xanderfan

Hi everyone. I have been working night shift on a medsurg floor for a little more than a year now and I recently got approved to the day shift starting in a couple weeks. I am so nervous. This was my first job at a hospital and I'm just now feeling confident and comfortable in my skills as a nurse and I'm afraid that it's a mistake to rock the boat. But the reason I'm switching to days is because nights have been extremely detrimental to my health overall. I've gained weight, I've been stressed and easily angered. On my days off I'm still adjusting and feeling exhausted and sleeping those days away. I really want the normal schedule that comes with days but I'm so so afraid and nervous of what to expect and the business and how to schedule oneself and generally driving myself crazy with worry. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on how to be successful and time efficient in days on a busy medsurg floor or if anyone that did such a transition can give some tidbit advice for someone struggling. thanks in advance.

Libby thank you so much. I spoke to her a few days later and spoke your words almost verbatim. She said she would think on it. I waited about a week of radio silence and i almost cracked and just gave up on the whole thing when she reached back to me and increased the salary to exactly what the rate i was told was the expected one for this position. She wasn't confrontational or angry, she just agreed. I think that's when i realized that she could have disagreed and still the situation would have remained at the same emotional level, the anxiety was only the one i invested into the situation. I hope to learn better in the future and not be afraid to express my needs or concerns. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Sammie

That is very true. I think some people infer a lot of conversations in the pauses and that can be in our advantage at times or work against us depending. Thanks for the comment.

Thank you for that. It's good to hear that at times that can work to speak up about your pay concerns. I have contacted her regarding the issue. She said she will speak to her administrator and let me know. Even if it doesn't work out I feel better to have spoken my mind. I would have resented the job if I didn't say anything. Thanks so much for everyone who took the time and commented.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I guess the attitude comes with being really inexperienced in the job market. I am getting some experience and becoming more skilled so therefore, in my area, I am becoming more in demand. The unfortunate thing is I am not really aggressive and dislike conflict but I do understand the need to stand up for oneself and make sure your needs are met. I really didn't understand the etiquette to doing this the right way. I am going to let her know that I need to renegotiate the rate and see what she says. The worst she can say is no and at that point I can move on to other avenues and learn from this lesson. Thanks for the reply

Thanks you are right. I was thinking along those lines but I was worried I would sound greedy but it's only fair if they are able to pay more. It's not like I'm going to be unreasonable just in par with what others are getting. I'm going to tell them that the pay is not enough and that I have a better offer. Would that be better rather than outright confrontation with HR?

Hi everyone. Not sure if this is the place to ask information about this but not sure what to do and would love some ideas from my more experienced peers and this is the only platform that i know. I have a full time job that i love. No issues with them so far. I wanted to have a part-time so that I can save some more money (sorely needed). Now during the application process I asked for a certain amount of money per hr. I low-balled it to be honest. Now my issue is after applying spoke to a friend that worked there and it seems that I severely low balled it. They pay is at least 4 more dollars extra than what I asked for. Now I reached out to the Director and asked what the pay was without trying to seem as if I was changing my mind and she didn't reply but they already sent me paperwork to sign with the pay that I asked for. Now what do I do? My options are limited since I do want the job, not because my eye is set on it but because it is a big company and opportunities to grow are vast and I can transition to another one if I should move somewhere else. Also I'm of the belief that you shouldn't close door on opportunities. But it sucks major that I'll be working for a lot less than the nurses under me will make, it's a supervisor position, but this is what I asked for so I should just suck it up. But now that I know I don't think I'll be able to take it. Now the core question. I want to ask for another rate closer to what I was told was the standard, which i've confirmed. (wish I spoke to those colleagues before i applied). Anyway what's the politically correct way to go about this? I don't want to come across ungrateful or rude. I also don't want to close my opportunities with this company. Please give me thoughts (if you were patient enough to read through this essay). Sammie

I know you're right. I do but it's really hard not to beat myself because of the mistakes. I know we're our worst critics but lately I guess I've been extra hard on myself. I just need to maintain a better attitude, it's tough but I'm sure it's doable. thanks so much for the reply sammie

You are right. I'm starting to think I really need to do some independent research to make sure I understand some of the little things. I also need to be patient with myself because barring a few nurses most of my new colleagues have been super patient with my questions and welcoming. I guess I need to make the effort to ensure that I don't focus on the one harsh criticisms and take it as a learning opportunity rather than a put down. I just need to give myself more pep talks to be honest because in theory it's easy to say you'll be patient it putting it into practice is hard. thanks for taking the time. Sammie.

You are some right. I guess it's just frustrating feeling always out of my depth. I guess I need to just accept that there will always be more to learn and that I probably won't ever find a true comfort zone but that I will get better and improve as I go along. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Sammie

Hello. I've been working as a medsurg nurse for the past 2 months with about 3 weeks on my own and I have been really struggling. My background before that is subacute rehab for 8mo so it's a big leap. It's interesting, I love the new things that I see, the different atmosphere and the work but I've been having a real issue with time management, hand off reports (I feel like the older nurses are testing me with the questions they ask and I feel really incompetent when I can't answer them). That all sucks but I can be patient and wait until I have more experience to manage. The biggest issue though is the very very poor (in my opinion) assessment skills that I have. I feel like I miss the stupidest things and it's frustrating me. "Like my patient with thrombocytopenia and I missed the petechaie in my assessment, I feel so so stupid. And it's not only one instance it's several, and it's not like I don't know these things, I remember them from nursing school I just have a hard time connecting diagnosis and focused assessment (example low platelets checks bruising, bleeding, hemorrhage and of course petechaie). I'm not completely abysmal but I'm always always forgetting something and it's frustrating me. Okay vented. My reason for coming here is to ask my more experienced peers some advice. What should I do to improve on this. Should I bring out my medsurg book and start studying? Is there a book for medsurg nurses that I need to pick up? Do I need to suck it up and just wait to become more experienced? (Not my most appealing option) What should I do? I know there's a learning curve but I should still manage to stay afloat and not feel like I'm drowning. Right? Any comments are appreciated and thanks for reading that far. sammie.

Thanks. I think its a problem with me I tend to overthink things and worry over my day. I'm told that its being on the fast track to burning out but i can't turn it off. I worry about what i could have done better and i try to plan for the next day to avoid making similar mistakes. I honestly think it was me being taken off guard about being asked that question. I think he knows more about his disease process than i do and that he has accepted it but to me as a fairly new patient of mine, i feel like our interaction are filled with minefield since i'm not sure where the emotional triggers are since they aren't the obvious ones you would think in such a situation.

I didn't mean annoying as in I mind, maybe a different word could be used. I don't mind answering questions. It's a little much if i'm having the exact same conversation every single day. I guess i did make it about me but honestly i mostly felt guilty about the conversation and that i answered him too harshly. Thanks for your comment

Thanks you are right. I think he has a serious understanding of his disease process and he was just joking. I think the problem was with me and me feeling bad about his situation and being awkward about it. He is young and its really my first time interacting with someone so upbeat and still so sick. It was a weird moment that i couldn't get out of my head.

I didn't mean annoying as in I mind, maybe a different word could be used. I don't mind answering questions. It's a little much if i'm having the exact same conversation every single day. I guess i did make it about me but honestly i mostly felt guilty about the conversation and that i answered him too harshly. Thanks for your comment.