FutureBSN17

Thank you í ½í¸€ I know it's going to be a long road ahead. I'm so hard on myself and feel like I shouldn't forget anything, like every detail Of charting, but I know I'm brand new and human. Just excited for the day when I am not a nervous wreck when I'm doing things by myself.

So, I am a new grad in the ER. I know this topic has been on here a lot but I still feel the need to ask questions! So, my question is for the experienced ER nurses: How long would you expect your new grad to start taking their own patients and being more on their own during orientation?? I just started in the ER, in a larger community hospital. My preceptor is great - He is easing me into the flow of things and I feel like I am catching on, but I just don't want to fall behind. I have not yet taken my own patients ... I have 9 weeks of orientation left, mixed with classroom time. Most of the time I feel like I do not know ANYTHING, like I often fumble over IV tubing, and look like a deer in the headlights when EMS comes rolling in .. other times I am confident and can easily educate patients and pass meds. I am just worried I will not be ready come 10 weeks. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated!!

Hi everyone! I have always been nervous performing skills infront of people. I do not have problems with exams, or learning a skill. I also maintain a 4.0 average. It was the first day of my second Medsurg clinical in a new hospital yesterday, and I completely fumbled. A number of factors made me nervous and second guessing all of my thoughts, and I made many mistakes. I forgot to bring in another cap when I flushed the IV. I forgot to bring in a glass of water for her PO meds - twice! I didn't bring all the meds I needed into the room for med pass, and had to go get them all of these things after I entered the room. My instuctor then questioned everything I did - right fully so. I am surprised I wasn't written up. She did tell me that I had good responses to her questions, and my documentation was good. I know my stuff, but when I get nervous and when the patient is upset about her circumstances, having other students observing, and the instuctor questioning me, I messed up. My question is has anyone else made mistakes like this? I feel like I am inadequate. Will this nervous feeling ever go away? In my mind, I know what to do, but for some reason I make mistakes like this. Dont sugar coat anything. I want to be a nurse but I feel as if I am not performing to what I should be by now. I am in my third semester of the BSN program- three more to go. Does everyone make mistakes like this?

Hi guys, I am in my med/surg clinicals; I have gone several times now. Everything is going smoothly and everyday I leave learning new tasks and how to improve for next time. I love it! I actually find I am less nervous each time as I get more comfortable. BUT, I am wondering something... Before I start clincials each week, I introduce myself to the nurse and I let them know my plan for the day and if there is anything I can assist with, I would love the experience. However, I have noticed (and I don't know if it's my communication patterns) but many of the nurses are very short, even will not look us in the eye when asking clarification or even avoiding us (it seems) during our shift. I do realize they are busy and maybe annoyed at how many students they get.. How can I improve this so I can get the most out of clinicals? For the nurses, are there qualities you notice in students during clincials that make you more likely to give them information during care on the patient, or steer clear from the student? I am so eager to learn and to soak it all up but I feel the nurses don't want anything to do with us. Any thoughts? Additionally, I completly understand the nurses are not professors and are not required to teach us anything, but some do give little hints or tell us what they are doing and why, or even invite us to watch tasks they are doing. I know this was all over the place, sorry!

Thank you guys! I really appreciate your comments. I feel like I don't actually learn something until I physically do it, or don't do or in this case!

Hi guys, In clinical today... The day went very well except for one thing. I feel totally dumb. It was my first time testing blood sugar on a diabetic patient, so I was flustered over such an easy thing. The patient was talking and telling me everything (loved to talk)... and I didn't put on gloves! I did sanitize my hands before and after and also clean the site but I feel like such an idiot. I know I should wear gloves but I don't know what was going though my mind. Has anyone else done this? I don't want to get reported for bad practices. I for sure will take this as a good learning experience to always wear gloves!!

Today I had medication check off. We were to give a oral/topical, injectable, and IVPB or IVP. I have been practicing for weeks! Ever since we learned the skills, I have been in the lab. I want to be confident in it all. But, no matter how much I practice, I get so anxious before check off....I get anxious and my brain goes blank. I am a strait A student, written tests are very easy for me. I do not struggle there, but during check off I do! I passed today's check off, but I don't know if I deserve it. I say that because I know I did not do a perfect job and the professor promted me a couple times when she saw me freezing up. When she would do this, she would ask me a question to direct me and I would confidently answer, but my skill was shaky. I did everything I needed to but I was slow and shaky (literally, my hands were shaking)... I did so much worse in front of her than I do in the lab! When I'm in the lab, I am very confident. I actually feel guilty that she helped me. I feel like I should have done a perfect job to pass, it was NOT perfect! I try not to be so hard on myself but I feel I need to be perfect because I will have people's lives in my hands! We start clinical soon, and I do not feel confident! Has anyone felt this way?