Justlearning

I worked so hard to become a nurse. I am 52 years old. I said to my instructors when I left school I hope I know more than I think I do or I am in trouble when I get out there practicing. They told me that I would learn what I needed when I got the facility I was going to work at. Now I am on the med/surg floor of a hospital. I feel lost. I have listened to the staff complain about new personnel asking questions that they should have learned in nursing school. One such staffer stated "I am not here to teach nurses how to be nurses I am here to teach hospital policy". I am now afraid to ask the questions I have. I had a question on where can I find a hospital protocol on seizures precaution. I have asked 3 people, including the vice president of nursing. I have not received an answer yet. I have had 2 seizure precaution pt just recently. I don't seem to be doing well with my time management skills. In my defense the hospital was changing to primary nursing two days after I came on the floor. My preceptors were in tears and when I asked a question they said they did not have time. I had a different preceptor every day. Now I am on my own and don't feel I even know the basics of how to look up what I need to know in the computer. Last two nights I have had 7 pt and I am not able to complete tasks by shift end. Last night I missed an order to remove a foley at 0600 this am. They reported to me that the foley needed to be dc'd this am but no time. I did not have time to check the Kardex. previous shift one hour late giving report put me way behind. I was running all night to catchup. The experienced nursing on the floor were out at the desk on the internet and chatting. The had 6 pt. No nurse manager on our floor right now. I am debating going to VP of nursing. The last person that crossed staff they stated they would "make his life hell" and they did. He is no longer on our shift. I want to be a good nurse. I want to learn what I need to know to accomplish this. I am not learning anything and this is the hospital I wanted to be at. Location good for me. I am so depressed. There is much more but this is to long already. Advice?

I have been on the job 4 months on post op floor. I can not figure out when you can mix pain meds. If pt has epidural or pca. When can you give another med and what meds for breakthrough pain. If dr. orders 3 pain meds for a pt prn. Which is the appropriate med? If one does not take care of all the pain when can you try another. What ones can be given together and how do you decide which ones to give? I am confused. Should I have learned this in nursing school? Is it just me. Also if pt has low o2 sat. Can you administer morphine or other meds that may depress respiratory?

I have similar situation. Passed boards in July. I work on a busy med surg floor. I am up to 5:1. And must be up to 6:1 by the end of the coming week. I am so depressed. Everyone is on me to step it up. I feel so unsafe. I am trying to stick it out but I feel I am jeopardizing everything I have worked for. I also feel the training in nursing school sucks and feel totally inadquate.

Thanks for all your help and info.

I am a new grad and want to obtain medical liability insurance. They carry it on us at the hospital but we were told in nursing school we should get our own. What company should I use? Any suggestion?

I just had a crying jag today with our clinical lab instructor because I failed the final check off and have one more try to pass. She assured me I would be fine. I have struggled with clinical all the way through. I am the book smart student. I am on pins and needles we only have 20 days of class and clinical left but I am sure I could mess it up in the home stretch. I have decided I did not come this far to let it happen. She told me to calm down today and I am going to. We are doing poorly because of the stress. Try to relax and do what you were doing the other semesters. I am sure once you are able to concentrate you will start getting better grades. Good Luck.:nuke:

That is what we were taught to do in class. Ask the question and allow them to tell you what is on their mind. I am worried I won't be ready for what they say or how to handle that. How did she respond to you?

I am a 4th semester student and I have not applied for work yet because I am afraid of the attitudes you have described. I am not confident and I am worried about getting out there and drowning (or hurting a patient). If only they were all like you as well as the instructors in school. Thank you for your kindness and consideration.:heartbeat

Oh my God! You must have my instructor. Are all nursing school instructors the same? I want you to feel better but I fear you will have doubt when you graduate. I am a fourth semester student and I am scared to death because I feel I have not been trained adequately to go out and practice nursing in a safe manner.

I could not get a respiration rate on the dummy, I had never actually auscultated a respiratory rate. I have always gotten one by watching the movement of the chest or abd. She had stridors and I could not hear her heart, only that it was irregular. After the instructor said I better get it together what if that was a real pt. I was so upset but thought if this were really my patient I would be familiar with hospital and know where all my supplies were. I could talk to this lady. I felt like an idiot talking to the dummy because of course she could not answer me.

I was quite nervous as I did not know what we could do with the dummy. You can actually even get a bp on the dummy. My orders stated to hang NS @ 100 ml but no IV pump was present and bag of d5w was hanging. So my instructor said what is hanging, I looked but I did not want to disconnect from IV as I had no where to put it. I could see it running all over the floor. She kept asking me is this right, I said no but did not remove it. Then I froze up after I asked if I could get an IV pump. All my basics went out the window. The dummy was in respiratory distress, my partner was suctioning. It was a total disaster for me.

How about altered body image, griefing, depression?

I want to say although I have to study very hard to pass the exams, they come much easier to me than the clinical. I am soooooooooo struggling with that. I love the patients and want to help them all, they are all so wonderful but I am scared to death that someone will really need my intervention and I will not know what to do. I can assess all day long but then I am stuck. What do I do with this info. It does not come together. So if you have it in clinical I think you are a good nurse.:wink2:

I thought the goal is what you want the patient to attain, such as pain free by a certain time or will ambulate by discharge, etc.. and the outcome is if that goal was attained and or any part of it that was attained.

I am in my 4th semester in a two year program will be graduating in May. All the way through the program I was feeling like we are not taught to bring the skills we practice in lab to the floor in clinical. Spoke with several other students but most have previous clinical experience and feel alright. Some do not and say that we will get what we need after graduation, on the job training. Today I had to do a simulation with another student in front of two of the instructors. Problems being generated by the computer on lab dummy. I did horrible. I have to redo in a week. If I do not pass this I can not graduate. It is exactly what I have been saying all along. I learn all and do well on written exams, but when we go to the floor we act in the capacity of the nurses aid and we are not asked to place ourselves in these critical situation. I am beside myself. I can't see myself passing it as I am so nervous about it I can't even think. Any advise? :bowingpur