How to be an awesome nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in LTC.

Hello everyone!

So here's a quick run down of my nursing career. I've been fired for two nursing jobs and I've only been a nurse for 2 years. I struggle with organization and being a manager. But I feel as though that I've grown regardless of my pitfalls. I've learned from my mistakes and truly want to be an awesome nurse.

This girl I've worked with is the definition of perfection. She's smart, super organized, and total type A, cute, likeable and everyone adores her. Can Type Bs like myself be good nurses?

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I don't know where your past working experience was, but maybe explore something different. There are so many options available in nursing. Obviously you only have the two past employers to list on your resume and since that didn't work out you'll need to consider another plan. If you have learned from your mistakes and really looked at why things didn't work out, then chalk it up to a learning experience as long as you didn't kill anybody. Try not to focus so much on personality types. There is more than that to being a good nurse. Think about what type of job you would like to do and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. You have your whole career ahead of you and it can be a rough ride for so many of us. Stay focused and be a better friend to yourself.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

What exactly did you get fired for from your previous two jobs?

If you are having trouble with organization then you need to develop a system that works for you. Entrust NOTHING to memory. Develop a detailed worksheet where you can put all the info you are going to need. You will have to develop it on your own time and adjust it until it works for you. Do not transcribe medications onto it; use the MAR as intended for med administration. Your worksheet is where you put important info (labs that require a response, blood sugars, treatments, meds due, IV fluid type and rate, etc.) Leave a space by each patient name to jot notes as anything changes so that you can give a complete report at shift change. Always be planning your next 2-3 steps, even though you will constantly have to re-prioritize.

Keep a running written to-do list so things don't get dropped and "found" by the next shift. If a patient is discharged or a task is completed or info has changed, line it out or yellow it out. Don't leave outdated info on your worksheet. And it's best not to scribble it out. It's really easier if your eyeballs look at a tidy, organized worksheet. Some people do all right with a messy, jumbled worksheet, but I found it fried my brain even further.

This might seem cumbersome and a lot of extra work, but I found it to be worth my while. Nurses who relieved me on the next shift always told me they liked taking my patients because everything was always done and they didn't find unpleasant surprises. If you are busy and have to leave things undone, you can give the next shift a heads up with an apology. They will cut you more slack than if you just drop balls. You can teach yourself to be systematic and detail-oriented. It just takes some time and effort. Good luck.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

The more experience you get the more confidence you will gain. 2 Years isn't really a long time to be a nurse, hell I'm going on 5 years and I still run into things that stump me. From your previous posts, I'd say you just need to know when to ask for help. It's okay not to know something. It's NOT okay to pretend to know how to do something and do it anyway because you don't want to feel embarrassed.

Personally, I am a hermit, a total introvert, but I've found a way to come out of my shell when I'm at work. Fake it until you make it sista! (except with skills lol)

As far as organization goes. I take a census sheet with me and I know I have to chart on people who are on ABTs, people who have fallen recently, any skin assessments and any treatments I have to do. So I write all those down to the left of my census and check them off as I do them. For anything else that happens out of the norm, I make a note on the back like "19:00 Pt. A had tylenol 2 tabs for 7/10 back pain" then when you reassess you can write under that "20:00 pain now 3/10", if someone falls I don't document on it right away as that would put me behind so I write on my sheet what time it happened, the important details I need to remember and who I contacted" and then at the end of my shift I document the fall including times that everything happened. Everyone finds their own way, just sharing what works for me. Like the above poster said, leave nothing to memory, write everything down no matter how small it is.

As long as you are open to learning from your past mistakes, I think you will be just fine. And get that anxiety under control

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A little self-honesty goes a long way. It takes time and experiences to learn your real strengths and weaknesses. Ideally we would all work jobs that work towards our strengths.

Don't compare yourself to others; that is a losing game. Learn to be a nurse your way. I work with nurses who are outgoing and nurses who are quiet.

Organization can be learned.

Being liked by your coworkers and managers is important and can save your job if problems happen. You need the social skills to strike the right balance to be likable without seeming forced or desperate.

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Specializes in Varied.

I would heavily recommend considering what you've done wrong, TONS OF MEDICATION ERRORS, and ask yourself what the root cause is. At this point, you've been fired from two jobs due to medication errors and falsyfing documentation. These aren't simple personality issues, they're about UNSAFE nursing.

Take a refresher course or a medication aide class and relearn the importance of medication administration. It would show initiative and an understanding of your mistakes. Take charge of your downfalls and work them out.

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