SmartMorgan

Hi All, It has been a little while since I have posted. I finished my prereqs with flying colors and now I am actually a nursing student. I need some support right now and I know this is where I can get it. I am in nursing 1 right now and I failed my first comp. I feel like a loser. The comp was on hand washing, vital signs, and dry sterile dressing change. I failed when I contaminated my sterile field. I had the drape and 4x4 setup on the table and was getting my gloves ready to put on. I pulled them from their package and then decided to throw away the outer wrapper. I had my trash bag setup on my patients bedside near their hip and I had to turn at the waist to throw away the package....thus the failure! I know that you can't turn your back on the field but I did anyway and to make it worse I didn't even realize. I was stopped by the instructor and she asked what I did wrong...and I had no clue. At first I was mad...and then I was crying...and now I feel like a loser. I have to comp again next Wednesday and I have to pass. I wish I just set the outer package on the table and set the gloves in their wrapper on top of it. That is what I was going to do but I didn't want to risk contaminating my field. I know it does no good to compare....but other people passed on the first try. On a side note, my average right now is 80 and I did pass my first Med Math test...so I do have some good things going for me. But, at the same time I feel like it is silly to have failed my very first comp. Thanks for reading my vent....and thanks to all who respond!

I feel your pain. I had an almost non-existant Med Surg orientation as an aide. I used to be a project manager until I got laid off and decided to go to nursing school. So, with no healthcare background I thought I would get a decent orientation. For example, I couldn't even get someone to teach me how to take manual blood pressures...even though it is a requirement for my job. I took the job for clinical experience for nursing school but it almost made me scared to become a nurse. I've been working Med Surg for three months and it is getting alittle better. The patient ratios can be bad, the nurses are too busy to help with anything, and running around for the entire shift won't change. What will change will be your ability to do the job and, if your like me, you might start to see what you do does actually make a difference and somehow that becomes enough to make it worthwhile. I guess my advice is to hang in there and realized what difference you are making for the patients. After all, that is why we are all there. Good Luck!

Thanks for everyone who has posted. I try to be proactive every day and help out all that I can. The suggestions are great and it sounds like I should continue moving forward in that direction.

This one is for the nurses.... What little things can an aide do to make your job easier? I am a nursing student who is a Med Surg aide and am always trying to find nice little things to do for the nurses to help them out....beyond those tasks that my job requires. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Hi Everyone, Please don't bash me...but I need to get this off my chest. I am a nursing student working as an aide on Med/Surg. I work hard and am constantly on the run making sure that my patients are taken care of. I rarely leave a mess for the next shift and I take pride in my work. My complaint is that often I hear nurses complaining about lazy aides. I know they are just talking about the "aides" in general....but it makes me upset. I usually ignore it and continue on with my job....but it is something that sticks in my head. Any other aides feel this way or am I just too sensitive?

I agree....if I don't get called off tomorrow I plan to do just that. I did interview for a different hospital today (a larger hospital). I am pretty sure they are going to offer me a position. On the downside, it is twice as far away from my house and it pays $2 less per hour. But, they said there is plenty of work and that makes me think it might be worth it. Will just have to wait and see....

This is an interesting point of view that I hadn't thought about and I hope it is the case...

Thank you for brining my spirits up

Thanks everyone for the replies. To clarify some questions that posters had.... 1. It is not a union hospital. 2. I did tell the person who called me that I am in orientation and that I was scheduled to meet all afternoon with the staff educator. Apparently none of that mattered because she told me I would just have to reschedule. 3. I am willing to work different shifts....in fact, I am trying to get on 2nd or 3rd shift but the supervisor won't let me work a different shift until my orientation is complete...and, no, they have no idea when that will be. To be honest, in general my orientation has been less than helpful. This is my first aid job and they basically put me out on the floor and had me work with another aid (who didn't do much or help me). I have basically been "on my own" and since I am not getting the orientation I feel I deserve I might as well not be on orientation and then I could work different shifts. I don't know if it is like this at other hospitals but I sure hope not. I have an interview tomorrow at a different hospital but it is for a per diem position and I don't know if it will be the same disaster all over. I feel so frustrated and I have just hit the tip of the iceburg on my nursing journey....

I haven't asked the manager yet (but I do intend to when I am back on Friday). I was supposed to have a training session with the staff educator today and I wouldn't have been working on the floor for a good portion of the day... so I really don't understand why I couldn't be there.

Hello Everyone! This is my first post on All Nurses. I've been reading the forums for months now and I finally have something to ask.... I recently took a per diem aid job on the MedSurg floor and today is the 2nd time I have been called off. I am still in orientation and am getting called off. The first time I was sent home early and the second time (this morning) I was called off before I went in. My question is, should I be concerned? I need to work or I won't be able to pay my bills. I am a nursing student so I thought per diem was the best option for me...but now I am not so sure! Has anyone had experience with this? Maybe I am overreacting and this is out of the ordinary. I just don't understand why someone who is still orienatating would get called off. Wouldn't they prefer to have me learn when things aren't so hectic? I thought I was doing well with the job so I don't think that is the reason they called me off....they said it was due to a low census. Thanks for your support....