Overloaded new m/s nurse.

DesertRN2009 · Sep 18, 2013

Switch floors if you can

jlb~88 · Sep 20, 2013

Am I being completely irrational? I really just don't know what to do in this situation. I use to love my job and now 6 months into it I dread going into work.

MsSocalRN · Sep 22, 2013

Don't take it personal, how much experience do these other nurses have? But then again you can sit down with your charge nurse and have a professional conversation about how you feel. And ask her for help that's what charge nurses are for. Does charge have a patient load too?

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 22, 2013

Quote

Am I being completely irrational? I really just don't know what to do in this situation. I use to love my job and now 6 months into it I dread going into work.

I suggest getting a brain sheet to organize your shifts; you can search on AN for "brain sheet" to find them.

It will take time as a beginner; one of the things that will help in your time with your patients is clustering care; you have 7 patients; you will eventually fine tune introducing yourself; include an "elevator speech"-how long you are going to e with the patient, what you know about the patient, what could happen during the shift-depending on mental status and mental health status, even personality will alter your approach; getting vital signs during the assessment; and if teaching is needed, that can be initiated and reinforced during your assessment; medication administration, and rounding. Now that you are on your own, this is the time honing your clinical practice and style. It will NOT be easy, but it can get better with a game plan.

I also agree with another poster suggesting to approach the charge nurse; HOWEVER, I will say to approach your CN about strategies in handing the patient ratio; any issues that may come up in admission/discharge load; even speaking up when another admission may go into your assignment and keeping the communication lines open if you have an extensive admission, and it may need to be on hold or given to someone else, perhaps; that's not unreasonable to suggest or even communicate to the CN; advocate for team work and patient safety; the CN will be able to help if and when needed; speak up FIRST, as well as organize yourself and your practice, and go from there. ?

jlb~88 · Sep 22, 2013

Thank you! I cluster care so I can get as much done when I walk in the rooms as possible and try to limit the amount of time I spend running around. My charge nurse does not have a pt load. I have noticed that she helps all the other nurses with their admissions when they come in and I thought that she thought that I didn't need the help because I usually get in with the new patients pretty promptly. However, the other night I was swimming from tasks that weren't yet settled from the prior shift and I told her that I had taken the vs and assessed my new pt but I hadn't done the computer admission yet (history/surgical) thinking she would help out with that, but she just walked away and I did it the next time I went in there. I asked the other nurse if the CN had helped with her admission and she told me yes. So I really don't think I'm just being to sensitive, its actually happening, whatever the reason may be. I guess I will just suck it up and continue working on my own since it all gets done eventually. I do need to work on my time management. I have been trying to figure out a way to get organized so I will definitely check out the "brain sheets". Right now I go in 15-20 mins early to write down my med passes and vs frequency on each of my pts. This has helped some so I can just jump in right after report but any tips like this to make things go smooter are so welcome.

TrissRN726 · Sep 22, 2013

As a med-surg nurse myself. Its really important to have a sheet where you can write down the times that things need to be done, for example the times you have to give your meds or do certain treatments and checks on patients. I go in about 30 minutes early prior to my shift, check my assignment of the patients i have, go through their meds and get them ready for the night. That way by the time you get report you can go straight into your assessments, getting your documentation done early so that if and when you get an admission you wont feel so overwhelmed. I, like you was let off orientation and getting 7-8 pts, admissions, etc. Its all about how you organize yourself and prioritizing what needs to be done. I am still learning and is all a process. Take a deep breath and keep going. Good luck.

SubSippi · Sep 22, 2013

SAY something to the charge nurse if you really think you're getting a heavier load than others.

That happened to me, and I just mentioned it to the charge nurse. I wasn't complaining, just commenting because I was confused. Turns out, she had made a mistake, and immediately evened out the assignments.

The other nurses told me that if I notice this happen again, to immediately let someone know. It'll happen from time to time and is just about always an accident.

LNRN11 · Sep 23, 2013

I feel for ya. I definitely remember being there not too long ago. Med-Surg is rough. I really commend those nurses that stick with it for years or even their whole careers. I did M/S for about ten months and then transferred to ICU. Although the patient acuity is much higher, it was the perfect fit for me. I remember being in the same scenarios you're describing. We didn't have a tech on nights for probably the first 7 mos. I was there and our patient load was 5-6. I left crying many a morning because I felt so inadequate. I certainly agree with the previous posters. It's crucial that you have some form of organization sheet. I still use one to keep my two patients organized. Clustering care is very important as well. Make a point of asking your patients if there's anything else you can do for them before you leave the room, that way they (hopefully) aren't calling you right back into the room two minutes later. I would definitely approach your charge too. Make sure you speak up and let her and your co-workers know when you're drowning. Sometimes, even when you feel like you're noticeably stressed, those around you don't realize you need the help unless you come right out and say it. Good luck to you! I hope it gets better for you.

canigraduate · Sep 25, 2013

Sorry to be late to the party. It sounds like you are being passive about asking for help. Do you actually ask or are you just hinting? Make sure you ask a specific person for help with specific tasks; also, don't expect your charge nurse to telepathically know when you are sinking. You may have a better poker face than you are aware of.

HyperSaurus, RN, BSN · Sep 29, 2013

Be clear in asking for help when you need it, squeaky wheel gets the oil. Along those lines, if you're getting an admit while already being busy, it's not a bad thing to ask if someone else is able to take the admit while you get caught up. If someone doesn't make their needs known, it can be easy to assume there isn't any needs, if that makes sense

cjdmomma · Oct 7, 2013

I am not a nurse, yet, but I've heard of this. The sink or swim mentality....they want to know how long it takes for you to ask for help. Just ask, stop trying to be super nurse. Don't let them break you, speak up.