cherubhrt

Dear Tink, I know it's difficult in the beginning, but you have to give yourself time to adjust to all the demands that are placed on us. It will take at least 6 months to a year or so to really get your bearings...to have a routine that you are comfortable with. The best advise I can give you is to make a brain sheet with all your patients with room to jot down quick notes of things you have to do. I could not survive w/o my brain sheet. Yes it takes additional time to write the necessary info, but it definitely makes my life easier in the long run. It keeps me focused on things I have to accomplish and document on, as well as important information that you may want to pass on to the next shift. I also find multi color pens a must. I use black to take report at the beginning of my shift, red to make changes on PT's assessment from previous shift, green for meds and new orders. If you find that writing a brain sheet is too time consuming, you could also write on the back of each PT's kardex. I hope this helps. Good Luck and try not to be too hard on yourself. Wendy

As soon as I get into my car, I call my mom. It's a ritual I've started since becoming an RN a year ago. I have a 30 minute drive home and I find talking to someone else about their day helps me decompress. As soon as I get home, I kick off my shoes, take a shower, and put on jammies. I spend time with my children and husband for a couple of hours (I do not talk about the happenings of the day until the next day I'm off from work, if at all). When I come home I just want to put the day behind me. It was very hard for me at first to find what worked for me, but I finally found a happy ground. It also helps that I work with a great group of peers and we know that we can always vent with each other. With the drastic changes in staffing cut-backs it makes for a very stressful day. I work on a very busy PCU unit and I went from caring for 4-5 PT's to now a standard 6-8 PT's. Often there are no transporters and only 1-2 techs for our entire 32 PT unit. Everyone is spread very thin, but I go in and give 110% for my PT's. Its rewarding enough when I have PT's say "I see you running around here more than any other RN that I've had and I truly appreciate your care. You are not only a good nurse, but you are a good person too." That makes it all worth while. :prdnrs: