New nurse OVERWHELMED

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

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 Medical-Surgical/Oncology.

So, how are you? Did you ever find work?

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

Venting too...

I am so glad to have found this trend. I am currently feeling this way - OVERWHELMED! I have been on a cardiovascular surgical unit for 5 months and work nights. At times it's not bad when I have everything organized and stable patients. It's when I have 5-6 pts who are not so stable and require many assessments/meds/interventions.

Giving reports to the day shift can be very challenging since they are detail oriented. I have 5-6 pts to their 3 so it's understandable. I do find myself saying, "I don't know" and that is when I feel incompetent. I can't know everything but I try hard to get as much info down on my assessment sheets which I am forever changing in hopes to be more organized. I was oriented by a very good preceptor who didn't give up on me. She is my mentor today, thank gosh I have her. Yet, when I see her I can't think of questions to ask (we work opposite shifts). I do my best to ask as many questions during my shifts. Sometimes I am so busy I don't have time to ask the questions that just pop in my head. Then I would forget them.

The biggest overwhelmed feeling I have now is the stress of "did I do everything!!! - (give all meds, document everything, tell the day nurse this or that, and etc). I try hard not to think about these things at home but it's so hard. Now of course that interrupts my sleep and that doesn't help with working nights.

I try hard to stay upbeat and happy...but there are days when I get the attitude from another nurse who knows I am new that I have a hard time holding my composure. I am in my 40s and this is my second career so it is just hard at times. I have to constantly tell myself that I am new and they are experienced. I just wish all the experienced nurses would love to teach but the reality is - not everyone wants to teach. I am okay with that, I just have to keep telling myself that (keeping my mouth shut!). Being overwhelmed is frustrating. I do think I have some anxiety now and I did cry a few times during my orientation but for the most part, I am getting very tired...

When I first started my job, I would come home every day and study something. Searching the net, looking up anything and everything in drug books, nursing manuals, pathophysiology reference and etc. I ordered many discs on critical care...then it's like I just stopped one day. My brain is full and the more I read the less I know. I only look up stuff at work but the "homework" not so much...Did anyone else does that?

If someone asked me now if I like nursing, I would definitely tell them to ask me in 6 months...it's tough but I feel like it will be rewarding at some point...:bugeyes:

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Wow. I can remember feeling this way- even posted my own thread about, "do I REALLY have to do M/S for a year?!?" LOL!

I have now been on my MST floor for seven months, and it is SO much better than it was. MS is still not my dream job and I can't wait to discover what is.. And sure, I still have my anxieties, and even a day here and there where I feel overwhelmed and dreading the drive to work.. but once I'm there, I relax and realize that I CAN do this.

I had the issue of falling WAY behind, mostly with charting. I was too busy doing my patient care stuff (we are ALWAYS short on CNA help and usually have 5-7 patients with at least 2-3 total cares, sigh..) Anyway, over the last three weeks our hospital has placed a computer in every room. I am AMAZED at how wonderful this has been for me. I MAKE myself sit down, and chart right then and there.. I do an assessment as early as I can in the shift, and then just copy it to my midnight assessment column as long as nothing has changed. It is WONDERFUL for me. And I realize that, my problem was, I was holding everything in my head for hours on end until I "had time" to sit down and chart it all. Now it's so much easier if a patient calls me to say, "I'm in a room right now, and will be with you in just a few minutes, okay?" Also, it's great because nosy patients/family can't come and track you down at the nurses' station, as is common at my work.

Another thing this thread is reminding me of, is how L-U-C-K-Y I am to work with the guys/gals that I do. I can't think of a single one of them (charge nurses/supervisors included) who hasn't taken me under their wing, reassured me, and told me, "just relax, you're doing great, you're only human, you do what you can, I still have the same problem on a rough night.." Sure, some of them have challenged me and maybe even given me a hard time here and there, but it has all helped me grow- and none of it has been malicious in nature. I love my coworkers. :)

Anwyay, OP, I hope you are MUCH better now.. which, judging by the age of this thread you could definitely show ME a thing or two now, lol. And it's great that you shared your feelings so that others can see that they/we are not alone. :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, PCU.

:redbeatheWell.......let's see.....I'm a two year old nurse now. I have worked in 4 different facilities. As I reflect, I can see the areas of my personality that I need to work on to become a more knowledgeable and eventually advanced clinician.With knowledge and experience you get competency. Which is what all of our patients deserve. But that takes time. I don't have all the answers. I know that good preceptors are few- so you are very fortunate. But regardless of whether you have a good preceptor or not, once you are working independently, we are still learning and for reasons that I don't understand, even when you try to ask, the right resource person is not around to respond. I think every shift should have 1 to 2 resource persons. I've learned to just go to the organization's P & P's and look up the policy on something. Because when you ask someone, they will answer you, with every good intent, but they tell you what they would do. i have found that "what they would do" is not always right or better, not in accordance with policy.

I also see my strengths and...it is through these strengths that I have been able to survive nursing. I ask questions when I don't know and I am courteous and friendly when I ask. I stay away from negative people the most I can. What I an currently struggling with at this time is, facilities put you through orientation and their mission statement is always "excellence in quality of care". Well, how can you give excellence in quality of care when you have patient ratios of 5,6,and 7 to 1 nurse? Or when the vital sign machines don't function you have to tag them, don't get a replacement. I mean JCHO requires that equipment be calibrated. I have found that in the 4 facilites I have worked, or at least the floors I have worked, there is not good fllow through on the vital sign machine calibration and maintenance. I have also found that there is not enough vital sign machines proportionate to the amount of patients on the floors. Vital signs machine tell alot about a patient's deterioration. THAT'S WHY THEY ARE CALLED VITAL SIGN MACHINES! THIS MAKES ME SO FRUSTRATED BECAUSE.....talk about time management, sometimes I spend precious time just running around trying to find a vital sign machine and if I'm lucky, one that is well calibrated! I don't understand why "the powers that be" in hospitals don't get that! I mean that is patient care 101! The other option is to think that hospitals aren't really the patient advocates they claim to be and then, I would have to walk away from nursing due to lack of trust in the system! This would be very sad for me. I can say this, I would not want to place myself nor any of my family members in the facilities where I work. I am now starting at a new facility and I pray that they walk the talk. They say there is a nursing shortage. There is no nursing shortage. From what I have experienced and observed, hospitals need to implement programs that will facilitate nurse retention (both new nurses and nurses who are transitioning to advanced learners) through what i believe, in my own experience, would be longer mentoring through 1:1 and then invest on nurse to patient ratios and definitely more CNA's. I believe CNA's are undervalued and underpaid. There are some CNA's that give that job title a bad name. Those should be fired because i have seen good CNA's that are worth alot more than they are paid. they also help the RN do his/her job with alot more ease. There should be one CNA for every nurse and make it a partnership.

I don't know my dear friends, I guess I'm just venting too. But I've worked very hard to become a nurse. I love patient care and I love the clinical aspect of nursing as well. I don't want to leave the hospital environment, but I am loosing faith in the system. Not very uplifting ha? I would sure appreciate a good positive experienced nurse that has experienced these thoughts and how they dealt with it and their values and principles.

Thanks!

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Giving reports to the day shift can be very challenging since they are detail oriented. I have 5-6 pts to their 3 so it's understandable. I do find myself saying, "I don't know" and that is when I feel incompetent. I can't know everything but I try hard to get as much info down on my assessment sheets which I am forever changing in hopes to be more organized.
The reality is that there's no need for you to reiterate everything that's already written down elsewhere (last pain med, for example - they can see the exact time on the MAR; or various lab values - they can look on the lab sheets, too -- really should, anyway, since you could always have made an error). When I'm in report, I really focus either on that stuff that's not logged somewhere (e.g. the patient's emotional status), general trends (e.g. BP's been up all night), calls to the doc, stuff that needs tending to in the first hour or so of their shift, or what my "Spidey sense" is telling me about the pt's status and direction.

I find a lot of nurses ask a lot of detailed questions that, while germane, are not particularly urgent or critical. If you've got 20 minutes to report on 5 patients, that's only 4 minutes apiece... not a lot of time for detail or superfluous information - or my pet peeve: criticizing the docs or the infamous "why's this person still here?"

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OMG, yes!!!!!! Or what about, "why is (s)he getting xyz antibiotic?" :mad:

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Specializes in Float Pool, ER, PACU, DI.

Dear DD240

The first year of nursing is brutal. You've heard the phrase "eat their young"? and it's not just the students who are "challenged" by the seasoned RN's. They (nurse mgmt & edu) are still trying to change this culture. Not all nurses are difficult, however DAY nurses tend to be more experienced and unfortunately expect more then you are able to give right now. But it will get better...you will become more experienced, you will get your rhythm, routine, or flow and most importantly your confidence under your control. Then you will become "one of them". You will look back on this as a learning experience. Just remember to be kind to the next new grad who crosses your path....possibly in tears. It will be easy to forget this misery once it has passed. Hang in there..really it does get better. Also I read another blog with a support thread..good advice. So please be kind to yourself, recognize burn out and don't quit just yet.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, PCU.

I'm so glad you made this "intervention". As a 2-year old nurse, I have always thought that but I have never verbalized to my fellow colleagues giving me report- just tell me da,da,da,.......what you just said. Have you told your colleagues that's what you want to hear? If so, how have they reacted? i heard some take offense.

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Specializes in extern in ER.
I too am overwhelmed and having some similar experiences. You can see from these posts you are not alone. I am trying to "tough it out" but often self-doubt and anxiety make me wonder if I'll make it through this first year. I wrote the following to try to calm my nerves before my shift.I hope it helps:

Prayer of an R.N. (Rookie Nurse)

Lord, I am a Rookie Nurse. As your servant, I begin this shift with the desire to do your work and care for my patients' needs in body, mind, and spirit.

Be with me today. Inspire my thinking and guide my hands; help me to set priorities and respond to competing demands in ways that will be of maximum benefit to my patients.

Give me humility and openness; allow me to learn from each person I come in contact with. Help me communicate your love and acceptance; let me embrace all of your needy souls with equanimity.

When I am overwhelmed and discouraged, lift me up and refocus my energies onto my patients. Steer me away from the pettiness, personalities, and politics that can distract me from your work.

I pray that more experienced colleagues, doctors and nurses, will remember the early days of their own careers and be generous with their knowledge and gentle with their criticism.

And when my rookie days are (finally) over, help me to maintain the ideals that led me to the noble profession of nursing as I endeavor to do your will.

Take care. Hugs from a fellow rookie. JD

Going to print this one out.

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I am 6 months down the road, and believe me, I know what you mean about feeling like a dummie. After six months, I am less afraid, but I still pray all the way to work, that I will be a safe, and effective nurse. The good Lord hasn't failed me yet. Try prayer, it works!

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Specializes in Home Health CM.

When I read the OP thread, I thought it was me posting......my floor is too fast, too busy, not enough time to teach a new grad.....guess med surg isn't for me. :( I gave it my best. I like all the people I work with, but med surg literally ate my lunch.........talk about TOTALLY overwhelmed!!!

I DON'T think that med surg is for new grads, just my opinion, unless you are born an adrenaline junky. Too many new things to learn all at once and not enough time to learn it.

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Go Nightingale-you sound as if you work at my facility! I work in ICU and we haven't had a portable cardiac monitoring machine in over 1 year ($$$) so whenever I have to take my pt down for an x-ray, CT etc., I have to borrow a machine from the ED. I used to have to make a trip down, back up for my pt, back down for test, back up and then take the machine back! Talk about a hassle. When you ask for help and they say to get the other nurse (we only have 2 nurses in our 5 bed unit) to help you, that's really sad. Fortunately, I have utilized the technicians lately to bring the machine up & take the pt down for the test themselves. I am really appreciative for that.

Our med-surg floor hasn't had a CNA in I don't know when. The CNAs were either overworked or put on call-we have no retention rate.

I know this thread is about feeling overwhelmed, so let me tell you something. I have been an RN for 2 years 4 months but have worked in the healthcare field 27 years. Whenever a pt dies, I feel like I didn't catch something or I could have done something differently, even if they are a DNR. This has happened a couple of times. All the compliments, smiles and thank-yous from the patients & their families goes out the window, and I feel like "why did I become a nurse". I don't know anything! The doctor said he thought I was a great nurse and would let me take care of his own father if he was in our facility. But it still takes time to get over this feeling. Hopefully, I can learn from these situations and learn to cope better.

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