sabrn2006

I recently completed a travel assignment with Nightingale. I was concerned at the beginning because my recruiter seemed very disorganized. Then I had heard that nurses had difficulty with getting paid, so I was leery. Their policy is to pay nurses 2 weeks after beginning work. Once I accepted a contract, the staffing supervisor was on the ball with all details. And I did receive my pay on time. They were fine until the end when it was time to either extend the contract or move on. My fellow travel nurse was considering an extension and asked for a specific 2 days off and also consideration for a raise. At that point, the staffing manager got nasty and condescending. She did not ask the facility about any of these reasonable requests but outright refused them. This left a bad taste in my mouth. I just don't trust them. I am taking another travel assignment in 2 weeks and using a different agency.

Congratulations! My advice is to get as organized as possible ahead of time. Save up some reserve money if possible. Find some healthy ways to relieve stress. Prepare to study hard for the next 2 years. Best of luck to you...

Complete assessment Q4H with focused assessments Q1 to Q2. i.e. Neuro checks Q1 on acute neuro pts. Pts with resp problems/vented lung sounds Q2.

That is interesting to see. Thanks for posting the link.

My orientation last year was less than perfect but much more organized than what you are going through. Even so, I know that I suffered through a great deal of insecurity and doubt. I am sorry you have to endure what basically amounts to torture! Why anyone would think this is how to train a new person into this profession is beyond me. I would bide my time until the ICU training begins. If it didn't improve after that I would look for someplace else to get my initial year under my belt. I am sure you already realize it is going to be tough under the best of circumstances. Why add to the stress? Take care and keep posting about your experiences and what you decide to do.

rn1989, you gave excellent advice to the op. Good tips for planning out the beginning of shift too.

Good luck in your new job. I think getting some experience first is a great idea.

I agree that hospital experience of one year or more will open up many doors for you. What clinical experiences and settings have you liked? What topics have you enjoyed learning about? The answers to these questions are a good starting point. The delegation part comes with time and experience. At first it is awkward. Newer nurses (of which I am still one) often struggle with time management and trying to prove you can do it all. In my experience, this becomes easier after 6 months or so. What you delegate and how will vary depending on staffing and the facility policies for various roles. Your preceptor may be able to give you more specifics. Best of luck

First of all, let me say that I am sorry to hear you are having such a rough start to your nursing career. I would suggest you evaluate your goals and consider why you wanted to become a nurse. You say you want to work in the ICU setting. What compromises are you willing to make to get there? How important is that goal to you in the overall scheme of things? Is it something you could wait to do when you have a bit more experience as a nurse (few years down the road)? Write down what your short term and long term goals are. See what your top priorities and "must haves" are. Talk to people: nurses, your nursing instructors, your family and listen to what they have to say. I guess I would hesitate to grab the first job that you see out there, because you may end up similarly unhappy. Apply and interview all over the place and see what happens. Realize that once you have that first year under your belt (usually med-surg) you can do almost anything! Also I think that after you get a year or so of experience your options will seem more favorable to you. I am only a year out and many of my former classmates have changed jobs already from where they started. Bigger and better things from their point of view. It is hard to put that into perspective right now. You are understandably hurt, upset, and scared. I understand that. Take care and try not to beat yourself up. Let us know what you decide to do! You can pm me if you want to have a more private discussion of things.

I started last June. I won't be leaving nursing altogether, but I am unhappy on my current med-surg unit. It is extremely stressful. I get behind frequently. My immediate supervisor is notoriously hard to deal with and very critical. I am trying to get on the cardiac floor. If that fails I will apply to other facilities. I think that mentoring and support would be a great asset, which I don't have currently.

Thanks for the information. I was not aware of this. I will be calling for a photo ID.

I've been doing this since June. I am still working on my organization as well, but it's evolving. I do aat least a quick head to toe assessment of the patients that my assigned LPN has. I don't like at it as second guessing them but more as another set of eyes. Sometimes I am in their rooms more than my own patients' rooms--depending on what's going on. There is one LPN I really like working with. We help each other out a lot. If I am discharging one of her patients she will go pass some of my meds. We answer each other's call bells, etc. When she started to ask my opinion on certain things, I knew that I had gained her respect. You do have to work with your team. And you are right that your license is on the line. It can be scary at times.

I work on a very busy med-surg floor days with a usual ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 - sometimes 6:1. This is primary care nursing and we are responsible for every aspect of patient care with some adl and vs help from aides (who are frequently floated off the floor) Some days all I seem to do is pass meds, do tx and answer call bells. I have no idea how you can manage 7, 8 or 10 patients! Our LPNs take their own assignments and the RNs are responsible for their assigned LPNs' discharges, admission assessments, IV pushes, care plans, etc. as well as their own.

I had a tough day today---14 hours long. I was very busy with patient problems, calling MDs, discharges, admission at change of shift, students on floor..... I had to stand up for myself a couple of times too - once with an IV therapist who thought she shouldn't have to put in an iv for my pt with nausea who needed her zofran. UGH. At the end, though, I feel tired yes, but still satisified. I made it through. My patients survived. They got their meds. Nobody fell. Ha ha. Some days that is all we can wish for. I have always been told it takes a good year to feel comfortable. I believe this sincerely. I guess I am 1/4 of the way there then.

I have weeks where I hate my job, weeks that are just tolerable and weeks that I actually enjoy it. Such is the learning curve of the new RN. :uhoh21: My plan is to stay on my current unit for one full year then look into transferring to another unit for different experiences. That's the goal anyway.

I have had a hard time adapting as well. I worked Sat and Sun nights...slept on and off all day Sun before work. Then today got home around 8 am and couldn't go to sleep for my nap until after 12. I could barely pull myself out of bed at 4:30. So now here I am unable to sleep at 1:20 am on my day off (have tomorrow off too). My body doesn't know which end is up. I am actually switching back to days next week. The schedule will be easier to live with. Only problem is that the night nurses seem more easygoing and team oriented.

I wanted to start on a med-surg floor to get that all around general experience it provides. Of course, this was the advice of every instructor and experienced nurse that I know.... I am 6 weeks into my orientation on a med-surg floor now. Major learning experience! I was a great student and did well clinically. I also worked part time as an aide at this same hospital while in NSG school but the first few shifts as a graduate nurse were a real eye opener. Time management and prioritization are probably the biggest problems for new nurses. Also, finding time to chart is tough. I have learned a ton. I am incredibly busy most days. I like the challenge and keep trying to improve. I never know what to expect. It can be frustrating, exhausting, funny, and rewarding all in the same day. Right now I plan to stay where I am for a year or so and then try something else. Who knows, though, I may stay longer.

1. How many questions did you take on NCLEX? 75 questions 2. What study materials did you use? Did you take a test review course? Saunders Comprehensive Review, NCSBN online class. My school offered the ERI review course - 9I only attended the first 2 days out of 4 though) 3. Did your SON offer any testing (ERI, ATI, HESI)? Yes, ERI testing was required Q semester 4. How long did you wait for results of the test, or are you still waiting? 2 days 5. What were your thoughts coming out of the test (total disbelief, certainty you had failed, confident you had passed)? pretty sure I had passed 6. Was this your first attempt at NCLEX? yes, first time Good luck to those who are waiting and ++++ thoughts for those who are waiting on results!!

Thanks!! About the confidence....I knew that I was a good student throughout my nursing program and that our program has high pass rates. Also, I prepared well. Another thing, when it shut off at 75 questions I knew that was a very good sign. I had been getting a lot of priority and infection control questions. Those were areas where I felt pretty solid. Then I got home and looked up about 8-10 questions that I was unsure of...I had all but 1 of those right. Still, it was nervewracking waiting 48 hours.......

I started reviewing with Saunders toward the end of my last semester in NSG school. I agree that it is decent for reviewing content and for rationales to answers. Then, I did the NCSBN online review which REALLY prepared me for the type of questions to expect.

I took the NCLEX-RN on 7/19 and passed with 75 questions. I felt pretty confident when I walked out of there, but it was reassuring to see "pass" on the Pearson Vue site. (even though I had to pay 7.95 grr) I used Saunders to review and did the NCSBN for the final few weeks of prep. I did the 5 week course. To me, it was worth the $69 to see what the questions were like. I think it really helped me with the priority and delegation questions. I was scared though because my scores on their post tests and the random Q & A were not very high. They improved with practice though and they reflected all levels of questions.

At our hospital, new grads get 2 weeks in the classroom then about 8 weeks of preceptorship on the floor. This time can be extended though if needed. I just got through my first week on the floor and had a patient load of 3 at a time. I do all patient care, charting, admissions, discharges, etc. but have a preceptor to help with "new stuff". She watched me the first time I did things with her and after she is sure I know what to do, I can do it solo.

I finished the first week of my 12 week orientation on a busy med-surg floor. Each day is both wonderful and terrifying at this point. I learn so much in every 12 (usually more like 14) hour shift. I am working on prioritizing, organizing and of course, charting! Keep the tips coming. We new grads really need them!!

Anyone else have stuff fall out of your pockets whenever you bend over?.....i.e. to empty a foley..... LOL. Hate that! I like the cargo scrub pants with pockets down the sides but only own one pair of those. I clip my hemostats on the bottom of my shirt with rolls of tape looped around it. My stethoscope goes on a "hip clip" In my pockets are black pens, red pen, highlighter, alcohol prep pads, bandage scissors, my worksheet (brains), notes for charting, carpucject, 3ml ns flushes, lip balm. Sometimes other stuff ends up in there, though.

As a new nurse, I've been wondering how I will fit in exercise. I will probably join a gym and work out on my nonworking days. If there were classes offered at my hospital I would consider going. A class like yoga would really appeal to me at the end of a working day!