Nursebface

Night shift has many pros and cons. Seems as though the pros are outweighs the cons and that's why I'm trying to stay on nights for a little while longer. But it's really messing with my psyche. When I'm not working, I always sleep through the night, regardless if I got off at 7:30am and slept until 5pm. I always am tired. Then I wake up at 7am and I can't nap, even if I work that evening. So I'm up for 24+hours when I go back to work. And it's really stresses me out to the point of frequent emotional breakdowns. Any advice on how to fall into a better habit?

I completely understand how you feel. What you feel is completely normal, it is unfortunate not all your coworkers are as understanding. I've been on my own for about 2 and a half months. I still cry before going in and feel like I don't do things quite right. However, I've made great improvement since being on my own. I read posts like yours to remind myself that what I feel is normal and others go through this too. It DOES get better. Learning happens through repetition, through experience. Stick it out, you got this.

My ratio is 5:1 95% of the time, we can go as high up at 7 patients. However, even the most seasoned nurses feel 5 patients is often times too many. About your preceptor, as long as they are knowledgable then I don't see any wrong in it. I work with a lot of very smart nurses who have only been a nurse for 1.5years. It all depends. If it isn't a good fit, say something!

Nocturnallife: I work on a surgical orthopedic floor. Good luck with the last couple days in your semester! You got this.

So a couple months ago I posted how stressed out I was as a new nurse on an intense floor. I was terrified to be an independent nurse away from her preceptor. Turns out, my stress has decreased a WHOLE ton. Before when I had about 5 weeks of orientation left, I had emotional breakdowns at home all the time. It was absolutely ridiculous. I couldn't help it. Work terrified me. I was so scared of being alone and getting a diagnosis or an order that I had no clue of. I was scared to not have someone else question orders for me. Everything. I've been on my own 5 weeks now and now the only thing that stresses me is worrying if I'll get enough sleep before going in for my night shift. I work with FABULOUS nurses who ALWAYS help when needed. My time management is so much better now. My confidence level is increased. However, my HCP started me on Lexapro, which definitely contributed, but I think also being away from the preceptor I was with also helps, he was pretty strict and I think I was a lot smarter than he gave me credit for. There are still things I'm not 100% with. And that's okay. I may still miss orders or forget to document something, but the majority of my patient is taken care of and the safety is never a part that's compromised. I always remind myself- there's only so much that I can do in 1 12 hour shift. Whatever I miss, other nurses will catch it.

I have 3 weeks of orientation left. I made a post recently about it. It's scary. Taking a patient load is scary. But I'll tell you about how it works for me at least. I am paired with another nurse, nurse of the year actually.. yikes. I started with 1 patient and I'm now at 5, my max. I carry a bunch of pens, stethoscope, alcohol prep pads, highlighter, and tape. I advise all of the above. Take a clipboard and make yourself a flow sheet for each patient. On the clipboard have a loose leaf paper on there for you to write notes on that you'll ask some one or go home and look up. Not sure of what an EGD is? Write it down and look it up later. I wish you good luck for this adventure you're starting. Take the advice that I haven't accepted: don't get discouraged. Don't panic. Take your time. You won't know a lot of things for a long time. It's all okay. You got this!

I found this site after simply googling "advice for the stressed new grad nurse". Articles I looked at were dated back in '08. I don't know if this website is even relevant, but I'll post just to vent. Nursing is hard, stressful, and terrifying. I go home everyday crying. I don't sleep. I get worked up even on my days off. I have 3 more weeks on orientation and honestly, I feel like my preceptor still helps out way too much. Even if it's just him replacing IV bags, preparing the next patients meds, or helping me admit a patient. My time management sucks. I still question things even after I experienced it. Those blood cultures I just did? I don't know how I'll do that again. I'm so scared to be alone. I work with a great team, but I can't just be like, hey Brittany come hold my hand and direct me exactly how to do this. I hate not knowing things. I learned the other day that giving Zofran q2hr is really dangerous and can cause dysrhythmias. But the doctor ordered it that way, so I'm not really experienced enough to catch that on my own. Sure, I'll call the PA next time to clarify the order, but if I come across something else, I won't know to question it. Like what if medihoney ointment is bad for closed wounds and I apply it anyway? I can't question every order. I'm terrified. Im stressed beyond belief and I cry all the time. Im literally losing the passion for this job. I doubt myself all the time. I don't know what to do in the mean time until I reached the fable "you'll get there someday and you'll be full confident". Just any help from anyone would be great... new nurse, seasoned nurse, anyone.