ashrnbsn12

I've been a new grad nurse in the CVICU for 1 year now. Lately, the unit has been absolutely crazy busy with some of the sickest patients I've ever seen. Last week I had a patient go asystole. Once the patient was resuscitated, I was told I was getting an admit from the ER in Afib RVR. Seemed as if this assignment wasn't great considering I had a patient code earlier needed to go to CT and had just transported a patient out. This week, I had an IABP that is supposed to be 1:1 nurse to patient. I get an admit that was life flighted and is crashing and am trying to stabilize the patient all with very little help from anyone. Today I had a patient with an Impella pump. Another type of patient that is supposed to be a 1:1 nurse to patient. I get an admit who is post arrest from another floor in addition to the patient with the Impella! These patients are so high acuity and it's as if these assignments aren't matching that. I'm running my tail off all night not charting a thing until after my shift is over and not leaving the unit until 2+ hours after the shift is finished. Anyone else experience assignments such as these? Thoughts on whether they are manageable or safe?

I'm sick of you both. Stop arguing and getting offended by one another. I asked for advice and you both are misreading the entire situation and contributing nothing but snide comments. For your information I KNOW the issues are SERIOUS and I know they needed to be dealt with. Why do you think I got on here in the first place? Just for kicks? No, I am legitimately concerned about my performance and was looking for ADVICE. Get off your God complexes and address the real issue. You were new and made mistakes once too. Help me figure out what the best plan of action is. I don't need the reminder that I screwed up royally. I'm already aware of those facts. I need advice.

Thank you everyone who took time to reply to me about my concerns. I wholeheartedly appreciate your input. To be honest, my preceptor never showed me anything about a "brain sheet" as many of you suggested. I tried to write things down while working, but with our unit relying on us for total pt care, sometimes I get so busy I'll forget to write down everything or not even have the time to sit at the computer to go through it all. When these mistakes I made occurred no one was harmed at all. However, when these errors were brought to my attention, they were simply just said to me in a "how could you be that stupid" tone and not really any explanation was given as to how serious the mistakes could have been. I learned more from your reactions to the problems I expressed rather than my preceptors reaction to it. My preceptor has only been a nurse for 1 year and is my age. I thought I had a pretty good teacher but now I'm not so sure. I agree that she should be catching these errors as well. Honestly, I've been doing everything for my patients with very little help from her at all. She sits at the nurses desk and helps me as needed but never assesses the pts with me or watches me give meds or really goes into the rooms much at all. Really she has a very hands off approach and lets me do everything mostly by myself. I liked this at first but now I'm not even sure she's been showing me the right ways of doing things. Last night I worked with a new preceptor. I felt even more like a total idiot because everything she told me to do conflicted with my training thus far. This new preceptor is very Type A and slightly abrasive but a very good ''by the book'' sort of nurse. I'm hoping with my last 2 weeks on orientation with her I can learn more of the right ways of doing things. I'm still terrified going into every shift and want to do my best but its so hard when you feel you are too stupid to be working in this unit. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from nursing school and expected myself to have more confidence but its been really difficult. Hoping everything improves soon.

I'm working in CVICU and just graduated last May. I feel like a crappy nurse because there is still so much I don't know. I leave work after a shift and the next morning when I show up for my shift the next day, my preceptor/ night shift nurse ambush me with things I did wrong or issues that they noticed (i.e. forgetting to hook a heparin line, mix my antibiotic, chest tube was off of suction, a med wasn't given etc.). I'm almost off my 12 wk orientation and I still feel like I can't do anything right and don't know if I'm just being too hard on myself. Anyone else ever experience these issues when they were starting out? Words of wisdom?