BrazenBrownEyes

It seems like throughout my whole day I'm always on the brink of falling apart. One family problem or patient emergency and my delicate schedule collapses, and I'm scrambling till the end of the shift. I have been on my own for 3 days so far on a busy telemetry unit. Five patients each is the norm. It feels like there's no time to think. Yesterday one of my patients was showing the classic signs of diabetes (high morning lab blood sugars, poor wound healing, skin changes, etc.) but I didn't catch it till the night nurse pointed it out. Another one of my patients had an IV infiltrate and I didn't notice till the later part of the day. Now I'm constantly in a panic, fearing that I'm going to miss something super serious and one of my patients will suffer the consequences for the rest of his or her life! I can tell that my coworkers and manager feel nervous about me and watch me constantly (for which I am very thankful in a way). Didn't I go to nursing school? Yet I feel like I know nothing. Identifying lists of symptoms on a test seems like a whole different animal than recognizing them in real life. I feel so...stupid. When does it all begin to come together?

I can see now how my original post sounds like I'm dissing psych nursing, but it wasn't intended that way at all! Apologies! I'm just trying to keep my options open so that I can figure out where my niche is. Honestly, the nurses I have met in psych go through so much...I doubt I could handle it--which is why I am hesitant to try the area. The bills are just piling up right now, so I'm in a panic. Once again, I'm sorry if I inadvertently offended any psych nurses out there.

Because the job market right now for new grads is so bad, I am thinking of applying for behavioral health positions as well----but I'm worried that once I get into psych I won't be able to get out! I really want to work in critical care (psych is OKAY, but not a favorite) but if all of my experience is in psych, will they hire me later for the ICU or ER??? The care provided in the psych department is so different from anywhere else in the hospital, I don't know if it will blend into other more technical areas. How hard is it to get back?