New nurse OVERWHELMED

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Hi,

I am a new nurse that has been on my own for 1month. I feel incredibly overwhelmed! I pray before I go to work that I don't hurt/kill anyone or make any huge mistakes. I have so far made tons of mistakes. I've been losing sleep b/c I wake up in the middle of the night thinking "i could've done this better/I should've done that." I also feel like other nurses are upset/frustrated with me b/c when I forget or don't know that I'm suppose to do something they have to pick up what I didn't do. I FEEL TERRIBLE!!! I feel like crying everytime i come back from work. :cry: There's a fairly new nurse at my floor as well who is a nice person and i wound up getting her upset just the other day b/c i forgot to do something. aargh! i get so mad at myself. I do stay after a little longer to make sure that the next nurse doesn't have to do anything that I was suppose to do. everything has just been too much for me. I feel like quitting everyday i come back from work!!! it's too much! i emailed my manager yesterday if i could possibly be set up with a mentor. but still, i'm so sad. Nursing is something that i wanted to do for sooo long. I felt so happy when i passed nursing school and boards, and couldn't wait to start working. I heard that the transition might be difficult, but I didn't think it'd be this TOUGH!!! I have lost all confidence in myself and I don't like that at all. i feel so incompetent and useless. Just venting! thanks for listening! :)

Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele/Stroke and Mental Health.

when i read your post, it remembered me of my first year as a new nurse on a busy med-surg unit...i was scared every time when i had to come to work, i cried, i felt like i never would make it, i stayed over to finish my work...but it got better. it takes time, but eventually you will develop your own routine and feel more and more comfortable. never feel bad if you ask other nurses for advise and/or help - better to ask than making mistakes.

don't give up - you will make it!!! :up::wink2:

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Specializes in lots of different areas.

I'm in the same boat. How long does it take to feel "not so scared". And what's the average for being able to take a patient load on your own? I've only been orientating 5 weeks but am scared to death to do it on my own! I recently got my RN-I transitioned from LTC PRN. They only trained me 5 days before doing that, and I never remember being this scared! Med/Surg is a whole new ball game!

Thanks

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Haha, I was just starting to get a little comfortable at six months, but I don't know about your floors, our patients have just gotten really really SICK. And we just lost staffing budget... So I'm back to feeling like I did my first few months!

Scared and achy... with a lot of acute patients... Staying WAY too late with exhaustion trying to back chart at 8:30a. :(

I am going to stay positive!!

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Hi,

I've been a nurse for 7 years now, and I promise you that the first year is the hardest. I was a flight nurse in Iraq... and that was nothing compared to my first year as a med/surg nurse. Be kind to yourself... it will get better.

Try to "put the monster in the box", that is, let things go. Don't think about work when you aren't there. Everyone makes mistakes- nurses, doctors, everyone. Just do your best, know that everyone felt or feels the way you do, and be gentle with yourself. I promise you, it will get better.

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Specializes in med surg, hospice, home care, infusion.

As a clinical instructor and med/surg nurse, let me just tell you that I would be worried if you were not overwhelmed. The scariest new nurses are the ones that think they already know everything. It's impossible to teach everything you need to know in school. Caring for 2 patients is a whole lot different than 5-6+. Take your time and ask lots of questions. I remember as a new nurse looking at and listening to other nurses- wondering if I would ever know as much as they do. It seems effortless on their part. Trust me, we have all been there and a good nurse will remember and understand. Keep your chin up! It will get better- I promise!!!

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first of all you HAVE to relax, and quit beating yourself up. dont take it all on at once. yes it is stressful and a serious job, but you got to where you are and you can pull through it. i felt all the ways you did, but learned to shut that thinking up. it only slows you down. if you are stuck on all the things you dont or didnt do right there wont be room left to think critically. plus it drains your energy. on your days off dont think about work at all-make yourself do something else-perferrably pamper yourself (spa, massage, salon, shopping). you have to take care of you before you take care of others-it may go against every grain in your body but it works. most importantly know that this is normal, enerybody felt it to some degree..but move past it. it gets better believe me, just dont be so self critical.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

What shift are you on and what is your nurse patient ratio?

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hello leapof faith... :) i just read ur post, and it really impacted me. i am a little over a month into orientation on the med-surg floor... and i feel that way now. sometimes i feel like i don't know everything and i feel like it takes me a little longer to feel comfortable with a procedure or just instructions given to me in general. i feel overwhlemed all the time.. and i always think to myself am i going to get all of this before my orientation is up? i hope you are doing better now. it seems like you are a very hardworking nurse... and i believe if you are there to learn and have a positive attidude, you can get through it. i am trying my hardest to tell me self that aswell. becasue there are moments where i also feel inadequate and like i just want to leave. i just try my hardest to take in as much as i can. and i pray to god to please help me get through the tough moments. just have faith. and believe in yourself and keep the determination to do your best. i think people in general, who do care about their role, no matter what profession they are in, want to be the best and do there job right. eventually we will get comfortable in our own shoes, we just need to break them in some more. always rememer. no one is perfect. you will be fine. :) :heartbeat

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HOw would you learn if you never made a mistake? No one is perfect, as long as you learn from the mistake is key!

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

Hello all,

I just read the original post that was posted in January. I too feel overwhelmed. I graduated in May of 2008 and worked in LTC for 5 months. I got hired on to a medsurge/ortho floor at the end of March. My director wanted me to go on my own with only 3 weeks of orientation on the floor. Thank God my charge nurse spoke up and I got another few days training. I will be on my own this Saturday with 4 patients and a resource person to go to which is essentially what I am doing now. I am so slow and get done late every day. My stomach gets tied up in knots by days end. I feel incompetent and overwhelmed most days. It is so hard to remember what tests everyone is having and when to call Drs and when not to call Drs. I broke down in tears twice in private. My charge nurse says this is normal and she would be worried if I had it all down at this point. I too wonder how the other nurses keep it together and do all that they can do. I love being a nurse and taking care of people but it seems like I have time to do very little of the care giving.

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It really bothers me that crying nurses seem to be the status quo in acute care hospitals. What other profession can say that?

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

"...this tough" is pretty common- kudos on asking for some more precepting- we often throw our new nurses to the wolves. I don't know what the job market is like in your area but it may not be you- perhaps the hospital you are working for is understaffed or poorly organized. Ask around to see what the Nurse-Patient ratio is elswhere in your area. Did you clinical at another hospital?; Was the staffing pattern better there? Any friends from school working another unit or hospital that you can call? Now that you have some "experience" you are a bit more employable than you were as a grass green new grad. My first job was a nightmare, the next one was a great fit for skills development with lots more support for a new grad, and the third position I've held for over 20 years. Don't be afraid to look for alternative opportunities in your area.

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