Novice ICU RN

[Sunlight1982]

Hi all,

I'm a novice ICU RN with 14 months of experience under my belt. I was hired as a new graduate and given 4 weeks of orientation. After that, because I was told I was functioning "very well," I was on my own. Since then, I've had to handle whatever comes thru the door, whether I'd been trained in it or not (for example, doing PACU recoveries without ever being trained). I bought a ton of ICU books, studied them, and asked a lot of questions, probably to the point of looking stupid.

I'm reaching out now because I feel like I have plateaued. I have no mentor, no senior leadership (I work primarily with nurses who have 5-12 months seniority over me). I don't feel like I have any way of knowing whether I'm developing into a good nurse, or whether I'm one of those nurses everyone rolls their eyes at behind their back. I can only do so much self-assessment. I don't know if my critical thinking skills are sharp, or how my patient rapport is, or whether my time management style is truly efficient and appropriate. I'm so frustrated! A house supervisor said the other day, "You seem like you're catching on... You're doing ok." Just "ok" is not ok in my book! I want to be a great nurse, but I feel very alone and like I don't have anyone to help guide me there. Perhaps I'm being too insecure and needy, and at this point should have the ability to be my own mentor, so to speak?

[Sunlight1982]

To clarify, I guess I'm looking for suggestions on how to self-mentor and self-evaluate, and how to continue to improve my practice. I plan on studying for/taking my CCRN as soon as I'm eligible, and am continuing to read ICU references/scholarly articles as I am able. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[jennycRN]

This is probably not what you want to hear, but it does sound as if you are already doing a great job by seeking out areas for improvement and continuing learning. It is hard to ask for and to give critical feedback. Look for role models-- there are some nurses who I think are fabulous communicators and I try to learn from them. Maybe there is a doctor or nurse practitioner whom you could ask to suggest further areas of continued learning. 'Self-mentoring' is a bit of a contradiction in terms, we are all responsible for our own professional growth, but mentoring implies a relationship with another person. Go easy on yourself, you are still a new nurse and you are on the right track. The more you learn, the more easy it will be to identify specific areas for improvement.