New RN at SNF

[ellebazan]

Need help. I was trained for 9 days on the long term care floor then 3 days on the acute care floor. On the acute care floor documentation and pts are completely different. And I only had the pts in one hallway for two days. Went in last night as my first night off of orientation. Was on the acute care floor but different hallway. It was like I knew nothing 😓. There was only one other rn. When there are only 2 rns you divide the three hallways. I had 27 acute care pts and only knew 4 from the night before. Everyone (other rn, cna's, and pts were frustrated with me because I was slow and did not know everything). I msg the mgr per protocol for ot and explained why, she never msgd back. I passed all meds but ended up clocking out 17 mins late. I did no charting 😒. Is this normal for a new rn to snf? I was overwhelmed and feel like an absolute idiot. I told the mgr prior to my shift that I was worried because it was my first night off of orientation and did not know everything.....

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

LTC is hard, and you are not going to be quick for a bit yet. You will get better, you will get faster, and you will manage to chart. I worked LTC (sub-acute/rehab, LTC and Hospice/respite) for nearly 2 years, and by the time I left, I had mad time management skills. It comes with thine.

Do NOT feel like an idiot. You only got 3 days on that floor? 12 days total? You don't learn to be a nurse in 12 days. You'll get to know your residents, you'll learn how to better manage your time and you will improve.