New Nurse - Per Diem Med Surg

[33762FL]

I graduated last year and started working med surg (with telemetry and ventilators) last fall. I was hired as part time, although I picked up extra shifts and have been working full time hours. Thus far I've only been on one floor where I know the staff and they know me as a new new nurse that sometimes has questions or needs help/advice. I'm usually given 6 or 7 patients, with one ventilator, and I have generally been doing fine even though the days are very stressful for me. Due to reduction in hours/layoffs for much of the nursing staff, I will be per diem soon. I know that new nurses usually are not per diem, that facilities want nurses with at least a year or two experience, so I assume this is an unusual arrangement. The changes in staffing have moved nurses all around the different units, so the staff who know me and know that I'm a month off orientation and still ask for help sometimes mostly won't be on this floor anymore.

My concern is if the new staff will be okay with me being a new nurse per diem, and willing to help me a bit. Should I tell them I'm so recently off orientation? I don't want to make people think I'm incompetent or somebody annoying that people wouldn't want to work with. And I can work on other med-surg floors (I have only floated once so far and did fine) but think I was to try to stick with the floor I'm used to at least for now.

Any advice for my new status is appreciated.

[jliv]

Hello,

My passion is to work in Labour and Delivery / Perinatal field. If i were to take my LPN, is it possible to get a job in that field?

Oh, BTW I am in Canada

Thank you :)

[Merlyn]

I graduated last year and started working med surg (with telemetry and ventilators) last fall. I was hired as part time, although I picked up extra shifts and have been working full time hours. Thus far I've only been on one floor where I know the staff and they know me as a new new nurse that sometimes has questions or needs help/advice. I'm usually given 6 or 7 patients, with one ventilator, and I have generally been doing fine even though the days are very stressful for me. Due to reduction in hours/layoffs for much of the nursing staff, I will be per diem soon. I know that new nurses usually are not per diem, that facilities want nurses with at least a year or two experience, so I assume this is an unusual arrangement. The changes in staffing have moved nurses all around the different units, so the staff who know me and know that I'm a month off orientation and still ask for help sometimes mostly won't be on this floor anymore.

My concern is if the new staff will be okay with me being a new nurse per diem, and willing to help me a bit. Should I tell them I'm so recently off orientation? I don't want to make people think I'm incompetent or somebody annoying that people wouldn't want to work with. And I can work on other med-surg floors (I have only floated once so far and did fine) but think I was to try to stick with the floor I'm used to at least for now.

Any advice for my new status is appreciated.

If you get pulled to another floor, they will know that you are not regular staff. They will help you if they can. Just ask. One sad fact is one month off orientation your not a new nurse anymore. You are a nurse. You may have more questions then a nurse that has been at it for twenty years but you are still the nurse. This is the nature of the beast. Don't think of yourself as new. You are it. The best advice that I can give you is ask questions, lots of question. better to be thought stupid. Then cost somebody his life. I worked agency for a lot of years. The first thing that I do when I go to a new place is to get lost. I go into every room, open every closet, peak under every trap door. I may not remember where everything is but I have a good idea in what general area it is. Write down the staffs name on your report sheet. It's better to call people by there real names then it is calling them by there Chinese name- Hey you. If I don't remember anything , I ask. you'll do fine