NoviceRN10

I just want to say that everyone dreads those one or two nurses that drill you during report! Every unit has them, thankfully they are usually in the minority. By the end of a night shift, my brain is turning to mush and I know that my reports are not the greatest. I have found that sometimes nurses can be real critical when they are getting a patient from you, but then when you get patients from them, it is ok to be handed a hot mess. It happens everywhere. Shifts are long, and stuff happens right up to the very end, which can ruin your whole time management plan! You just have to learn what you need to finish up and what can be passed on. And don't let coworkers bully you into thinking that they need to be handed a perfect patient set with everything buttoned up. It can't always be that way, sounds good, though!

I would just say a smile, a stethoscope, a pen, and maybe bandage scissors. Those are the only things I use regularly that I have to bring myself. You will find that when you get to work each day you will probably stock your pockets with alcohol wipes, blunt fill needles (to screw on ends of syringes to flush or give IVP meds) and other stuff that gets used a lot on your unit. I would have a personal bag with cash, a snack, feminine hygiene products, and extra pens :). Congrats and good luck!

I know! Wow! I personally would not choose to sacrifice ten years of my and my kids' youth working so much that my family never saw me and my marriage broke down. Not worth it. I am about to work two prn jobs at the same time, I start a new one next week. I will have a 40 hr commitment per month between both jobs. I will probably work 20-24 hrs per wk, though. At this point in my life (42 with kids ages 10-14) I am putting them first and not working myself to death. I have all the years after they leave the nest to work a lot of hours if I choose. It will be interesting to see how coordinating two schedules will work out.

I have had the same acute care hospital job for four years since I became a nurse. I have never liked it. I have struggled handling the stress and the work load. I have had many mgrs. come and go in that time, as well as coworkers. There has only been one veteran nurse hired during that time, most of the new staff are brand new nurses, most of them fleeing to other units after they put a yr in, or just quitting for greener pastures elsewhere. I have managed to keep my head above water through many changes and issues. Finally I got the dream job offered to me that I have wanted since before I graduated nursing school. I start in two weeks. I am totally confused about whether to try and keep my current job (I am prn and only need to give them two shifts a schedule) or just walk away into the sunset and hopefully a great new position. After working full time the first year I was able to go to prn status, and have worked pretty much part time hours since then (2-3 shifts a week the first year, and then usually just two shifts a week the last year and a half. This is the only reason I stayed. I knew if I had a bad shift I wasn't going to be having a bad week, so to speak. I wasn't obligated to be there weekends or holidays and that worked well for me. My new position at a different hospital is also prn. I have to work two shifts a schedule. I was thinking I could work both jobs, but make the new job the priority. I am not sure if I will get the hours I need at the new job or not. Right now I can work as much or as little as I want. So that is making me wonder if I should just hold onto the old/current job for at least a couple of months to see how it goes at the new hospital. I don't know why I am so conflicted! Any words of wisdom?

I have to work. Going to try and hope for the best.

I interviewed May 2 and received an offer May 7th :).

Yes! I have reviews coming up and I am not expecting to be marked as anything other than average, even though I would rate myself higher in certain areas. My current mgr is new in her position and has no clue what I am like at work, besides what my peer reviews will show. I am not looking forward to sitting down with a "stranger" to be evaluated.

Totally agree! I work with another RN who has been a nurse for at least 15 yrs. She still amazes me with her inability to get it together and deal with hard pt sets. To me, as a I worked fulltime my first year. Hated it. It was depressing to work every other weekend, to be sleeping half of the week (worked nights), and to watch my family go off having fun when I had to work or sleep. I felt very disconnected from my kids. So after a year I changed to contingent. Only had to do one weekend shift per schedule, and one other regular shift. I still worked 2-3 shifts a week (usually rotating two one week, three the next). I slowed my roll and was able to manage my new career a bit better. After four years working in an area of nursing I have no interest in (med-surge, mostly surgical), I have landed a job in an area I genuinely feel I will love. It is an area I worked in as a nursing student. I could have really ditched the nursing profession all together that first year, it was difficult to acclimate. I think that working in the ER is a hard thing to do with not much experience. I prefer stable pts myself. I agree with the previous poster who told you to put your family first. I blew mine off for 3 yrs when I was in school and then starting my job. I am fortunate that I don't have any student loans and my husband can pay our bills. I never wanted him to get used to my big paychecks . I went into nursing for the good pay and the flexible hours to help us pay for extras for the kids and retirement, vacations, etc. It has been good knowing that if it gets that bad, I can walk. Thankfully it looks like things are going to change for the better, I am looking forward to beginning my new job with a totally different pt population :). You need to find the area of nursing you can feel competent and good in, and also the shifts or schedule that work for you and your family. It is possible. Hang in there!

That is funny! Our unit clerk did not know who our CEO was (looked like, I mean), and she'd been working for ages at the hospital. She was watching a video clip of him and insisted he didn't look like that! LOL

Hang in there. I found nursing to be overwhelming as soon as I was off of orientation. Orientation was fun, getting off of it was a huge reality check. I went from 4 pts (days) to 7 pts on nights. It was hard. The first few months were an adjustment. I work on a surgical floor. Everyone is in pain, everyone has many meds to give, nobody realizes you have 5-6 other pts to care for. None of the pts ask the nurse aides for ice or an extra pillow, they ask ME! I am constantly running around doing my job and at least half of someone else's. I can't assume the pt is going to have water at their bedside so I can give them a pill, I have to hope. And no, not all pts can be convinced to swallow a pill with room temp water. It is a crazy job, to say the least! Not for wooses. I have seen at least 25 nurses come and go in 4 yrs on my unit. I finally snagged a job somewhere else, and am curious to see if the grass is greener at a different health system, with a different pt population/acuity. Anyway, your feelings are normal, how you handle them is up to you! If you can stay at least a year in your current position I would. If you are able to get into a different position I would definitely try. Being miserable sucks. I will say it can get better. You figure you're going to get screwed with too many pts or bad assignments each time you go in and then when you aren't you will be happily surprised! You learn to suck up a lot of stuff you initially didn't think you could handle.

I am sorry but nowhere in my pt's charts does it state what their profession or level of intelligence is? I treat all people with the same dignity and respect no matter if they have a college degree or not.

This is not the case where I work. Contingents must be on the schedule at least 2 shifts, whether you pick the days or mgr picks them for you.

We have been asked recently to audit each other's charting. It is a big pain and I think someone is taking a huge break while they make us do it. The day shift and night shift are both doing it, though.

My husband is very supportive. When I was getting my degree he took over a lot of the kid care so I could focus on school. After I graduated and began working full time he was grocery shopping, making lunches for our kids, etc. He lets me vent. He appreciates that I am making a monetary contribution to our household. He is great :). I am sorry that your husband is not in a good place right now to support you. Hopefully he will get a job in his chosen field and get happier.

She seems to be napping because you have allowed it. Why would you let her do it if you were told not to? It seems that it is your responsibility as her preceptor to direct her during the shift, and to make others aware that she should not be napping while you are doing so yourself. You need to speak up!

I currently have a job that is contingent status. I am obligated to work just two 8 hour shifts a month/schedule. One shift must be a weekend, the other could be any day of the week. I don't have to work any holidays. I really like being able to pick my days, it works well with managing family life and hectic kids activities. I am wondering what it is like at other hospitals, how much nurses are required to work for a contingent contract and if they get to pick their days of the week. Please share your experience :).

Definitely felt that way too when I began my first nursing job. Thankless, stressful, often gross, tiring, etc. I work on a surgical floor. I have seen things nobody should ever have to see. Not exactly what kind of nursing I had in mind. I feel like a narcotic pusher more than a caregiver. Everyone is in pain. Everyone is a 10/10, even smiling and chatting on their cellphones. I rarely get an honest pt that will tell me they would like a Norco for their pain level of 3 or 4. I want to hug those pts! I know this is not the kind of nursing for me, but I have been too lazy to move on yet (4 yrs). Are you stuck there for the length of your contract or can you work on a different unit?

I think you would have a good chance at an ER job. There are plenty of ER jobs available in my area, the turnover must be high. Good luck!

Just apply to everything that interests you and see who is calling you back for interviews. Where I work they hire new grads all the time. In the 3+ yrs that I have worked there (starting as a new RN) they have only hired one nurse who wasn't a new grad, the rest of us were very green! If you start harping on the fact that you haven't worked in the profession since gaining your licensure it will only hold you back. Don't even think about that, just go out an see what kid of opportunities are available in your area for new nurses. Good luck!

If you don't have any confidence yet, you can't let your patients know that. You have to fake it. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your fellow nurses or manager. They were new nurses once. You aren't expected to know everything, but you can't let the patients know or think that you lack basic skills or knowledge of your job. You need to learn from your mistakes and not make them more than once. If you are rushing and making mistakes because of it, take your time and be more thorough. Don't beat yourself up, just own your mistakes and move forward. The first few months are rough, to say the least. I have been a nurse for over three years now and I still learn something new every time I work. Hang in there!

I was pulled after 5 months. Now three years later the new hires get 6 months' grace period before they get pulled. After one month I sure would not have felt ready at all to take on a strange unit!

After almost three years of being a nurse I really can't give you any encouragement because I feel the same way. I often walk out of patients rooms thinking to myself "What have I gotten myself into?" It's definately not a job for everyone.

If you get a job offer, that is when you let them know the dates of your planned vacation. I did this when I started my job and I am glad I did because my vacation was over a holiday, and where I work we are not allowed to take time off during the holidays (which is really dumb because census is always low then).

It seems that hospitals are cutting back staffing and resources to save a dime and break our backs . It took me a good year to figure out that what you walk into on your shift is what you will end up sucking up and just doing. Is this your second job? Your post is a little confusing on that part. I have found nursing to be a pretty stressful occupation. I know there are good jobs out there, I just don't have the energy to try and find one! I hope you find a way to survive your job or get a better one :).

To the OP, I would quit. I would not jeopardize my license in this situation, especially with the narc counts being off consistently.