New RN - will I ever feel like a nurse?

wnt2besurgrn · Nov 15, 2003

wow, there are definetly days like this where i feel like nothing but a glorified waitress, then there are days when i actually prioritize my time to spend and learn about the patient's i am taking care of, however, this is rare. so many meds to give, so many dressing changes, blood transfusions, it usually hits all at once. everyday i learn something new. what type of medical floor do you work on, are there any surgeries? what are the majority of your patients hospitalized from?

CCU NRS · Nov 15, 2003

Prioritizing and time management are the two biggest issues for any nurse and sometimes prioritizing has to mean that you stop and make the appropriate changes in care. If there is some teaching that must be done or some consoling that seems necessary you might find yourself reprioritizing what were once your primary concerns.

I list teaching and consoling together because many times I find that one is as good as the other. If your patient is uneducated about all the things that are happening and all the things that are going to happen then they are in a state of perpetual fear from not knowing what is happening or going to happen.

I know that we all have a set amount of time in which meds may be administered and for dressing changes and other care the shift is only so long. Nursing is a twenty four hour job. Sometimes things have to be passed to the next nurse, I am not saying you can just quit doing certain things or let too many things fall by the wayside, but if there are really important issues going unresolved then sometimes it is best to slow down look at your concerns and reprioritize.

I can not promise you will ever feel any better about what you are doing. I would like to ask a question though.

I see you are 45 and just began nursing. What lead you to nursing? were you already in the medical field in some aspect? curious

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 15, 2003

I like to tell new nurses that during their first year after graduation, the initials RN really stand for "Rookie Nurse". You will make 80% of the mistakes you'll make in your entire career, learn (and then forget) tons of things you were never taught in school, give way too many breaks (to patients and staff alike), and some days feel so frustrated that you will question your sanity in becoming a nurse.

You're 45? Life experience makes it even more complicated, because everyone will think you've been a nurse forever and expect you to know things you can't possibly know yet.

But one day......very soon, I'm thinking.......a patient will grasp your hand as you're leaving the bedside and thank you for something that you think of as merely part of routine care, but means the world to her. Or a doctor will look you in the eye and tell you "Good catch!" because you happened to notice something like a 15# weight loss since an elderly patient's previous admission to the hospital. Or someone will recognize you on the street and introduce you to his friends as "the nurse who took such great care of me" during his hospital stay last year.

And that's when you will feel like a Real Nurse.

Rapheal · Nov 16, 2003

Don't your poor aching feet make you feel like a nurse? Mine do. lol

Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day for you.

giveashot · Nov 17, 2003

Thank you all for your comments. To the question about what I did before nursing - I was a long term seizure technician in a hospital (hooking up and monitoring EEG's for long term monitoring). Yes, I do have days when everything is exactly what I had hoped for - days I do get to teach/counsel, the thank yous and even the hugs. It just seems that some weeks are eaten up by disgruntled pts, too many meds to pass, and blood to hang, and too little time. That's when I literally feel my BP rising, begin to feel overwhelmed...still, I get it all done and I'm just grateful the shift is over. That's when I really wonder if it was worth it. Believe me, the days that are great, I love being a nurse...the days when I just don't know how I'm going to get through another minute, I feel used up. I look around me on these very very busy days, and it seems that everyone else is moving at the same pace as usual, dosen't appear to be stressed, and then I question myself.

CCU NRS · Nov 18, 2003

Originally posted by giveashot
Thank you all for your comments. To the question about what I did before nursing - I was a long term seizure technician in a hospital (hooking up and monitoring EEG's for long term monitoring). Yes, I do have days when everything is exactly what I had hoped for - days I do get to teach/counsel, the thank yous and even the hugs. It just seems that some weeks are eaten up by disgruntled pts, too many meds to pass, and blood to hang, and too little time. That's when I literally feel my BP rising, begin to feel overwhelmed...still, I get it all done and I'm just grateful the shift is over. That's when I really wonder if it was worth it. Believe me, the days that are great, I love being a nurse...the days when I just don't know how I'm going to get through another minute, I feel used up. I look around me on these very very busy days, and it seems that everyone else is moving at the same pace as usual, dosen't appear to be stressed, and then I question myself.

Welcome to the club I think we all have days like that and they come and go.. Hang in There