Bad day or am I a bad PCT?

Nursing Students Technicians

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Today was my first official orientation day working on the floor. It was a disaster. I'm a nursing student with funds and med surg experience, so I never went through PCT school but I thought I knew enough to be good at my job...

Long story short I majorly SUCKED today... I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't even take a set of vitals without forgetting to do something every single time. I'd either be fumbling with the long cords getting wrapped in everything, meanwhile taking my sweet time, or I would forget to do respiration's, how do I forget that?! And the girl training me looked like she wanted to laugh and strangle me at the same time.

in addition to the vitals I was slow to put on my PPE, hand washing, charting, etc. I felt like I was trying to nail jello to a wall meanwhile my PCT trainer ran laps around me.

Not only that but my patients didn't seem to like me but they loved the other person training me. I can be a little socially awkward but I believe I am a compassionate person. I've always dreamed of working in a big hospital taking care of others, being that hero to make someone's day a little easier during a tough time, but now I feel like a failure, and an incompetent moron.

I gained a little more confidence towards the end of the day, did some patient teaching like we were trained to do in my hospital, and got told off by a patients caregiver who also said she hopes to not see me here again. I ended my shift by crying my eyes out in my car for a good 20 minutes.

I'm worried that I'll just suck as a pct/nurse. I graduate next year and I don't want to think this is how I'll always feel.

Give yourself a break! It was only your first day! If you keep at it, you can only improve.

I sucked when I first became a CNA. I had coworkers and nursing home residents betting on how long I would last! :lol2: I set out to prove them wrong and just kept at it until I hit my stride.

I knew I'd broken through the sucky-ness when a resident flat out told me, "Honey, when you first started, I thought, 'there is no way she'll last two months'... and here you are! I think you're one of best one's here!"

God love that woman! I needed to hear that. I was (still am!) socially awkward, but she really boosted my morale. I needed that boost, but I had to do the work and keep at it and keep at it!

It just takes time and building on everything you learned the day before.

Good luck to you.

Thank you so much, I'm so happy to hear that I'm not alone!!! ❤️❤️❤️

The misses you described are skills. All skills take practice, and "muscle memory" to master. The good news is, vitals, PPE etc are core functions of PCT. Translation - you will have ample opportunity to do these repeatedly and get them right.

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