thatnursedude

Hi guys! Sorry to post another topic about an unhappy newly graduated nurse, but I just wanted other people's opinions. Before I graduated, I took a job at a hospital about 50 miles from my home town, on an orthopedic and trauma floor. Having an interest in ortho already, I was excited, and I was excited to move and be on my own. I was told that my schedule was going to be 3 weeks of day shift then 3 weeks on night shift, and constantly flipping back and forth. Once I passed my boards I moved away from my family to be closer to work. Once my floor orientation started my manager told me it would not be the minimum 8 weeks planned, but shorter since the unit was so short staffed. My orientation ended up being on 5 weeks. All my friends from school had a minimum of 16 weeks orientation or more depending on their unit. Obviously I don't think 5 weeks is enough orientation for any nurse who just graduated school, and I voiced my concerns to my manager but she didn't care since she needed me as a number on the floor. So after my 5 weeks of orientation I was thrown on my own to manage 6 patients (the usual load for nurses on the unit). The unit itself is very outdated, and looks like the last time it was very updated was in the 80's. The pumps, and computers and various other technologies on the unit are also outdated (one nurse told me that the hospital hasn't gotten new pumps since they started working there in the early 90s). After flipping between nights and days, I have determined that I LOVE working nights. The nurses there are more helpful, answer questions (I'm always asking questions since I am new, and had a short orientation) without judgment, nicer, and I enjoy their overall company and feel like a 'family'. I'll break off here to talk about the average patient on the unit. We usually get gun shot wounds, car crashes, falls, crush injuries, etc. I would say that 8/10 of our patients can not move so the nurses and aides are very busy with constant total care. Since the hospital is a big hospital, the acuity of the patients is equivalent to what some ICU in smaller hospitals would see. The nurses (especially on day shift) work closely with social work since patients have a trauma. Recently my manager told me that I would not be working any night shifts and would be all days during the summer since that is the "trauma season" and I was needed on days more. I was very upset with this since I love being on nights, and day shifts are so overwhelming to me. I did apply for a full time night position on the unit, and was the only one to do so, so I thought I would get the job but my manager has not gotten back with me. My manager has also been controlling my schedule instead of allowing me to self schedule, and she never gives me more than 2 days off in a row. I've had to work weekends that are not my assigned weekend, and I just think I'm taking too much responsibility for a new nurse. I feel like since I always take on 6 patients that are such a heavy workload, and the usual 'drug seeking' that patients can do, I've become hardened. I got into nursing to be a positive influence for my patients, and make a difference, but now all I care about is getting everything done in a timely manner. The few times I've gone home my family has even voiced concerns. They say how tired and sad I always look, and I find myself snapping at them over the littlest things. I dread going into work everyday, especially when I am on day shift. I cry after every shift on the car ride home, and there have been times I've cried at work. One time I had a panic attack at work because PACU sent me patient that needed to be in the ICU but had no open rooms, and I didn't have the skills to do all that was needed for them (luckily some other nurses helped out a lot). I can't really sleep before work because I keep thinking how miserable the next shift is going to be. I'm also having a rough time because I don't have a support system down here. My family and friends from school are 50 miles away, and I never thought I'd miss them all this much (since this is my first time on my own). I'm not making 'out of work' connections with my coworkers, and never have the energy to go out and do anything on my own for fun. I know that the first year of nurse is hard, and all new nurses hate it, but is it normal to hate everything this much? Sorry to rant and vent so much, I'd just love to hear everyone's opinions. Thanks so much!

I totally understand where you are coming from, and agree with what you are saying. I actually have built a really good relationship with this professor, and I am going to go in and speak with them when classes resume after break. I'm just annoyed that the other two sections of this class are learning the material. I'm teaching myself all I can (and not succeeding since I failed the midterm we took), and have been seeking help from the professor but all I ever get told is "look it up in the book". I'm just irritated that I am taking a class and not learning, where the two other groups are. If I were to fail by a slight margin but learned all I could then the error is on me. I just hate that I am failing and not learning a thing. Thanks again for your reply.

Hi everybody. I have a question and would like your feedback. I am in a research class (this is undergrad) and I am having the most difficult time. There are three different sections of this class offered, two lecture classes and one online class. The online class was supposed to be offered for students who already have a degree, but was open to everyone. Here is my issue. I understand that these classes are all taught by a different professor and each have their own teaching styles; but I feel like I got the short end of the stick. In my class, we have have lecture once a week for three and a half hours. Attendance is not mandatory, and many students do not show up. We have a midterm, and a final, and two pages that are each supposed to be 15 pages. Our papers are due around the same time of the exams, all at once. Our professor does not teach us anything in class, and when asked for help with our papers, she tells us to refer to our book. The other lecture class has weekly vocabulary quizzes, a final, and a paper. I heard the quizzes are annoying since they have to memorize so many words, with no guarantee with knowing what is on the quiz. They have a few pages due every other week for their paper, so they work up to their final total. The online class has no quizzes or exams. They have little assignments (like 2 pages tops) each week due. The online class, and other lecture class students all have a general understanding of what they are doing for their papers. Whereas each student in my class is so lost, we have no idea what we are doing. We took our first exam recently, and every felt so badly after it, and the professor said she was going to curve (which is against college policy); which shows to me the class is unfair. So my question is, how should I go about complaining about this? I want to go to the Dean of my college and complain about how this one research class is not uniform. It is unjust how students who do not have to go to class each week have the easiest route, and the two groups who have a weekly lecture have a harder class. I am already in talks to meet with my professor individually, but am I in the wrong for wanting to talk to the Dean to bring awareness to them about this? I would really appreciate everyone's input. Thank-you