New RN Job - Feeling CLUELESS!

Published

Hi all! Just started my first ever nursing job TODAY! I've never worked as a CNA or LPN so needless to say, I felt like a total NEWB - clueless! I asked myself several times today if I retained anything from the last couple years of nursing school. I guess this is a normal feeling. I did really well in school - even graduated both LPN & ADN with a 4.0. Now I feel like I have huge expectations to live up to and I just feel so lost. Regardless, it was really exciting and really scary and pretty overwhelming. To think - I need to know all of this! I'm going to be on my own and be in charge! I feel like I need to start studying my butt off! However my schedule is looking so crazy busy for the next 3 months I don't know if I'll be able to keep my head on straight and find time for my family. Sooooooo. . . Jamie here needs some tips on being a brand new nurse - sounds silly I know - but is there some magic all-encompassing helpful book I can refer to or some EKG refreshers that make EKGs easy or some all-in-one nursing manual or organization tools and tips? How does one find her comfort zone in the RN world? Thanks for any help - seriously!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:grpwlcm: There is a forum especially for the first year after licensure, you might find some helpful tips reading there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Hi Jamie and welcome to the site

I have moved this to the First year after licensure forum and believe me many have been in your shoes, totally normal feeling

Best of luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Congratulations on your acheivements. Now - - - breathe.

You're experiencing reality shock - but all of us survived it, and I know you will too. I am also a 'happy learner' - enjoy learning & feel very confident in an academic environment. School is great - it's easy to keep track of your progress and check off each 'to do' as you move toward your goal.

The 'real world' is a messy and chaotic place without any clear answers. It's kind of like that classic nightmare of walking into a final exam and not recognizing any of the questions on the test, right??? LOL - trust me, we've all been there.

You obviously have a great brain with sufficient intellectual horsepower to master any new knowledge that comes your way. The challenge is to translate that into 'know how' & this can only happen with experience. You will gradually become more confident - maybe so gradually that you won't realize it until one day, probably after a particular trying experience, you will realize how well you handled it.

In the meantime, try to maintain awareness of your stress and don't let it become the focus of your day. Take deliberate action to reduce it when necessary - muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, etc. Be kind to yourself. Deliberately interject some fun into each day; laugh with a patient; recognize and appreciate the absurdities that are inherent in healthcare.

And, one more thing - keep a journal of your experiences... OFF the internet, so you are free to record all your thoughts and feelings. You won't believe how much you will enjoy reading it a few years from now or pulling it out when you are the one 'in charge' and having to deal with new grads.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MS, ED.

Welcome to the site from another new nurse! :clown::balloons::clown:

As the (very helpful!) post above stated, breathe and take it easy on yourself. You've arrived, and like any new place, it takes some time to adjust and learn the landscape. I have only been working a few months and adjusting to a new unit with a new schedule, policies, layout and people was an overwhelming prospect; right as my anxiety was hitting fever pitch, the floor where I worked as a tech scooped me up...

but that didn't mean that I was caught up, let alone ahead of the curve. Even if you worked as a tech, being a nurse even on the same floor is entirely different. I didn't entirely have an appreciation for how their day is spent until I began orientation, (makes for some 'oh, aha' moments, looking back.) So, take heart - you are in a new place that you will make your place with time.

In the meantime, try to figure out ways to dispel some of your anxiety. For me, learning where everything was kept, how to order things I needed, find all the protocols, get a copy of the phone extension list and try to match peoples' faces with names, (doctors and nurses), made things a little more friendly as I tried to develop a schedule. Depending on how you work, you can get a brain sheet and start to plan your days; I keep a little notebook in my pocket every shift that is expressly for me to scribble questions or notes to myself, (example - new abx protocol needs signed off by pharmacy after how many days?). It's helped me put together the pieces a bit better instead of struggling to remember bits and pieces from day to day.

Oh - and finally: spend some time having fun outside work. Really. Even if it's just fingerpainting out in the sunshine with your toddler, having hotwings and a cold beer with DH while you veg out, taking a drive by the ocean, what have you. Why strive to survive when you can live a little? ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks fellow nurses - these are great tips and its AWESOME to hear the same things I feel coming out of other's mouths. I'll move on to the 1st year forum where I have a sneaking feeling I may fit right in :) And after my fourth day it's amazing how much I really have learned already. I'm just trying to focus on the progress I'm making instead of the mountain of learning ahead of me :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
How does one find her comfort zone in the RN world? Thanks for any help - seriously!

Time - it just takes time as with any other job to find that comfort zone. I started feeling more comfortable at six months and even more comfortable at 1 yr. You'll get it, just go in and do your best. It's really not that bad and that first year will fly by. Real nursing is so much different than text books.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion