OK I now have RN behind my name and now over night am I suppsed to know everything?

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

Isnt it amazing that in your last semester of school people may look down on you as "only a student". Like one time for instance I was 3 weeks away from graduating and we had a pt on TPN I questioned why were not doing doing acuchecks--I had so many stares from the nursing staff like how dare I question...

fast fwd a few months, I pass my boards, go through training, have had 2..count them 2 nights on my own and I had to work with an agency nurse last night. In an ICU setting. There were only two RNs me and the agency nurse. Apparently as long as there are those two tiny letters RN behind your name you counted on to handle it.

Now I am not complaining I am learning a ton, I really think of nursing as an on the job training career. Every time I do something wrong I learn from it, I am learning better time mgmt skills, learning to pick up on sublte signs from patients assessments. I cant even begin to list all of the things I have learned over the past 90 days....

But it still just amazes me that I am basically the same person as I was back in December. I have not learned THAT much.

I am still in shock that a Dr will listen to what I have to say and actually order what I suggest.

Is anyone else amazed at the difference of passing one test and getting two letters behind our name has changed the perspective that our peers have of us?

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I know what you mean, but on the other hand, graduating and passing NCLEX are meaningful milestones. You may not be an experienced nurse, but you really and truly are a nurse, and that's nothing to sneeze at. It's commonplace to observe that the learning curve for new nurses is steep, but the other side of that, as you observe, is that you are learning a lot while you're on it.

I think it's normal, natural, and okay to stop once in awhile and think, "Who, me?" But I also think it's important to pat yourself on the back, now and then. After all, you wouldn't want to leave something that important to someone else.

[elkpark]

For better or worse :), that's how licensure works; once you're an RN, you're an RN. There is no legal distinction drawn between an RN who just graduated and one who has been practicing for 30 years -- both are held to the same standards and expectations.

[SoundofMusic]

I know what this OP means. I am also amazed at how much doctors trust us to be their eyes and ears. They have a lot of patients to take care of, and they go by our assessment. Of course, most all come in and take a look themselves, and they have access to the labs, etc., but our assessment is ours -- and they go by it. They DO read our progress notes and go by that also. I've seen them reading them and they even have had docs who demanded to know where my note was on days I didn't get to it....for that reason, I tend to do a quick note on every patient at assesment time, even though a few nurses have told me to hold off until later to write my progress note.

It really makes you take your job a lot more seriously once you see this process taking place.

[shellsgogreen]

at first it suprised me that the doctors would ask my opinion - me the new nurse? yikes.

but you know what, those doctors who ask, i have more respect for, as they're the ones who consider a nurses opinion as valid.

[november17, ASN, RN]

It's commonplace to observe that the learning curve for new nurses is steep

AMEN to that statement!

[hfdguy, LPN]

When I was a student in an LPN program (LPNs aren't even allowed to work in hospitals in CT), I felt the doctors and RNs in the hospital where I did clinical took me very seriously and listened to my concerns. They all treated us as valued members of the team, and even had us participate in rounds! I recall one patient had mouth cancer and was having a hard time swallowing. I was a CNA before I became a nurse, and used to shorten the straws of patients having problems drinking thru a straw... I did it for him and he drank everything in sight. When it came time for rounds, I reported that he drank like 800 ml of fluid, and everyone was going crazy on how easy it was to solve his dehydration problem... lol...

[CABG patch kid, BSN, RN]

at first it suprised me that the doctors would ask my opinion - me the new nurse? yikes.

but you know what, those doctors who ask, i have more respect for, as they're the ones who consider a nurses opinion as valid.

yea i agree i was suprised about this too! i think its nice when the doctors show they trust our assessments because i think it shows respect for our profession :)

and to the op, i totally agree, it is surreal to know that rn is after my name and that those 2 letters bring about a huge responsibility, but wow, i earned it and i'm glad school and nclex is over!!

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

at first it suprised me that the doctors would ask my opinion - me the new nurse? yikes.

but you know what, those doctors who ask, i have more respect for, as they're the ones who consider a nurses opinion as valid.

ain't it the truth?

i already have a doc on my floor who jokes with me (in a nice way, folks)! he's a fabulous clinician and is regarded highly by the folks on my floor, so for him to ask lil' ol' newbie me about a patient and for less complex decisions regarding care really boosts my confidence. sometimes i think he also asks me questions to see how i handle the situation, which also makes me feel good because it's as though he's taking a part in my professional development. we also get gen med patients on our floor when the hospital is full, and those docs also have a real high regard for nurses' opinions. (they're also really patient when they know you're new and are working really hard to help them.)

but all the docs and the pas on my floor - save one or two - are gems anyway; i'm really lucky in that regard.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

When I was a student in an LPN program (LPNs aren't even allowed to work in hospitals in CT), I felt the doctors and RNs in the hospital where I did clinical took me very seriously and listened to my concerns. They all treated us as valued members of the team, and even had us participate in rounds! I recall one patient had mouth cancer and was having a hard time swallowing. I was a CNA before I became a nurse, and used to shorten the straws of patients having problems drinking thru a straw... I did it for him and he drank everything in sight. When it came time for rounds, I reported that he drank like 800 ml of fluid, and everyone was going crazy on how easy it was to solve his dehydration problem... lol...

Oh wow - you just gave me a really good tip here! I work on an onc floor, and this stands to reason - after all, when you pull blood draws through a central line/port, the smaller syringes are easier to draw with b/c of the lowered pressure (to those who doubt me, try pulling five mLs of blood through a port-a-cath using a 20 mL syringe, and then try it with a 10mL, and let me know which one was easier). So it makes sense that a shorter straw would work better. :)

Can't wait to whip this out on them.