lucypear

Hey Team! I've been an RN for coming up 5 years now, the last 2 of them have been in ED. I love my job and this environment and my boss has told me today that in the next two months I am undertaking a triage course and will begin shifts in triage following that. (I'm lucky that in my workplace, I won't always be in triage, I'll be rotated to different areas each day depending on skill mix) Whilst I am excited for this opportunity, I am nervous. I am nervous that I will miss something critical and patients safety will be at risk. I also work in a rough area, rife with gangs, and whilst our wait times are the best in our region people in this area still aren't satisfied with having to wait even 30 mins or so for a cough that they have had for 2 weeks. So I was wondering, what advice do you seasoned triage nurses have for me? Note: We only have one RN triaging in our department per 8 hour shift.

Hey MsPebbles. It takes a special kind of nurse to be an ER nurse and I believe you are one, please don't give up just yet! Can I suggest you go back to your boss and tell her that you've taken in to account the comment that your preceptor is best for new grads but its just not working out and you would benefit from a different preceptor. It's all about keeping you and your patients safe at the end of the day and it doesn't sound as though this is a safe situation for you or your patients. I really feel for you. I'm in my fourth year of being a RN. As a new grad and following, I worked in busy surgical wards. It was an amazing experience but I always felt I was destined for the ER. I moved to the ER and have been here almost for a year now. I had the exact same situation as you when I first started in the ER, my preceptor wouldn't really answer my questions and doctors would give their orders for my patients to other nurses, leaving me feeling left behind and not up to scratch. Like you, there were a lot of tears shed and all I wanted was to move back to my old hospital. I began to hate the ER. But I'll tell you something.. I didn't give up and things started to change. Things are better now. (most of) my colleagues now see me as a colleague and not a burden, and doctors do now come to me instead of other nurses to discuss my patients. It just took time. So keep your head held up high, I bet you are an amazing nurse and soon you'll be shining. Remember that if you stay there, one day you are going to be the nurse that the doctors go to or the preceptor of the new graduate, and that gives you the power to change the culture of your workplace - to say to the doctors that they need to be speaking to the nurse in charge of those patients and not you, and to explain to your preceptee what needs doing and why. Best of luck to you, you can do this :)

I'm not in my last semester but as I've just finished NETP I'm not too far ahead if you have any questions/need any advice etc :)

i cant answer all your questions but I can tell you that nurses in NZ can start IVs! You do normally have to do a certification to do so depending on where you work though but it's normally a requirement to do so anyway :)

Yeah I agree with this. It's SO hard to get a position anywhere that you can't afford to be picky! Apply everywhere you possibly can. Once you've got that first year or 2 of experience under your belt, then that's the time to start thinking about where you want your career to take you. I'm a new grad working in a surgical area although all of my nursing school placements and my interest is in the emergency/critical care sector. You just gotta take what you get given!

Is there a way you can ask to extend your orientation period? We only get 4 weeks orientation with a preceptor at my hospital and many of my peers have asked for an extension and been granted it. I'm halfway through my orientation period at the moment and 2 weeks in, its already expected for me to be taking a full pt load now so I'm ready in two weeks, and I am definitely most not ready so will probably be asking for an extension too! The way I see it, if you aren't feeling safe then your patients safety might be at risk too. The worst your nurse manager can do is say no :) Hope things work out for you!

This is a great article! Going to be asking myself "whats the most important thing I can do today to increase the chances of a good outcome" every patient, every shift :) Such a great way to look at it!

Hey, I'm a new grad nurse too. Just been through my first round of ACE. Received one interview, went incredibly well (I thought). The CNM called my preceptor and told him that everything he said about me matched up to what he saw from me in the interview and "it looks like she's got the job". So naturally, when the rejection email came (3 hours after ACE stated they would) it was a shock. So I kinda know how you are feeling. If you wanna talk some more, let me know. We might even be in the same area!