Robinbelle

I am a recent grad also (second career here so would wager I'm a good bit older than you too). :) I totally understand the feelings of worry and doubt! I'm really sorry about what you overheard your Mother say. She may be your Mother, but she has never assessed your nursing skills in a healthcare setting, so she has no authority whatsoever to make that call. I am about one month into working my first nursing job as an LPN in LTC and boy, it has been brutal (at least for me). I wanted to find a job at a Dr. office so bad, but there just isn't much employment available where I live. Working in a physicians office of some sort would have been my first choice. First of all, please don't doubt yourself! You've made it this far for a reason! Remember what motivated you to come this far. Let that drive you for now, and not the fear of the unknown, which will dissipate as soon as you learn your job. You will look back in weeks (or months') time and remember how much worry was wasted on the skills you will be very adept at by then. (Not to discredit your concerns) Some words of advice.... if you're a sensitive person...... start to grow some thicker skin. The nurses I work with are decent people but they will eat you alive if you show a lack of confidence or fear. (Personal experience here ) Its good not to be a pushover. However, if you do not know the answer to any question at the clinic you'll be working, go and ask! Try not to care what others think of you and remember to ultimately keep your patients safe, always do what is morally right, cover your a$$, and remember that each and every single one of your coworkers had to start somewhere at the beginning, and had fears and concerns of their own. If they try to pretend otherwise, they're liars haha. Don't get involved in office gossip. Decide to have a decent day everyday and try your best not to let any bad office morale affect you. You will be overwhelmed as you learn your various roles. Deep breathe during those intense moments and remember why you're meant to do this. If you want to venture into another avenue of nursing, you can. Try to learn your job well, don't burn any bridges, and get some time in where you're at. If you're unhappy, move on. I wish you the best and feel free to pm me if we have that capability on this site. Take care!

Thank you so much!

I am 2 weeks into my first nursing job (ever) and it happens to be in LTC. This should be a fairly easy question to answer, but my brain is fried and I couldn't find it (or maybe comprehend the answer?) on Google. So, I bought a Reli-on pulse Oximeter for my patients. My question is this: When I manually take their pulse, there is usually a 20 pt discrepancy between what my o2 sat pulse reads vs. what I get manually. I know the manual reading is accurate, yet I have 31 patients to medicate, treat, do vitals, blood sugars, etc. I just don't have time to always take their manual pulse. Plus, shouldn't I be able to "reli-on" this pulse ox I had to pay almost $40 out of pocket for?? my coworker dropped it on my first day but I doubt that affected it. What is my dumb-a$$ missing here? A pulse discrepancy of 70 vs 93 is unacceptable to me and I have soooo many other things to learn! Any feedback is much appreciated. I can't ask my coworkers this question. So overwhelmed and wanting to take the best care possible of my patients. Thank you in advance :)