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Hello! I've been a nurse for 6 years now. I was in medsurg/tele for 4 years, then I was granted a training position in ED, February this year for 12 weeks, and I've been working on my own since May. Is it normal for me to still feel dumb or overwhelmed whenever I get critical patients? Like just today. I had a pt who was rule out stroke/DKA/sepsis, but he is DNR/comfort. The family wanted us to intubate him because he was desaturating, and sustaining at mid 80's despite being on bipap highest setting. this is the 2nd intubation I experienced on my own, and the last one was more than a month ago. I still feel soooo stupid and overwhelmed. We were waiting to transfer the patient to ICU but his oxygen was unstable. I was overwhelmed because the hospitalist was telling me to start him on drips and my ED lead said that it's ICU's job. I think I'm starting to look annoying and not knowing anything because I do ask a lot of questions. I guess I'm just ranting because I want to feel better and I want to know that what I am feeling is normal and that it will get better in time ??

Hi everyone! I've been working in medsurg/tele for about 3 years now and I really really want to get into specialty, either L&D or ED. The hospital I currently work at offers experienced nurses proper training for few months for a specialty they get into. I'd like to know what can make me a good candidate in order to get in L&D. I love medsurg but I think it's time to move and this is the best move for me. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I am a 4 year RN with 2 years of Medsurg experience. I have a panel interview for an ED training position in a level 2 trauma hospital and I'm wondering if you have any idea what questions will be potentially asked. I really want this position and I'm pretty nervous about what the questions because I'm sure it will range from clinical to behavioral to how I handle certain situations at work. Thank you. Please help me out ??

I can totally relate to this! I’ve been a nurse for almost 2 years but have moved from job to job but now that I am doing medsurg after more than a year (had 5 month medsurg experience as a new grad), I am struggling! Am I stupid or is this part of the new nurse journey. Like today, I have 2 patients in 1 modified contact room. A bed is confirmed c. Diff patient but the B bed does not have c. Diff not anything to be isolated. How didn’t I catch that? I just feel extremely stupid, I had 12 hours to think of it yet I didn’t! I was also in a panic mode because A bed is running a fever. I noticed that every time I do have a situation going on, it ruins my focus. Is critical thinking automatically embedded in a nurse’s brain once he/she graduates? Am I like this because I almost failed nursing school too? All I can think of to improve myself as a nurse is to read books about medsurg nursing, go back into my recordings from school. I just feel like I failed as a nurse today, defeated! I want to be a competent nurse.

Hi, I am starting a position in a medsurg/rehab floor and I haven't been on medsurg for over a year now. May I know your insights regarding what the common diagnoses you see on your floor. I would really love to know so that I could refresh my knowledge. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I will be starting a medsurg/rehab position soon and medsurg nurses see a lot of different diagnoses. Please give me your insight on what you usually see a lot on your floor. I haven't been on medsurg since 2019 and would really like to brush up my knowledge. Thank you!

Hi, I have a question. I received an Acceptance Decision Letter from BSU and I am a bit confused because my major says "Pre RN-BS program" instead of "RN to BSN comp". Although their letter did not say anything regarding being accepted to the nursing program, could it be that? Or could it be because I technically still have to complete their required Statistics class? Thank you, hoping you will see this.

Hi guys, I would just like to get some encouragement before I give my 2 week notice to my manager. I've been thinking about this for a long time, but when I graduated from nursing (May 2019), I was able to land a small medsurg job in a rural area. I was only there for 4 months (because I hated being away from my family; 4 hours away) and I started working in mental health (state hospital). I loved my psych rotation a lot when I was in nursing school so I went to that route (30 minutes away from home), or so I thought. As much as I love my coworkers, the job isn't as exciting anymore as how I anticipated it to be. Even though I feel like it made my communication skills a lot better (talking to MD's/psychiatrists/patients), I think I am starting to lose the skills I learned in nursing school. I recently got accepted at a SNF a lot closer to home. They told me that they will also train me for their subacute unit since they know that a lot of recent graduates want to move up to bigger establishments. I know it's going to be a big pay difference once I take this job but I really want to practice my skills and time management, and get more experience with medical side of nursing. Please tell me I am not overthinking this since this... Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I don't think so, either part time or full time

Hello everyone, I would like to get an input from others. I have been a nurse for only one year. My first job lasted for 5 months because the distance from home was a killer, and I didn't like being away from my family (my parents are getting older). So after 5 months, I moved to psych nursing (very close to home). I was really passionate about psych nursing even in nursing school. I was always with all the mental health problems, however, I recently found myself being too comfortable. I haven't listened to lung sounds in 6 months and haven't put an IV in for 6 months as well. I loved and was always excited doing these skills when I was in my med-surg preceptorship and from my previous job. These are just some of the things I am craving for, as a new nurse. I am scared though, that I may have forgotten some things from nursing school (although in the back of my head, I know not every situation is based on book, it can be added with more problems). But I am willing to learn even if it's not going to be easy. Any advice? I might just be overthinking... The place where I work at now has always been my "end goal" (the place where I would do my last 10 years of being RN before retiring), and I think I reached it too early. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Hello, this is the closest thread I can find regarding Chico State University. I’ve been an RN since 2019 and would like to pursue my BSN (online if it’s possible). I just want to ask, the Chemistry requirement that you guys took, was Intro to Chemistry applicable to apply? Or is it a Chemistry higher than intro? Thank you! Responses are appreciated. I emailed a lady online, but she hasn’t responded back yet.

I’m on my last day of NEO training here in Napa and already regretting my decision. Not because I realized I don’t want to do psych, but it’s because I want acute psych. And I also didn’t realize how much legal stuff is involved. The only exposure I had with psych was during nursing school (acute psych hospital) and 2 patients I had when I was working on medsurg unit. But I haven’t been on my unit yet. I am hoping that things turn out okay.

@CalicoKitty I agree! I am now hoping that I can get the job because I really want to work on those skills.

@Davey Do thank you so much for this! thank you for the words of encouragement. I hope to feel that way in the future too. I know you are a great nurse.

I recently graduated and passed the NCLEX and I have a job interview at a very small community hospital on their med-surg unit. I did my preceptorship in med-surg at a prestigious hospital but I was always stressed out because med-surg was my weakest during nursing school. I am now wondering if I am wrong to want to work on med-surg because I want to have my foundation set before I move on to my preferred specialty (L&D/psych). I want to work on my weakest to become a better nurse, to know myself better, and to be able to handle stressful situations in the future. Please tell me I am over thinking... please share your experiences as they will be greatly appreciated, thank you!