Brooke13-RN

I agree with the other posters. I'm a new nurse too only 3 months out and I am finding night shifts to be both challenging and rewarding. There is so much going on and I don't feeling like I am missing out on procedures, doctor interactions, or assessing skills. I'm sorry that the night shift nurses give poor reports on your floor, but let me tell you I've heard some pretty interesting ones from days. It has nothing to do with the shift that you work, it's the kind of nurse you want to be. Lazy nurse come on all shifts. Some of the best nurses I have come across work nights. You have to develope your critical thinking skills in a hurry becuase there isn't the abundance of the extra people to run things by. I am curious about what procedure you are expecting to do on days that wouldn't be done on a night shift. I'm on a busy med/surge floor and just the other night I put in 4 IVs, dc'd a CVC line, administered blood, and reinserted the NG that my confused pt pulled out. I'm just saying give nights a chance and if it's not for you look for a day position. Just please don't think that because a nurse works nights they don't use their skills or knowledge. I oriented on days for 6 weeks and I can honestly say that I learned more about nursing in the first 2 weeks on nights because I had the time to focus on the pt. Anyway good luck with your new career.

Hi eveyone, I've finally had a couple of good nights at work. And let me tell you the other night wasn't easy. We had 3 teams and we had 7 admissions in the first 2 hours. Busy med-surg/oncology floor. I just took one thing at a time and checked things off my list. I actually got done with my chart checks on time and was ready to clock out and had everything done. Well almost, I started thinking today that I might have forgotten to give a 6am med, but I'm not sure. It was 2 days ago already so not much I can do about it now. I think I gave it, I'm pretty sure that I did. I had it checked off on my things to do list, but I just can't remember going in the pts room to push it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I go back to work. I'll check the MAR to see if I gave it. Hopefully if I didn't the next shift caught. It's was a q 6 hour med. I do ask the day shift before I leave if there are any problems to call me. Oh well. But not getting off topic, it felt really good to get done with everything and handle everything. I'm only a couple of weeks off orientation and still feel out of control most of the time. I did get some flack from the two other RNs because they let me know that I did have the easiest group of pts, and so on. But I did have 3 admissions, 2 units of blood, and lots of meds. I just found while they were sitting around getting upset about all the admissions and being short staffed, I sat in my corner and worked and I think that by staying out of the politics of it all and taking things one thing at a time helped. I Guess I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have been so supportive. I know that I'm still going to have a whole bunch of bumps, but it felt fantastic to finally leave work knowing that I did better. I guess there is hope. Thanks for listening. ~B

Hi, I did look for someone else to help me get the IV in. I asked all the other nurses on the floor and my charge nurse was the one who agreed that we could let it go until morning. Firstly the lady was getting upset because of my failed attempts and secondly because her arm was still swollen from the other IV and we thought maybe if that went down we could find a vein. It was the only arm that I could use. I didn't leave the other site in. I never do that. If it's bad I remove it right away. "and it doesn't matter if she previously left you an admission-its not a "you did it to me so i'll do it to you" type of world" This never even crossed my mind until I was driving home and thinking about her attitude. I felt horrible leaving the things behind. I never mind carrying on where day shift leaves off. My point was that they always seem upset to carry on where we leave off. But I would never have the "you did it to me so I'll do it to you attitude."

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Hi eveybody, I was almost able to leave work without any issues this morning. I didn't make any mistakes last night and was going to ready to walk out the door at 7:30 this morning. But at about 7:15 I found that one of my pts IVs blew. Now normally I wouldn't worry about that except that I had a hard stick a few hours before and decided since she wasn't getting any meds until after lunch and she was HL to begin with I would let the day shift have a crack at her. It wasn't that I didn't try to get, but I refuse to try more then two times. So, when after report I told the on coming RN that I wasn't able to get either IV she got really huffy with me. I felt bad enough as it was leaving two IVs for her to do first thing in the morning. I apologized multiple times and I just felt really bad. Then I was driving home and realized that last week she had left a whole admission for me and I mean a whole admission. The pt had been there since 3pm and they hadn't even gotten vitals on her. She didn't have any problem with handing it over to me. Where does this double standard come from. Why does it seem that days has a free pass to leave stuff for nights, but nights can't leave anything for days. We are busy people to. Thanks for listening and letting me vent. I just felt bad for leaving things and kind of upset that she gave me all this attitude about it.

I'm on night shift and I get a lot of, we got a new admission and we called the admission nurse. Well the admission nurse only works the 7a-7p shift so if they don't make it they don't make it. Now I don't mind if they got the admission in later, but I've had 2 instances lately where the pt arrives on the floor at two or three and it's now 7:30 when I get out of report and figure out that nothing has been done on the admission. No vitals or weights or anything. That's really my only gripe.

Hi, I'm so sorry that you had this happen. I failed my last semester course right at the end so I feel your pain. I found out I wasn't graduating the day before pinning. This is what my Mom told me and I think it helped. She said that I must not have learned something that I was going to need to know to save someones life. Just take things one day at a time. It took me a long time to get over failing my class, but I did and now I'm working on a busy med surg/oncology floor. I'll send good vibes that you get back into your class. I wish you all the best of luck in your future nursing career. ~B

Ok, so I made it a whole day without stressing, but now I have to go back to work tonight and I'm worried about finding out I screwed stuff up from the other day. I left with everyone doing fine, but I keep thinking about stuff. Did I remember to tell them this in report, ect. I guess that it shoud be a comfort to know that my pts. have excellent nurses that come in after me, but I still panic. I would hope that if I did something horrible they would call me and tell me. Oh well I guess I'll find out tonight. Now I just have to relax enough so I can sleep and not work myself up before I go in again. Thanks again for eveyone's advice.

Thanks guys. While I don't have the Satan nurses to report off to, but they are more then happy to point out my mistakes to me in the morning when I come back. For example I had a med time wrong on the MAR. I heard the Aren't you lucky we caught it for you. We saved you from a med error. It wouldn't have even been a huge deal, I mean I think it was a daily suppliment that he would have gotten 2 hours early. But I understand that if they don't point it out I won't learn.

Congrats on making it this far. I think you are feeling exactly what all of us our feeling when we start. It is really really scary. It's great that you have worked as a CNA, I think it's going to help you with you organization. I had a 6 week orientation and have been on my own for 2 days now. I'm still scared before I go in because of the whole unknown element. What am I going to come across today. Just take things one at a time. Soak in everything you can over the next few weeks. I can't tell you if it gets easier because I still get nervous, but once I get there and get going on the nursing I can calm down and just do the job. Good Luck. I'm sure you are going to do fantastic.

I'm on a med-surg/oncology floor. I had 6 weeks of 12 hour shifts. So, actually 18 days before I was on my own. Felt like I could have used a couple more though. Been off of orientation 2 days and so far it's been going OK I think.

Hi everybody, So do you ever notice that it seems like you have to make mistakes to actually have things sink in. And the problem is the paranoia that you've made mistakes that you won't find out about until you go to work next. Of course working 12 hour shift means that you might not find out about them until you go back three days later. Does anyone else have this total paranoia about work when you aren't there. Everyone always says to leave your job at the hosp, office, whatever, but honestly how do you really do that. This afternoon I realized that I think I might have screwed up on an short stay admission from last night, it was the first time I had done one. I found the home meds already written out on our form, but didn't realize that it was something new that short stay surg. was doing. It was just written there on the home meds sheet we use on our floor and wasn't signed by anyone. I thought that it was something that short stay did when they came in incase of a admission. I went over them with the pt and doctor, but didn't rewrite them on our sheet, which I later found out that that was what I was supposed to do. When I got home today and read through my mail, which I was a day behind on, bam there it was. The new policy. So, now I'm dreading Monday when I go back to work and the educator points it out to me. When I get home I always wonder, did I check that med off, did I sign that paper, did I chart that pain level. I always try to double check and be very careful but then as soon as I leave I go, hmmm did I do this or that. My question is this something eveyone who is new is dealing with? Does it ever go away, the thinking about work constantly after you go. I even dream about work. Anybody else dealing with this. It's driving me crazy.

jjjoy thanks for that. Your right that does seem to be how it is. I guess it all takes experience and that's what they keep telling me, but I think sometimes people forget it. Lisa, I survived last night. I started off 9pts, but then at midnight I picked up 2 more. Census changed. I did all right because I didn't have too many unexpecteds, no admissions or discharges last night, we had a full house. But I did have to call the Docs a couple of times, one was for a post surge who after 5 hours still hadn't voided. Said he couldn't. I bladder scanned him and then ended up calling the Doc because he had 800CCs in. But to be honest, even though I knew this was wrong I still asked another nurse if she would call for that because I didn't want to screw up. And if it makes you feel better I cried the whole drive to work talking to my Mom on the phone. I know what you mean about the resources. They are all so busy too. I was doing my chart checks and they were saying can we help you. But really what could they do. They had 11 charts to check themselves. They are my pts, I have to get it done, which to my surprise I did. I think. I'm sure I missed something that my nurse educator will get me on tomorrow. She once found that I forgot to initial the MAR on the bottom, even though I signed it. You have to put your initial, print your name, and sign each sheet of the Mar at the bottom. Oh well. Take some deep breaths today and tell yourself you can do it. When in doubt I always think of the Water Boy. Rob Schnider yelling you can do it always makes me smile. I had to compose myself a couple of times last night when I started getting behind because I felt like a failure. I was behind, but then I just kept on going one task at a time. And this morning I got to leave at 7:35. I don't know what to tell you about the emotional stuff. I do notice that when I have to go right back I feel better then when I have to go back after a couple of days off. The day before I cry most of it and want to quit. Then I go in and feel better until I have to go back the next time. I think for us right now it's just the fear of the unknown. Not knowing what to expect when we get off those elevators. I have nightmares even about work. Hang in there and let us know how your first day went. I know how you feel about the driving yourself insane. Hang in.

RNKay, Thanks for the congrats. I wish I was feeling it though. I've been a nervous wreck all day because I have to go in tomorrow. But then I'm a wreck most days before I have to go in. I'm just so scared that I'm not going to see something or do something that is going to keep my pt safe. Then there is the fact that I haven't been able to get everything done. It seems like I sink the closer to 6 I get. The problem is I don't know where to pick up time. I think I'm just too slow. It takes me a lot longer to go through the charts and MARs. Then it seems like every night my preceptor has to point something out to me that I messed up on. Yet, they think I'm ready to be on my own. I wanted to scream no, let me have one more week. But then after that week is over I'll want another. I know I have to get out there and do my own thing, I just wish I had some more confidence. I'm just scared I'm going to hurt someone. Oh well. Here I am rambling again. Thanks for listening everyone.

Thanks Suzy. I think I'm just so nervous. I get nervous going on the nights when I will have a preceptor and the idea of being on my own with my mod is terrifying. I'm just scared that I'm not going to get everything done. I haven't been able to as of yet, my preceptor always ends up stepping in at one point or another. I'm already kind of starting to freak and I have two days to worry about it. There is just so much to get done and do and I don't really think I'm fast enough. I'm just scared right now. I just need one successful night.