Super Ultra

Let me also say that background in psych is invaluable for getting your foot in the door as a PMHNP. Because of my background, I had a job offer from word of mouth recommendations before I even graduated. Started a job with decent benefits and decent starting pay. Being known in the circles is so important for success depending upon where you live (I live in a fairly small town in Mississippi).

There aren't a whole lot of preceptors for PMHNP students. I was lucky, I was an inpatient acute care psych nurse for 8 years and my co-workers were invaluable in finding me a good preceptor I didn't have to cold call. I find that most PMHNPs know that preceptors are hard to find, and if you don't have the connections, do some cold calling and see if anyone is willing to take you on, but I wouldn't pay for a preceptor. No way!

I'm a new grad who was recently hired PRN by a large hospital on a med surg floor. I haven't even got a set preceptor but rather just follow whoever is around that wants to put up with me. One very experienced nurse has a habit of growling at me when I can't do something correctly. I missed during an in and out cath on a female patient and she acted as if I was the stupidest person in all creation. On my sixth day on the floor I had 4 patients, one of whom was NPO and going down for a right AKA. Stupid me, looked at the MAR and saw a huge list of PO meds and figured "well he doesn't get those, he's NPO" and I was correct...HOWEVER, since surgery came and got him late there was IV antibiotics, a finger stick, and some eye drops I failed to administer. The preceptor I had that day didn't seem too worried about it, but I feel terrible. I don't want to do sloppy work or fail to care properly for my patients, but in just six days my time management, multitasking, and "thinking like a nurse" is poor. On my fourth day with one preceptor, I misread some orders and she hit the roof. I feel like I can't do anything right and I really don't know if I'm cut out for this. One preceptor said I lacked initiative but then she was like "maybe it's just because you're cautious." Darn right I'm cautious! There are so many things I haven't even done before. I have ZERO healthcare background other than nursing school. They tell me I get a month of orientation and I'm halfway through it and I've only spent 6 days on the floor. I really don't want to get fired, I want to be a GOOD nurse, but it's like my brain doesn't work. If I try to figure out something on my own, I screw up and get yelled at, or I do it right and no one says anything at all. If I ask questions I get treated like a moron. I also have another PRN job in LTC where I got 2 whole days of on the floor orientation before being tossed thirty patients to care for. I finally got that figured out, but hospital nursing seems even more complicated and the atmosphere is super tense! How in the world can I get proficient at this in two or three more weeks?!?

I guess I'm lucky. It was a reasonably calm, collected night for me in LTC. Only one patient snafu all night. I guess I better knock on wood or else I'll be in for it when the full moon hits, that's when it gets totally bugnuts around here!

I'm relatively new too, but I got a job by applying for a position that asked for experience! Don't let "experience necessary" keep you from applying! Try some of the smaller places like LTC or dialysis clinics. Good luck!

I went back today for a 12 hour shift and I will say that the great majority of my coworkers are extremely understanding and helpful. That's a bright spot at least!

Thank you! Somewhere inside I was thinking just this, but being completely new and not exactly knowing what to expect I wasn't sure if I was just not working hard enough, not smart enough, etc.

Thanks everyone for your responses so far. I know that I do need to grow a somewhat thicker skin because I'm new, but this guy said all this to me after two days of training! I haven't even been let loose on the floor by myself and he's judging my nursing skills as sub par. It's just frustrating to be automatically judged as inept before I've really even done anything. I know it's easy to say "well, I don't need any work, it's just the boss is a you know what" but I am willing to reflect and see if I've done anything egregiously out of place, but even the other new grad I was training with said "you look like you've done everything well so far to me." So it may be that this guy is just trying to control me, but for the time being, I have a job and I desperately need to keep it, so I'm going to "suck it up, buttercup" and do my best. P.S. The "stupid" mistakes I make are things like having trouble locking the narcotics drawer and fumbling with it, and I accidentally touched the base of my butterfly needle with my glove before I was going to draw blood, but I immediately got a new one. I'm not talking huge mistakes here, but apparently we're going for perfection.

I just graduated in May from an ADN program. I was hired prn at a local LTC facility. The job market is scarce and I am desperate to take whatever I can get. 5 new grad/new hires including myself got a whole 4 days of orientation and only 2 of those out on the floor. One has already been hired as a 11p to 7a full time charge nurse, one got a full time 3p to 11p shift, and the other got a full time weekend shift. My supervisor tells me, after only TWO DAYS in a new nursing environment that my skills are not up to par, so I got none of the promotions and am still PRN, which really is fine, I guess, because clearly I'm not ready to be tossed to the wolves with no oversight for 30 patients with 20 medications apiece as well as peg tubes, wound care, feedings, etc. However, my boss made me feel like I was 1/2 an inch tall. He made me feel as if I was a substandard nurse and not nearly as good as the others I was hired with. I am somewhat sensitive and I began to tear up, but I did NOT cry. He said "are you tearing up?" with incredulous disgust. I said I was simply tired and I am no crybaby. I graduated with honors and externed at a large hospital. Something about this boss makes me nervous and when he watches me I make stupid mistakes. I don't know how to shake this, and show this guy that I can be a good and capable nurse. I also think it's a bit much to ask anyone to go out on a floor and handle 30 patients after 2 days on the floor. What do you guys think? P.S. I thought I loved nursing but this experience is making me feel as if I've made a terrible mistake.

I think of that DJ Khaled song "All I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Got money on my mind, I can never get enough, and everytime I step up in the building, everybody's hands go up!" It works for me. It makes me feel like I'm awesome and can do anything. :anpom:

I made a 26 on my ACT. I didn't study for it, I'm just sort of good at taking standardized tests. I think at least at ICC one of the most helpful things you can do if you do get in is to buy a Saunders NCLEX book. It really helps you wrap your head around the type of critical thinking questions that are on the test. Sometimes the instructors basically lift the whole darn test question from the book. This is my last year (finally)! So happy!

i want to hear from some of my folks in the adn program at icc, and see how they're doing, what they're finding hard about nursing school, what they like, what we can all do to make the experience better, etc. also, if you're trying to get into the program and have questions maybe i can help. i've heard a lot of stories about nursing school and how catty and mean nurses and nursing students can be. luckily for me, i haven't had a lot of those sorts of experiences in our school. i think you guys are great! oh, and are any of you shocked to death about the grades you're making now? i went from straight as to struggling for a b, and i'm no dummy! eeek! chime in!