New Nurse Having a Hard Time Connecting the Dots

Nurses New Nurse

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Well here I am, 1 month into a job on a new floor at a hospital.

Yes, I am a new nurse with no previous hospital experience.

I have my med passing down and my general daily routine.

I do not have the paperwork part down...what and when things should be done and what sheet to use.

I do not know the protocol of the floor...when I should call for verifications, what DRs make rounds, etc

I feel as if I am learning everyday but I only had a week of orientation on this floor that is covered with heavy paperwork for every little thing it seems.

The nurses taught me the med pass and how to enter it into a computer but they did not tell me about the chart and what needs to be done daily, they did not tell me about which DR. rotate and which don't etc. They allow me to slink through and beg for answers and then look at me with blank stares.

And now, I feel as if I am being sabatoged because some nurses will actually allow me to do tasks that they know will end a certain way but will let me go through the heartache and time for nothing. Each charge nurse has a different routine and some do more than others, which I just realized today while working with a new charge nurse.

Example of what I think is sabatoge:

I received a verification notice from the pharmacy concerning a certain med. A nurse told me that I needed to call the Dr. The oncall Dr. told me to continue the med until until a certain day when the regular Dr would be making rounds and have him confirm the order then. On the "supposed" day, the Dr. never showed up and I asked a couple of times that day about the verification to which the same nurse told me she did not know what to tell me....found out later that she knows the Dr mentioned and his protocols.

Later, as shift was fixing to turn, I asked once again and was told that I needed to call the office because that certain Dr did not make rounds here from that same nurse. She told me she did not realize that was the Dr. I was talking about when she was the one that gave me the name of the DR in the first place. I did not know which one to call in the first place because I have no clue who is the surgeon, regular Dr. etc. So, I call the Dr's nurse who procedes to yell at me because there is a time protocol concerning the med and how long the pt should be on the med in the first place and was wondering why I called her. I get off the phone and the nurse tells me that she knew that was probably the reaction that I would get and I look at her and ask why in the world she allowed me to spend nearly an hour fighting and automated system only to get yelled at. This is only one example of this.

Is it normal to feel as if the dots are not connecting or is it just me not getting it? How long is norm for getting the protocol of a floor? I feel as if something is missing although I have gone through my orientation papers to try and find the missing info.

Any advice?

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

It took me almost 6 months to feel a little comfortable in my new role with

learning procedure and protocols. At a year now and still learning. It will come, be patient.

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Thanks but how in the world do you learn about the floor when no one seems to want to take the time to teach you? My boss tells me to ask if I have questions but she is busy and I can't give up time when every minute is filled with something to do. I am going to schedule some time off the clock with her but in all reality do I really have a chance if my peers are not willing to guide me? Is it o.k. to ask questions after orientation...I feel like I am pulling teeth and everyone gives me an attitude like I should know it by now. And to top it off, they have already split the floor with me and I get at least 10 pts a shift.

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.

Since this is your first job, you might not realise that you have been put in a very dangerous situation. Not only were you given little orientation time, your staffing levels are atrocious. How much choice do you have in your city in terms of jobs? IMHO, you should get out if at all possible as soon as possible.

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Heres the thing...I can actually handle this load its just that I have no time to be able to look through charts and get to know my pts. So, I am blind each day to what is going on with them to some extent. I look at their kardex...which gets updated sometimes, I look at the last physician orders made and watch for new orders. I watch v/s and and keep up on the necessary things like wound care, and assessing. I assess all of my pts even though we are only suppose to do half because the next shift is suppose to do the other half but doesn't and I do it before the day is done. I just have this problem figuring out what needs to be done when and wonder if it is me or not having enough time to be able to research things. I love this floor and want to stay there and there are nurses there that are doing it and doing it well so I see that it can be done without mistakes that make for a dangerous situation. My boss is great and understanding I just don't know what and how long she expects of me before she begins to question my abilities. I guess I need to ask her. I am also starting to clash with those that are burned out and no longer treating their pts as they should be and although I say nothing about this, it seems they are taking it out on me because I do things over and above what is required. Oh, Lord, this is driving me nuts...I read that it is expected, let's hope because I am loosing sleep and the stress is killing me!

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
Thanks but how in the world do you learn about the floor when no one seems to want to take the time to teach you? My boss tells me to ask if I have questions but she is busy and I can't give up time when every minute is filled with something to do. I am going to schedule some time off the clock with her but in all reality do I really have a chance if my peers are not willing to guide me? Is it o.k. to ask questions after orientation...I feel like I am pulling teeth and everyone gives me an attitude like I should know it by now. And to top it off, they have already split the floor with me and I get at least 10 pts a shift.

You darn right it's okay! Don't ever think it's not okay. I would be scared

to have someone as my nurse that didn't ask questions. Always ask

questions. We have a new nurse on our floor that has been a nurse

for almost 8 years. She still asks questions. That is not a bad thing

at all.

As far as your co-workers are concerned. I don't understand why

they won't take time to answer your questions unless your just on an

extremely busy floor. 10 pts a shift? What? I would run, not

walk, out of there!!!!

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Go with your gut, if you are feeling sabotaged and if things are not feeling right, there probably are rules you don't know about and nobody will tell you. Be careful.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

One week orientation for a new nurse is unheard of. Did you orient on a similar floor for a longer time , I hope? You need to sit down with your manager when you both have the time, ie. your day off or after your shift. It sounds like your hospital is antiquated which definitely makes things harder. A cardex is so 1955. It sounds like you still have paper charting for some things which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I am guessing, based on that, that you dont even have printouts of basic pt info. You need to have the info you need to safely do your job. I don't know if I could work under these conditions but if you choose to, you need to clarify some things with your nurse manager. I suggest writing your questions down as you think of them and then going over the list with her. The way things are going you are setting yourself up for burnout and/or failure. Just because some nurses are doing it does not mean that there is not something wrong with the system. Don't think there is something wrong with you for finding it extremely difficult. I am guessing that they are nasty to you because it is all they can do to keep their own heads above water. Ten pts is alot to handle. Good luck.

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Well, for an RN, they get 6-8 weeks but for an LPN which I am, this hospital feels that we can get it in a week and that is all they are willing to give. It is like that in every hospital, ltc and the such in my area. I am doing the same job as the RN...and eventually they will want me to be in charge, and yet we are expected to be able to get it in a week. Our floor is the one of the few last floors to have lots of paperwork which is not an issue, I just don't seem to be able to have any extra time to peruse through it. I don't want to give up this job because I really like this hospital and it is close to home, etc, but I am planning on sitting down with my manager and asking some questions. I am going to set this right quickly because they are ot going to run me off and they are going to respect me...I give it my all, I am there early everyday and they are going to give me the room to grow and they are going to know this by next week. I was just wanting reassurance that it wasn't so much me but just a job with a lot of demands pushing me bad! Thanks guy/girls!

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