep your head up, this too shall pass .

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Oct 18, 2016

All I know is my new answer to the demanding night nurse is sorry I have to go considering even if I finish everything she treats and talks to me like a stupid 2 year old.

Absolutely... nip that in the bud right away.

My preceptor at my first job used to say, "It's not a sprint nor even a marathon... it's a relay race... just make sure you pass the baton."

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Oct 18, 2016

Nursing is a career, not a job. You can't consider yourself experienced until that third year. My heart goes out to every new nurse that has had to endure orienting since the NCLEX changed format and the graduate nurse position was eliminated. Almost all employers see a licensed nurse, not a new nurse, when hiring. Discipline has replaced education when a new nurse makes predictable mistakes, making nurses more afraid to ask questions of experienced nurses. This forces a fake it til you make it policy that harms patients and stunts the nurses experience. We all lose with the current orientation process.

AvaRose · Oct 19, 2016

Thanks for the comments. Today was probably my best day yet. I got all my meds in on time (no red on my MAR at all for the whole shift). I had 6 of the 10 patients so that is saying something especially since 3 are diabetic and one is on IV antibiotics. In addition, I had 4 sets of orders to enter and/or modify from the doctor and a wound culture to swab. But I still got all my charting done, gave report to the nice night nurse, and left *gasp* ON TIME! Plus I got complimented by several of the admin staff.