berquj

I can't thank you both enough for your responses and help with my situation. I was hired for day shift although I'm sure they wouldn't mind switching me to nights. However I am not a night person at all and I fall asleep at 9pm also I do not drink caffiene so I am scared I wouldn't last on night shift for very long. I start my first day off of orientation tomorrow and I am nevrous as all heck. During my last shift my nurse had to "bail me out" three times but I feel it was unfair because they had given me three total care patients and I felt very overwhelmed. One pt in particular was constantly getting new orders every hour and I could not just keep up. They say they will give me easy patients and they are letting all the nurses around me know I am new and to answer my questions. I pray I do well. Thank you again, here goes!

I'm a recent grad (May 09) and have been on my floor, med-surg, for 6 weeks now. I have 2 weeks of orientation left before I'm on my own with four patients. I feel I am not ready and I want to quit. How do I find the strength to go back to work tomorrow and every day after that? I'm so stressed and overwhelmed! I feel incompetent and sure that if they leave me alone with pts I will forget to do orders, check labs and a million other important things. I feel nursing is too fast paced and I can't keep up. Everyday I dread going to work. Please tell me if it gets better or do I need to just leave and find another job?

I am a recent grad (May 09) and started working 12 hour days on a Med/Surg floor which specializes in kidney/liver transplants. I have had 6 weeks of orientation and in 2 weeks my orientation will be over and I will be given 4-5 patients on my own. I do not feel comfortable or ready. I try now to take all five patients and I am struggling terribly, with my preceptors help I am running around the whole day like a chicken with my head cut off trying to catch up, not even able to take a break or lunch. If it wasn't for my preceptor we would be there 2 hours later charting because I'm so behind. How do they expect me to take four or five on my own? I have told my nurse supervisor (in our 10 min sit down we were able to squeeze in) that I feel very overwhelmed and do not feel comfortable with 4-5 pt's but she insisted this is how many she will be giving me. I would feel more comforatable with 3 pt's for a few weeks until I could get my feet on the ground and then take on one more at a time. The frustrating part is during my orientation although I was "given" pts they were never truley mine, my preceptor would take down orders before I could get to them or talk to the families before I had a chance so I don't know what it really is like to have pts on my own. Now I am so afraid to be by myself. Is it the hard for anyone else? I feel so lost and confused, I don't even want to be a nurse anymore? How long should an orientation be? Is 8 weeks enough? Is 4 pt's too many pt's to give me right away or is that normal? Am I over-reacting? I want to quit so bad, I come home crying everynight and dreading going to work. I feel like I can never get a handle on my days and I'm always forgeting to do a million things like look up the pt's labs, so when the doctors call and ask me about his low potassium I'm stumped. Please someone tell me what to do.

I feel the same way, I'm currently working on a Med-Surg floor (specifically for kidney/liver transplants) and I HATE it even though it has only been 6 weeks. I know I don't want to work in the hospital for more than one year of experience. Why should I even work there now? I would rather work with people in the community, teaching them to take care of their health issues or work as a case manager. I see no problem with you not working on med-surg and going straight into the field you want, you can always go back. You might just have to find a hospital later that will be willing to teach you to hang IV's again, but so what? You will be so much more expeirenced in other aspects of nursing! Good for you that you found a job you love in the field you want!