RNsuperstar

Keep trying... And go slowly. I was having 40% success on IVs until just recently. Now I am 90% or better. What changed ? After I find my spot, I stick and if I don't get blood initially I SLOWLY AND SLIGHTLY pull back or re adjust my needle or angle in differently. After u stick them you have already done some damage, and chances are (if u don't get blood immediately) u are just a few mm off. Slightly and slowly adjust. Fight for your iv. Something else that helped me.....I just kinda got annoyed at myself/impatient with having to wait for somebody else to help me. It is much easier to just take care of it yourself. Good luck ...it will happen. I have been working about 18 mo as a nurse on med surg unit.

Thank you for the kind words. Reading your posts have cheered me up a bit. Here is a little update. My boss called me this morning about scheduling issues. I mentioned this whole incident....and she totally supported me. She told me that the doctor is going to be written up and it will be part of his annual review. BTW, I forgot to mention that while I was being chewed out, Dr Jerk told me that he was going to find out my phone number and call me in the middle of the night so that I know how it feels. My manger told me that this is a threat, and if he actually did it (which he didn't) the hospital would take actions against him for harrassment. She told me that he thinks he is better than god....and should have never talked to me like that. We talked about how I could improve, and how to improve/prevent this situation from happeneing again. Thank you for the support.....I feel a lot better now, and I think I might be able to make it thru my shift without breaking down.

Hi there, So, I am a new grad. I was fortunate enough to have found a job on a med surg floor in a hospital in my town. I went thru 8 weeks of orientation (orientation was cut 2 weeks short due to staffing needs), and I have been on my own for 3 months. I have made a couple of mistakes in the past week and I am really afraid/stressed/upset/disappointed in myself. First, I wrote a TO on the wrong chart. It was caught though, and corrected. I wrote the order during shift change in the am. I was tired, trying to give report etc. But, still it was MY fault. And I own up to it. I felt terrible...and still do. But, nobody was hurt.....thank god. Second one....I called a doctor (who is known for being rude, and mean to everybody) at 2am for BP being high. He was ****** for me calling him, and was really rude to me (with out reason) He asked if the pt was on a beta blocker and I told him no. So, doctor ordered a beta blocker and lasix. About an hour laterr, (pharmacy still didn't have the medication on the profile yet, so med wasn't given), I realized that the pt WAS already on beta blocker. I had to call the doctor, and explain this to him. He chewed me out. Said to tranfer his pt to ICU since I am going to kill every pt I come into contact with. He is known for being jerk, but this whole thing caused lots of drama. The house supervisor had to call him. He told her he never wants me taking care of any of his pts. I talked with my charge and house sup, and they said , yes it was my fault for not seeing the beta blocker, but I did the right thing by catching the error, owning up to it, and calling the doctor. I emailed my floor manager about this, an dI have yet to get a reply. I feel so terrible. So, I know I need to be more preapared when calling docotrs. I need to triple check everything. But, I don't know how to fix my broken spirit, and my anxiety about making mistakes. During my orientation, my preceptor (who was known for being really tough) was very supportive, and told everybody that I was doing well. She has oriented a lot of new grads and told me that I was the best by far. I don't want to brag....but that made me feel pretty good.....so I know I am capable of being an excelent nurse. I know I can do this job and do it well. And for the most part I feel I do. I always address issues with my pts and I don't let them slide. My pts usually really like me becaseu I listen to them and don't ignore them. I feel like I give a good report, and my fellow nurses say they "like" getting my pts because I try my best to set them up for a good day (pt clean, pain free, consents signs, meds given, fluids full, room clean, enough supplies) How do I mend my broken spirit? Has anything like this happened to you? Please help me keep my chin up.....I feel so bad.

So....tonight is my first night on nights. I am excited. I have worked days for 12 weeks (i am a new grad) and now I am switching to nights permanently. I have a lot of anxiety about the messing up of my sleep schedule. Any advice? We work 3, 12 hour shifts a week......and I am aiming to do my 3, 12hour shifts in a row......so here are my questions. Do you take a nap during the day before you go in for your first night on? Or do you sleep in late in the AM on your first day you go in? Do you come home after work and go straight to bed? Do you try to get a full 8 hours sleep? What works for you? Do you eat a full meal during your night meal break? Any advice will help. Please don't tell me that nothing worked.....although it may be true.

Graduated Oct 2011, Pass NCLEX 2011, Got job, started working Feb 2011. Currently working as an RN in a hospital on a MS floor. Love it!

Hi all, I am a new grad nurse, and I was lucky enough to land a job in a hospital on a busy med surg floor. Okay, I am not trying to brag, but I consider myself very smart, I did really well in nursing school, and I feel I good critical thinking skills. I am very critical of myself, and I want to constantly improve. I have been working for 2 weeks (6 shifts) and in each shift I seem to have temporairly misplaced a peice of paper.....and a couple of times I have lost them completely. The papers that I have lost are not essential....and can be re-made up, but this costs me time, and my preceptor kind of looks at me like...."are you kidding me?" I will be with my prpeceptro for 12 weeks, but next week, I need to not lose/temp misplace anything. We use binders to keep SBARS, MARS, ACCUCHEK, and lab results in. I need to keep my papers in the binder unless I am using them (ie take MAR out when pulling meds, gving drugs, then back.....or Acchek out for test/coverage, then back). But when a dr calls, or somebody calls me to another room.....I lose my thought process, and then misplace/lose paperwork. I am very confident in my ability to pulll meds/check them/hold them if necessary. I have already caught 2 med errors (wrong med in pyxis, and wrong dose piggy back setn up from pharmacy.) I also feel very comfortable with d/c and admission. I am also confidnet in my assesment skilss, and setting up IV meds. I know these are all kinda basic things, but at least I know I am pretty good at them. I think I am so focused on these things.....that I put my paperwork down, without thinking about it. Did anybody have this issue......can you help me be less careless with paperwokr.

If you get a rejection letter from a PERSON (ie not an automated do not respond letter). Respond, ask them to reconsider, cite 2 reasons you are fabulous, and attach your resume, and 2 letters of recommendation

Thank you for this. I am going to start on med surg in a couple weeks. I am excited but scared. This post made me smile....I will be there too.

Hi I just got offered a job at a wellness medical clinic. The clinic is run by doctors. Their focus is anti aging. So, there is a part of their clinic that does spa type treatments, and there is also a part that does other antiaging therapies. The area that I would be working in does testosterone replacement therapy. The job would involve assesing, IM inject, and drawing blood. Hours are great, pay is great, benefits are great, atmosphere is great......but I don't know.....it isn't really what I thought I would do as a RN. I think it could be interesting.....but I don't know. Job market is really tough, there are a ton of new grads, and not a ton of jobs.....should I just take it??!!! Also, I should note......if I take it, i will probably stay 1-2 years....I would feel bad if I left after 6mo or so. EXPERIENCED RN....do you think if that working in this area will limit my future options... If I do this for 0-3 years.....will it improve my chances of getting a hospital job.