overwhelmed

I am starting my third week on a neuro/ortho floor and feel like a total idiot. I am struggling to learn the computer and paperwork. Last week my supervisor and preceptor had me take one patient. I felt pretty good, but was so slow because I didn't have any training in the specific forms they use for documentation. Besides learning the ins and outs of the floor I have also been going to computer classes, skill classes, and neuro classes. Any advice for this overwhelmed new grad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rashan, take a deep breath....Relax and compose.

It sounds as if your first 3 weeks were spent in classroom orientation and you are just now being faced w/ the work of direct pt care on the unit. Is this a correct summation? Because you should not be this overwhelmed after 3 weeks (esp if FT) with only 1 pt.

Is this a typical RN:PT ratio?

Are you doing complete and total care for this one pt?

Are you working 8 or 12 hour shifts?

It seems to me that you need to concern yourself more with patient care than all that computer education you are undergoing.

My advice to you since I've assumed so much already (and we all know that's a bad thing! LOL ) is to talk to your preceptor.

My concern is that I didn't hear you mention anything about the actual pt care. Or perhaps that's a good thing?!

Do you feel confident in the nursing care you are giving your pt. ?

Chloe

RN-BSN, BA

I feel confident in my assessments. The patients are great. I really haven't been just in computer class and orientation. I have half days doing computer/orientation classes and then spend the rest of the day on the floor.

Today went a lot better. I stayed with my preceptor and we did assessments/documentation/admission/discharge together so I could become more accustomed to putting it all together. I do feel bad though because I take more time to do everything. I am going to take one day at a time and be more patient with myself.

Thank you for your reply.

I'm glad you had a better day. It sounds like a lot of handholding to me. You need to feel better about your own self-confidence. And that requires diving in.

Go for it! :smiletea2:

I feel confident in my assessments. The patients are great. I really haven't been just in computer class and orientation. I have half days doing computer/orientation classes and then spend the rest of the day on the floor.

Today went a lot better. I stayed with my preceptor and we did assessments/documentation/admission/discharge together so I could become more accustomed to putting it all together. I do feel bad though because I take more time to do everything. I am going to take one day at a time and be more patient with myself.

Thank you for your reply.

It sounds like you are your own best advisor. I think the thing to remember is that as you continue your training, as soon as you are comfortable (or, more likely, a little before) with the load you are taking, you'll be expected to take on more. Each step will be a challenge, and you are going to feel overwhelmed a lot. Even beyond orientation, even beyond your first year, you'll be learning every day, and anyone who ever attended nursing school knows what a pain learning can be. But in due time, the things that seem overwhelming today will seem easy in retrospect, and the things that seem impossible tomorrow will seem routine the day after.

Of course, eventually, you'll be so good that the things that seem impossible and overwhelming really are--20 and 30 year nurses still get their butts kicked from time to time. I'm a long way from that level, but I do believe an important part of the transition to nursing practice is learning that there is an appropriate place and time to scream and cuss and cry and pull your hair out. But I will admit I see less of this among the more experienced nurses, so I'm taking that to indicate that it does get better. In fact, I see a lot of nurses get through entire shifts without undue angst. I'm told it takes about five years to get to that point, and that appears credible. But, again, I don't see any good nurses who aren't pretty tired at the end of a shift, and who don't have days when it's just too much. Yay--it's fun to be a nurse! (Well, it is fun, albeit in darkly demented and rather alarming ways.)

Hang in there. It gets better. Then it gets worse. Then it gets better. Then you begin to notice a trend...

Best advice I ever got was just to take everything one day at a time; that's all you can do, and honestly, it's how the field works