New RN nerves i guess

[<3adventure]

so I had a new ordered prn hydralazine IVP q6hr for sbp greater that 170. The BP had been in the sbp 200's for almost 24 hrs. Prior to giving this medication, I checked with another nurse (ctl/charge) about the medication,administration, etc, just to double check myself, the bp had already been taken by the aide but I obtained it for myself right before giving the med. Education was given on the medication and the potential side effects all while hooked up to continuous pulse ox/bp/hr monitor at bedside, the med was administered very slowly and heart rate and bp did exactly as expected. I hung right outside of the room after giving the medication to monitor for side effects, about 40 min later complaints of dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, BP was upper 80's/upper 40's, called the charge nurse in with me to assess along with me, already had O2 on ,called the MD bolus was given which brought the bp back up to the upper 130's/140's, still complaining of malaise and the same HA she had the last 3 nights in a row prior. continued to monitor all night, BP jumped back up to 170's in the middle of the night and decided to retake manually since the automatic kept repumping itself at the time. bp was in the 130' 140's all night which is way better than 200's. everything was documented accurately in a note as well, and my charge nurse and another experienced nurse said I did fine after feeling anxious about the whole thing,but I still feel anxious about it all even though I didn't mess up, I guess you cant make everyone feel better at every single moment and its something that I will have to get used to as a new nurse, plus us new nurses have this false sense of paranoia I guess(oh the nerves), any thoughts for a new nurse? words of encouragement?

[CTnewgrad826]

I'm a new nurse myself but it sounds like you did everything right! A known side effect is hypotension which occurred but you were able to catch it right away and after collecting with the MD it was resolved. It can be a scary situation which is probably why you still feel anxious but you did great! No reason to feel anxious about your actions

[CTnewgrad826]

Collaborating..not collecting ha

[mursinary]

You did great. You treated the BP, caught it when it went too low, notified the MD, corrected it and continued to monitor. Excellent.

Most importantly, when you were feeling unsure, you sought the opinion of trusted and experienced co-workers. Keep up the good work. You're going to be fine.

[<3adventure]

Thanks so much for the encouraging and confirming words! My husband can only understand this new nurse stress so much lol

[Baubo516, RN]

I start orientation for my first RN position this Wednesday, and I am very nervous! It sounds like you did great! I anticipate posting lots on this site once I start work, because while my husband is supporting and knows I will be anxious in a new position, I don't think he will be able to endure long stories about work!!! So feel free to share - I plan to!

[<3adventure]

Yeah you will have a lot of different feelings and emotions, im only 3 shifts off a 11 week orientation on a PCU tele unit. When I look back at where I started and where I am now and how much ive learned its shocking, with each new experience there is something new to learn, tweek, and remind yourself of. Im glad this site is available so that we don't have to sit around freaking out on our days off about our anxiousness and nerves and unsureness as new nurses

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

It sounds like you did everything absolutely right. I especially like that you double checked BP's with a manual cuff rather that just trusting a machine, and even had another nurse verify. You communicated your findings with the MD and followed subsequent orders and continued to monitor the situation throughout your shift. Sounds like overall an excellent job!

[<3adventure]

I guess I just was feeling anxious because of how cruddy she felt afterwards, I mean I know she was going to feel tired and most likely have a mild headache but she just felt down out exhausted, the nd also told me to hold her scheduled metoprolol, but yeah definitely a new experience for me , thanks you all for the awesome comments, the ooutside support and confirming words have helped settle my irrational anxiety about it.

[<3adventure]

and the pt said 'was that an experiment or something even though I explained what the drug was and for and that she understood the side effects. The education I provided to her was documented as well. Sorry just rambling on, but I do feel way better about the experience. thanks again all!

[<3adventure]

oh and I cant get in trouble with the pt or their family because the pt was feeling awful after giving the medication and throughout the night right?, I mean all the things she was feeling were part of the possible side effects. Just curious, and I know its the nerves, ok now im officially done talking about it, ive gotten all my worries out lol

[<3adventure]

I guess I just was feeling anxious because of how cruddy she felt afterwards, I mean I know she was going to feel tired and most likely have a mild headache but she just felt down out exhausted, the md also told me to hold her scheduled metoprolol, I just don't want that pt or their family to think I purposely made her feel awful when she was experiencing the side effects of the medication and the low BP, ok all my worries are officially out and done, thanks for letting me ramble on :)