Bionic Woman

I did this and would not recommend it. If you do decide to do it, I would recommend keeping your full-time med tech job and starting as a prn or part-time RN. Then if you decide that nursing is not for you, you still have your full-time med tech job. If you decide you do like nursing, then you can switch to full-time nursing. I was a med tech for 10 years and then decided to go to nursing school. I worked full-time and went to school full-time. VERY HARD. After graduation, I transferred within the system to a job as a nurse on a busy renal/med surg floor. What I thought nursing was and the reality of nursing are two entirely different things. After five months, I turned in my resignation (I'll spare you the MANY stories-- Try reading some of the new grad stories in the first year after graduation forum.) Anyway, I am now back to being a med tech and I have a new appreciation for being a med tech. Also worth mentioning is the job market. There are so many new RN grads out there looking for work now. At one time I entertained thoughts of NP, but no more. I'm perfectly happy in the lab.

A celebrity entertainer (in my wildest dreams!)....lots of money, lots of freedom, fun work. Or professional athlete....who wouldn't mind retiring after 10 years of working! Not to mention all the endorsements!

It has been very helpful for me to come and read about all of our new grad experiences on the job. It is just CRAZINESS working on a med-floor on first shift. Assessing, passing meds, dealing with patients and families, limited time, keeping up with orders, discharges, new admits, etc, etc.... So much of what I read here, I associate with. Running non-stop all day and then then realizing a few things were missed at the end of the shift when giving shift report or that things could have been better. It is so hard, if not impossible, to be on top of EVERYTHING. It's a shame that in the 3 months that I have been on the floor, I have come to realize that I cannot always count on my CNA's to help ( a few I know to not even bother to ask) and that a lot my co-workers have real attitudes. I wonder if it some kind of survival defense due to difficult patients/families and being overworked and stressed. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding. I thought about how bad I felt and I wondered if this was really for me. Nursing is a second career for me. I was SO bored with my previous job that was confined to the same room with the same small group of people (never seeing anyone else), very monotonous, and becoming increasingly automated. That is why I went into nursing. My previous job did pay better, I sat most of the day, and there was minimal stress. It has been a complete 180 degrees changing to nursing. No matter how hard it is (and I am counting on it getting better), I really enjoy the challenge, the constant learning, and getting to see new people. It's definitely stimulating being a nurse. I feel more alive being a nurse than I did in my previous job. Being uncomfortable is a good opportunity for growth. And I really don't see how any experienced nurse can expect a new grad to be perfect.

I am a 40 year old new nurse who has been working on a med-surge floor for three months. It has been very humbling! This board has provided a lot of help. A few things I've learned... - At first the pain med people really got to me. These were the pain med people who were strolling in the hallway, sitting in their rooms smiling and laughing... I've learned to just give the pain medicines as ordered and go about my day. Many times these patients know their pain med schedule and will be calling out accordingly, so I just plan on giving the medicine... - To focus on the patients and not on negativity. On the flip side, to focus on the positive. Just like there are some very difficult patients and families, there are a lot of patients and families who are a pleasure to take care of. - To not procrastinate. Everyone is different, but I find that it works best for me to chart as things happen and not try to catch up later. If skin or wound care is ordered, I try to get it done early and not put it off. - To be patient with myself. I remind myself a lot that I am a new graduate nurse and that I am constantly experiencing things for the first time. A lot of the stuff is simple stuff that I feel should have been addressed more in nursing school. Not knowing something because I have not done it a lot or experienced it does not make me a bad nurse. - Someone on here wrote about reminding ourselves about the reason why we got into nursing. I do that a lot whenever I am having a bad day.

I am a new grad nurse working on a renal/med/surg floor. I love... -helping to take care of a variety of people and seeing a variety of conditions. -the endless learning opportunities. -working 3 days and having 4 days off every week. I hate... -the feeling of chaos sometimes. Juggling 5-6 patients can be overwhelming sometimes depending on the patients, their conditions, and what procedures they are having done. Even though I may have a great plan in the beginning of the day, it often gets thrown by the wayside with patients ringing their call light, demanding families, new admits, discharges, changes in conditions, etc...Alot of times I am running all day and there is never a finish line (except when I go home) -lack of resources and supplies. The job is already stressful enough without having enough computers, iv pumps, etc... There is a total of 2 computers for all the nurses and doctors on our ward to use. Not to mention the lack of space. The nursing station is like a can of sardines sometimes. -being told different things by different nurses and then having issues because of that.

I just started working 12 hours shifts two months ago. Funny as it may sound, I think my dog has figured out my schedule and adjusts his water drinking accordingly (like when he "knows" I am going out or when he is going for a ride in the truck and gets excited). Right before I leave for work, I take him for a 20-minute walk. As soon as I get home and shower, I then take him for another 10-minute walk. He is 13 years old and is always sleeping when I get home. It is only for three days. My cat is a lot more low maintenance. I hope the training pads work when I get my next dog.

So good to read that there is hope!

What really has gotten me is taking care of patients who do not need care who are taking time away from those who do need care...ie pain medicine seekers. These patients who know their pain medicine schedule buzzing me. When I walk in their room, they are smiling and laughing with their friends. I had one patient say to me as she was walking off the hall "Can you draw up my medicine so that I can get it when I come back." She was eating her fried chicken in her room when I walked in to give her her pain medicine and she tells me, "This fried chicken is really good, if I give you some money can you walk down and get me some?" Were you not just walking off the hall??!! Yes, grad school is looking better and better!

Understand totally! First day off is usually spent on the couch with my feet propped up playing on the computer or watching tv. Later in the day I muster the energy up to go for a work-out and I feel so much better after that!

You shouldn't let age limit you! Age is a state of mind and it is relative. We never know what each day holds for any of us. I have knows older folks who have a good attitude and who take care of themselves. These older people seem younger to me than some of the younger folks who have a bad attitude and who don't take care of themselves. Not to mention the experience that an older applicant brings!

Being a new nurse, I have a lot of questions such as how long to run in antibiotics, compatible iv fluids, etc.. A COMPACT reference would be super. Any hardcopy references or phone applications that you all can recommend?

I just graduated, got a job on a renal/med/surge floor, and will be finishing a six week orientation in two weeks. I wish orientation was longer. There is so much to learn as a new grad and so many situations that I experience on the floor that I did not experience in nursing school. It has been stressful taking care of 5-6 patients (and their FAMILIES---who are sometimes more demanding than the patients!). A lot of times the patients/families are in their own private room and they don't realize that you are taking care of five more patients who may be more critical than them. Some think that they are the #1 patient. I have learned not to show my frustration and to just do the best that I can.

Instead of working out six days a week, I now work out 4 days a week when I am off. I added an additional 15 minutes of cardio to those days that I do work out. Less days of working out means longer work-outs. Like someone said, the days that I do work I get plenty of walking done!