Scared of losing a job while in orientation

[pinkiepieRN]

For all intents and purposes, I'm a new grad. I'm working in LTC/short term rehab. I've been on orientation just over 4 weeks and I think I'm doing alright. I was slow at the med cart but have finally hit a groove with it. I'm worried about the other things though, like dressings and calling docs. I'm not used to calling the docs for everything ( I was in psych before and we were more encouraged to wait and reassess for less serious things like n/v without any other complaints). I also dealt with a situation where a patient's parents also went a little haywire because they thought he was experiencing a change in status (assessment and vitals were fine, but called the doc and had a CBC and UA ordered stat). I'm great with charting and setting rapport with my patients but I still feel a bit disjointed. I'm worried that they're keeping me on orientation to see if they have grounds to fire me before putting me on the schedule for real. Am I nuts? My preceptor keeps giving me really good feedback, but I'm still hitting some bumps every day.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

It takes time to adjust to a different practice setting. Your preceptor says you're doing fine. Most places have a 90 day probation period, they don't need "grounds to fire" you, they would just do so if that was their intent.

Does your place offer an EAP? Might be helpful for you to talk to them about your bumps, which are expected, and your anxieties about the job. It's free, and confidential, and might put your mind at ease

Hang in there!