NICURNgrad

Thank you for the advice and encouragement, and I won't be talking about it, I need to be able to work with them without it being weird

That's how i'm feeling with this preceptor, she does things for me while explaining them but I don't really get the chance to do it myself, and I know I have to be able to do things on my own. I've asked her, but she just says she'll explain it later for me (and then it never gets explained to me). I don't think she's a bad person, she knows what she's doing, and it's nothing personal towards her, I just followed a different nurse for just one day and the difference of my days was night and day, even other people in my life noticed a change and asked me what it was that I did that day because I seemed a lot better. I know that insecure feeling, I've worked in a different place and I didn't go into work feeling like I couldn't handle things, and I kind of feel that way now. I have asked to switch preceptors and it has been approved for the nurse that I had the positive experience with so I feel better about that already.I was thinking before that it was me all along and I was wondering what was going on with me, but I had that one day with the other nurse and it was a different experience all together. I've got my brain sheet and it keeps me straight! It really helps with all the times I have to do things so I know I'm on track.

They warn me about everything tink, from charting to IVs to how to position the babies. I've just been asking before I do things to make sure I'm right before I go ahead and do it, especially with meds, triple check those all the time. My preceptor doesn't let me do much before she checks to make sure it's right before I do. She looks over everything, including all the charting I do before I sign off on it. I know I'm going to make mistakes, I just feel like I can't, bc of what they said so I feel more pressure to remember every little thing

More than one nurse has told me I can't make mistakes, so if they were trying to scare me it worked, I check things so many times they get annoyed by it, but I want to be sure

Thanks for letting me know about the messaging. and tinker bell, thanks for the advice! I've had nurses look at me like in crazy and why don't you know this? And that's frustrating bc I'm trying to learn as fast as I can and remember every little thing they tell me, and I'm very hard on myself, I've been told I'm too hard on myself, but the other nurses always tell me I can't make mistakes bc it will kill the kids. So that's on top of trying to learn and be able to do more on my own, it's a lot. I'm switching to a new preceptor so I'm hoping it will help

I replied below, not sure why it didn't quote your response, but wanted up make sure you got it

Hey I would love to vent privately but I'm unable to use this sites messaging, if you want we could find another way , is like to hear your experience and compare

This helped me sort through all I'm going through! I do keep a pocket notebook and it's so handy :) I try to keep myself on track with writing times down and what I have to do. My preceptor is a big part of my problem, I followed someone different around got just a day and my experience was so much more positive, it was like night and day.

Thank you for the brain sheet

I think I'm going to, hopefully that helps, otherwise it's running up and down the halls flitting around I guess

I'm getting the hang of the every 3 hours routine, have my own daily "brain" that keeps me straight on everything I need to do that day, my preceptor tends to just toss me on my own and disappear. That's not hard to handle with the "feeder/grower" babies, but one with a CPAP that i haven't used before is a little more daunting. And then she gets mad when I'm not quite a "pro" and knowing what to do with that particular kid. I was thinking about switching preceptors, we met with the charge nurse and the director so that helped, but it's still overwhelming sometimes. No classes, just following the nurse around and getting a kid of my own the last week or so. i talk to people, I just tend to get caught up in my own thoughts in my own world a lot to try and put the whole picture together with what i'm being taught, and they took that as i was not being "proactive" enough...maybe with a new rn to learn from i can change that thought, just feels like they want me skipping down the halls singing and flitting around in order to look like i want to be there.

first, congrats! I just started in the NICU as well and I have the same feeling! Most of the staff is hard to go to because they always talk to each other and act like i'm not even there. My preceptor does that at times as well, and sometimes I feel like I can't talk to her, yikes. I've overheard her saying she gets the harder assignments "all because I have this orientee". not the thing you want to hear How do you get past that feeling? my preceptor and charge nurse said it seems like I don't want to be there, it's the opposite, i do want to be there, I just feel overwhelmed and like they think I should know more then I do. How do you get them to see you want this so bad? Have things gotten any better for you?? any advice?

Congrats! I just started in the NICU myself! it's my dream job as well! I'm a few weeks in to orientation and I'm still scared and nervous and overwhelmed, how do you get past that feeling??? I'm always asking questions but still nervous and the staff doesn't always seem as understanding which makes it even harder

I just started in the NICU in February and i'm still trying to get the hang of the "daily routine". How to you balance trying to learn what you're supposed to be doing and working with a preceptor who isn't always understanding about you not knowing anything about nicu? it's hard to learn when I feel like she thinks i should know things by now, it's only been a few weeks. I don't want them thinking I don't "fit" well with their unit, I'm just struggling making the switch

I'm about halfway through my NICU orientation and I'm not having a great time with it. It took a lot to get this position (long story) and I don't want to lose it by my management thinking it's "not a good fit". I've never worked NICU or any icu before and I'm having trouble catching on to everything and sometimes I feel like my preceptor thinks "why isn't this girl getting this by now?" I've had a few bad days and looked miserable and she told my charge nurse she thinks I don't want to be there. (great.) I pulled my manager into the office to talk to her about it, I DO want to be there, I'm just frustrated that I'm forgetting things and I feel like my preceptor is bothered by me and I can't always ask her questions, or i ask the same questions too much. I don't want them thinking I don't want to be there because I do, it's just a hard transition and the last thing I want to hear is that I'm not a good fit for their unit and they are going to have to let me go... my director told me they have 6 weeks invested and not to worry because I'm not going anywhere, and my charge nurse told me not to worry about my position, but I can't help but worry. I hope I did enough damage control to convince them I truly want this. I've thought about changing preceptors but I'm not sure if switching that up in the middle would be a bad thing or would be helpful or not. Any advice on that frontier? My charge nurse said I'm not being proactive enough in my downtime and that looks like I don't want to be there. I'm really just inside my head trying not to forget anything and trying not to make my preceptor mad. I guess i have to run around the unit constantly to look like I'm being proactive and want to be there? So I'm looking for any and all advice on how to get through this orientation and to make them see that I DO want to be there, it's been my dream since starting nursing school and I still can't believe that I have the chance to do it...I just feel like I could lose it at any minute now. How to I show that I'm proactive and retaining what they are teaching and how do I be super bubbly and excited on the outside when I'm kind of overwhelmed and nervous and freaking out on the inside? Because showing how I'm feeling hasn't done anything good for me... And is there any literature or any books I could get to read about at home? I know I have to study again even though I'm out of school because I know nothing about NICU and I don't want to lose this.