MrsMinor

Any advice/suggestions for getting out on time?! For some reason things seem to happen all at once right before change of shift. I keep an organized flow sheet with me so I always know what I'm up against, but for some reason I always get hit with the unexpected things that come up within the hour before I leave. Or last minute discharges!! Now come on, how can I pass off a d/c to the next nurse when I've been with the pt?! I've had a few of these lately & have stayed to process the d/c, call report to rehabs/home health, etc. I have been staying late & becoming frustrated to the point where I'd love to hand in my badge (won't do it...but have thoughts :) ) HOw much is too much to pass off/leave? There is always something, right? I try to have everything done, but I suppose it is not reality--the pt keeps on being the pt--they don't stop for shift changes!! I guess I just work my butt off ALL DAY, constantly running, & the thought of handing over any loose ends to the next nurse really bothers me. I don't want to leave the impression that I've done nothing. So my choice is to leave things I'd rather not, or stay late & do what I can to help out (I always choose the latter). Do I expect too much of myself? How do you all feel at the end of your shifts? I'm trying to do the best I can for my patients & wanting to make the nurses happy coming on too--but I'm so exhausted trying to please everyone & in the meantime I feel terrible! Thanks for listening, -Realizing that I'm not a SuperNurse

Hello Mellyone~ A friend of mine also had accomodations made for her during our testing in nursing school--she tested in a separate room. She also was able to get similar accomodations when sitting for her NCLEX. I believe she went through a similar process in order for this to happen for the NCLEX as she had to for school..... I suggest contacting the BON for your state to find out exactly what they will need from you. Best of luck to you :) !! (I don't think your future employer would be able to find out what type of accomodations you had during testing....they just want to know that you passed )

We all have other things in our lives besides school....be it family, work or other activities that make up who we are. You will learn to manage and balance these things just fine. It may not always be easy, but you will make it happen since these are the things that are important to you! And like someone else mentioned, you often need something else besides school to get you through it. Especially maintaining your physical/mental health in a way such as soccer!! Best of luck to you & I wish you success with both school & soccer! :)

Hello nurse 956 & welcome!! I'm sorry you had such a rough shift. It doesn't sound like to me that you did anything wrong. Some pts can be tough, even if they are other "medical professionals." It's hard not to take things to heart, but we cannot always control the actions/words of others. It does not seem like you did anything wrong, and I hope that your preceptor/NM will be open minded as they I'm sure also know that you are a great new asset to the nursing staff. Please don't take this to heart. Keep on doing what you do best....providing excellent care to your patients. There will always be those few complainers....you just happened to get them sooner than later. Best wishes to you :wink2: You provided the best care you knew too....don't get too down on yourself :)

Hello everyone. Advice/input needed please.... I currently work on a medicine floor. I am over 30, married with two kids and I am a new nurse that graduated this past May. I have been employed at my hospital for three months. I took this job because I wanted to become more proficient in my nursing skills and I really didn't have any particular specialty in mind at the time. I have recently been thinking about where I want to be/what I'd like to do with my nursing career, and I've decided that I'd really like to do something with nursing & sports/sports medicine. I'm trying to figure out what my options are. I don't think I'd want to work on our orthopedic floor as our pts seem to mostly be knee/hip replacements. Does anyone have any suggestions???? I am very fitness orientated & would like to encorporate my love for wellbeing & health into my future nursing career. I thought about sports training/sports medicine....etc. Do you think I'd need to get licensed as a NP for a job in this field? I currently hold an adn degree (prolonging my education may prove difficult for my family if for an extended long period of time, but not necessarily a no go...!!). Maybe the hospital isn't where I should be, but I should look at private offices that specialize in sports medicine?? Does anyone have a position in this field or have any ideas of where I should start looking for a job in this particular area?? Any advice will be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance for responding....:)

oh, joey :icon_hug: I continue to pray for your family and pray that God continues to provide you with strength. Your husband is being held and uplifted in prayer by many. Keep your faith knowing that God has a plan as difficult as it may be not knowing what it is. We are all here to provide you the support and prayers that you need. Hang in there joey.

Hello Joey, I'm glad to hear that your husband is doing better. I pray that God continues to provide you with strength. I will keep you, Dan, and your daughter in my prayers. Keep your faith and God bless! :icon_hug:

Hello Everyone, I'm a very new nurse just a couple weeks off orientation & on my own now. The funny thing is that I don't even feel like a nurse!! I feel that I spend sooo much time administering meds--am meds, prn meds, iv meds, pain meds, new orders/stat meds, insulin, IVFs......that I don't have much time for anything else! I rush around constantly with my 4 to 5 patients that I'm not able to spend the time that I'd like to with them. And not time to just spend chatting, but to actual become more involved with their care. I want to feel more knowledgable about their cases & that I might even be able to provide some valuable input from a nurses stance with the medical team here & there!! I'm having a reality wake-up call from nursing school when you were able to study everything about your pt prior to your assignment & then you'd have all the time in the world to spend with the patients & go over their dx, hx, labs, etc!! (I also feel my knowledge level is going down hill like all that nursing theory is just slipping away.....although I do try to look things up when I get home from things I've come across during my shift) I guess this may be just a vent. I've been feeling discouraged that I cannot do more with my time....I've been doing what I can though, but it doesn't seem like it's enough. Perhaps as I gain better time management skills & become more efficient as a new nurse I will feel things coming together for me better. I'm sure my experiences now will also help me provide even better care in the future. It's hard to believe that I felt like I was more of a nurse when I was a student!! Can any other new nurse relate?? Thanks for listening. MrsMinor :)

I chose to work on the medical floor at my hospital because I wanted to become more grounded in my nursing skills as a new nurse....I knew that this would give me a great foundation to build upon. It's challenging for me because I see something new and different everyday--I never know what to expect!! (We also get some overflow pts from the surgical and ortho floors.) Unlike you, I haven't had a strong desire to specialize in any one area yet, so this seemed like a good place for me to start. We just had a nurse from our floor move over to OB not too long ago. I know the nurse manager there, and she has stated that she actually prefers a nurse to have med/surg experience before working OB/L&D. (I do know that she has also hired new grads though too without exp.) I would check out the department that you want to work in; if they want experience at least you know that you will eventually be able to work in the area you want. Look at it as temporary while you are solidifying your skills. Even though some nursing skills may vary on the units, you will still learn valuable skills such as time management, becoming more proficient with assessments, etc. Even gaining more & more confidence as a new nurse! Otherwise, if you are able to go straight to OB/L&D go for it--you know this is where you want to be!! Best of luck to you.

pt finishing 2units PRBC....DIC? ITP? DRs keep saying "medical mystery"...4 units FFP....petechiae/ascites....more&more tests, poor guy pt just dx with lung ca mets to liver; wants no aggressive tx....sweetest pt ever....pt & family want to go home....DRs want MRI pt just pulled out IV & bleeding everywhere; upset DR won't give stronger pain med, but I can admin tyl supp....YIKES pt being d/c'd, but wife doesn't want him home....chronic hx of ETOH; polypharm use.... Oops, didn't make it in

That's such a great feeling as a nurse....knowing that you've made a difference--in BOTH of your days!! You were giving him a great gift as well--being there & available to really listen to him, and taking that extra time to show that you care!! Thanks for sharing :) !

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I'm now experiencing my 3rd cold within my first 2 months of work. HELP!! I feel absolutely miserable & question at times whether I should even be at work...but if not, I'd never be there :chuckle !! I'm not running a fever, but cough, congestion, etc all there. I feel okay in between these colds for about 3 days max before another one hits (or perhaps same cold) Have tried to get lots of sleep, push fluids, tried airborne, zinc drops, MVI, OJ, gargle.....what else can I do?? (I don't feel that my symptoms warrant a Dr visit...yet) I couldn't even get the flu shot at work because I had a cold, and now they've run out!! I'm just so run down....could explain my emotions being slightly out of whack as well. (As far as the physical part, I make sure I practice good body mechanics at work & also exercise including pilates to try and strengthen my core muscles--that we all use for all that lifting, pulling, pushing :) !!) I'd too like to say thanks in advance for any tips from those nurses who have been through this--I'm now getting my kids sick too !!

Hello Raindreamer Thinking of you as you went back to work today. I hope your day went well. I go back tomorrow--5 in a row coming up. Very anxious about it, but hoping for the best. There's some great advice & encouragement here on this post! I do feel so much better myself knowing that these feelings seem to be pretty typical for a new nurse. I think I'll try to start the journaling idea. It seems like a great way to release my feelings after a long hard day....and I don't always want to come home complaining to my husband, so this idea may help with that ! I'll make sure to include the things that seem to be going well too! It will be nice to look back at in a few months & see how I've grown & how far I've come as a nurse. Anyway, I wish you the very best....hang in there & take things one day at time! :)

Hi RainDreamer!! I suppose I feel like this as well....I feel as though I always have PMS now since starting as a new grad :chuckle (I usually seem to be more emotional during this time...). Anyway, since starting at my hospital, I've been very emotional (Just posted to time mangement....I broke down at work today....in a meeting with my nsg educator....I was so embarrassed!!). I am so stressed out, but I also feel so down about things. I hope things get better; for both of us!! I've wanted to be a nurse for sooo long, but now, I wonder somedays if I've chosen the right career. But I'm not sure what else I would do since this is what I've always wanted! With all my heart I'm hoping things will all come together for me & just hope & pray that things will improve in the coming weeks!! I wish you the very best. You are certainly not alone with these new grad feelings :)

TGIF!!!! I broke down in tears today....taking 4 patients in orientation & just don't feel that there's enough time to get everything done!! I don't know how other nurses do it. I don't feel like I'm slow, but I always feel behind. Today was one of those days I thought how good it would feel to leave and never come back! But, I'm in hopes I'll eventually get the hang of things. How do most people organize their mornings?? So much to do...Looking at the caredexes, getting report, checking labs, fingersticks, am meds, assessments, am hygiene/care, changing beds, admission/discharges, md orders, call bells....ahhhhh!! (Not always is there the extra help of aides available--usually only when someone is taking 5 or have lots of total care pts) I feel that I know how to prioritize & have a great tool I use to keep track of what needs to be done, but I still don't seem to be able to handle it all. Maybe I need to work on more multi-tasking! I wouldn't have made it without my preceptor today....her patience, encouragement, & sense of humor are endless & much appreciated! Please keep the tips coming....I need all I can get about now