is this normal???

beachgirl17 · May 15, 2016

Deep breath....you are not too slow....you are not too dumb. You are smart and capable. Five days is not long enough to be done with orientation. Absolutely nothing wrong with asking for more time on orientation. No reason to feel embarrassed or incapable. Asking for more orientation time will allow you to learn to do the job in an efficient and safe way. Safety first, right? Hold your head up high. You can do this.

loriangel14, RN · May 15, 2016

Yes this is normal except for the lack of understanding from your new coworkers. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are brand new and it takes many months to find your feet. Deep breath. Yes everyone will have different ways of doing things. You will find your own. Don't give up.

Dsullivan13 · May 15, 2016

Thank you just reading these makes me feel a lot better í ½í²œí ½í²œ

loriangel14, RN · May 16, 2016

Oh my the number of times I just felt like someone had just pulled the plug on my brain and everything I had learned just gurgled down the drain. It will be ok.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · May 16, 2016

Hi Dsullivan13, what are some time management tips that some preceptors taught you in orientation? If you have not asked yet, please do and find out how to prioritize the day :) I wish you the best :) Hang in there and be proud you became a nurse. Safety first and you will do fine :)

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · May 16, 2016

When I first started in LTC, I was slow. However, I got faster and better at my med pass. It comes with time. You'll get a rhythm going and you'll find it easier. LTC is so hard, and it can cause a lot of stress. Focus on your improvements. You will get quicker, you will make it and NO you are not stupid. You might not be fast, but that does come with time.

One thing about LTC, you will gain time management skills. It will just take a bit of time. Go easy on yourself!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 16, 2016

It is normal to have doubts and second-guess your competence as a new nurse. Personally, I did not hit my stride in LTC/SNF until more than a year of working in that setting.

Give it some time. Good luck to you.

cecile9155, BSN, RN · May 16, 2016

There's no way a new nurse could be fast and safe doing a med pass in five days. You'll get faster with time and as you get to know the patients. My preceptors were much more encouraging than yours. They told me it wasn't a race. It's not.

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · May 16, 2016

Ok, when I only had 40-41 years experience as RN, and had been previous DON in several LTC, As a favor to an owner of a LTC, I came in to do the evening med pass I knew no patients, and rarely pushed a cart, thankfully with some help of awesome CNAs, related to patient identification, I finished, in tears almost nine hours later.........feel better, keep at it,

your time I me management will improve

bathrobemom, LPN · May 16, 2016

You are smart and you will get it, just give it time. You passed your classes, passed the NCLEX, got the job, right? Every day will get a little better.

You're struggling because you're; learning who the residents are, what their routines are so you can find them and give them meds, learning the routines of the building, learning how to use the phone, where supplies are, what the treatments actually are, etc. That's not even the paperwork and doctor stuff. You're learning a ton of information.

There are 3 wings where I work and I mainly trained on one wing, floated occasionally to another wing. The third one I went to for one day only and spent the entire time passing meds. A few months later and a new nurse was training on that wing. I talked to my coworker that was training her and he told me she was still passing meds at 11:00 ish. I reminded him that I had the same kind of day when I worked that wing. He'd totally forgotten! In time, your coworkers will forget that you struggled when you were new.

People did get annoyed from time to time that I was new and messed things up, so I made sure to ask them how I was supposed to do things so that I wouldn't mess up again. I made sure to thank them for their time. That seemed to help, it reminded them that I was slow and messing up because I was new and didn't know, not because I was lazy and just didn't care.

I asked for more time training and was very honest about not feeling comfortable with a short amount of training. They gave me a couple extra days. I also found a nurse that was incredibly supportive and helped me with my med pass and all my questions. I wouldn't have stayed at my job if I hadn't had so much of her help. A lot of people talk about her behind her back, I never join in on that and tell them how wonderful she's been to me. My advice is to see if there is someone like that at your job and to keep an open mind.

Good luck, working in LTC is very rewarding and I hope things get better for you!

djh123 · May 16, 2016

I got a crappy amount & quality of training too, and felt overwhelmed at first. You'll get better at it if you can just hang in there for a while. Work on time management and prioritizing tasks.