Signed up for Med-Surg but feel like I am in ICU!!!!

[ExTechie]

Desperately seeking advice. I am a new RN and started on a Med-Surg floor that is extremely high acuity and bariatric. As new orientees, were promised "hand-holding", shadowing, and "support" from charges and floor nurses to gain the skills necessary to do our jobs. Well, two weeks of shadowing, I was told I am off of orientation and on my own. I am feeling completely overwhelmed. The patients acuity is that of an ICU - I am up to 5 patients on my own. We were told we would be getting the skills to organize our time - it is almost a joke. I never made it to the bathroom, ate, drank one thing my entire shift and feel self-propelled by people needing pain meds, ivs infiltrating, pca pumps alarming, wound vac monitoring, dressing changes, new admits, antibiotics that need to be hung, TPN going up, loading feed bags, pages and pages of meds per patient, bladder scans, bp's bottoming out of going out of control, temps going up.... The acuity level of these patients is too high and two weeks training is not enough. I am walking into rooms needing skills that I don't have and I am supposed to find someone with time to show me a skill. I sought out my charge nurse 4 times yesterday for help and she said that she would get to me, she was really busy but never did so I resorted to finding other nurses. My one patients pump malfunctioned..he was critically ill, had hal, lipids, zosyn, lopresser, ringers, ns, dilaudid all hanging at the same time. I feel completely overwhelmed and not prepared to keep up, let alone do right by my patients and last, but not least, protect my license. I am having nightmares at night and wake up in the morning absolutely dreading going into work. When the alarm goes off, I think it is someone's pump beeping. Please tell me if this is expected because I am new or if I am expecting too much!!!! (I am now 3 weeks in...)

BTW...I am not talking about COPD, CHF or appys like in my clinical experience. Here are some "typical" diagnosis....s/p cholecystectomy drain placement - jejunostomy, entercutaneous fistula takedown w/small bowel resection, lap nephrectomy, s/p r groin squamous cell tumor resection, enterocuaneous fistula - feculant aed, intususeption, retroperitaneal absess, s/p duodenal switch w/gastric leak, s/p anterior rectal colostomy, s/p lap sigmoidectomy, p laminectomy syndrome, s/p hemicolectomy...to name a few.

[EmmaG, RN]

Two weeks orientation for a new grad???

That is beyond ridiculous.

[ExTechie]

Let me clarify that....two weeks of shadowing on the floor. 6 additional weeks sitting in a classroom learning about hospital policy, advance directives, paperwork stuff, policies and procecures, protocols, etc.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

RUN do not walk from this place. 2 weeks orinetation are you kidding me? Even for a experienced nurse this is too little time. Find another hospital that will give you a proper 8-12 week of orientation. This place is dangerous.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

They gave you more time with paperwork than actually working side by side with another RN as your mentor. 6 weeks about paperwork and etc. You need more time with another RN as a mentor to fine tune your skills. I still say get out of that place ASAP.

[EmmaG, RN]

Let me clarify that....two weeks of shadowing on the floor. 6 additional weeks sitting in a classroom learning about hospital policy, advance directives, paperwork stuff, policies and procecures, protocols, etc.

That is still not enough, not by any stretch of the imagination. As an experienced nurse, I would refuse such a short orientation. This doesn't bode well; if they are treating you this way at the beginning, I'm afraid it won't get any better. The fact that they gave you three times the orientation on paperwork as they did on learning to provide safe, effective patient care should tell you something...

[StrwbryblndRN]

I am a new grad also on a med surg floor. I am in my ninth week and had to have my preceptor sit and wait for me to need them so they would not hang over me unnecessarily. It works for me. I am able to work on my time management and fine tune daily schedule on my terms.But still have someone at my disposal for questions and troubleshooting

We get minimum 12 weeks whether we need it or not for new grads.

I agree with the previous post. Run do not walk.

Also I feel that the acuity of patients are too high for 5 patients even if you were in your 10th week of orientation. Just my opinion.

[Mommy TeleRN, RN]

geez my hospital provides more orientation than that for experienced nurses coming to our floor! You need a new job pronto!

[anonymurse]

I am a new grad also on a med surg floor. I am in my ninth week and had to have my preceptor sit and wait for me to need them so they would not hang over me unnecessarily. It works for me. I am able to work on my time management and fine tune daily schedule on my terms.But still have someone at my disposal for questions and troubleshooting

That kind of preceptoring sounds like heaven!

[ExTechie]

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your responses. Thank you so much. I need to get in the shower for work and try to decide how to proceed!!!!

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Wishing you the best. I would get very very far away from that place.

[fgoff]

Sorry, you are in such a rough position! It does appear that you are providing good nursing care despite the poor orientation! Give yourself credit for that.

:uhoh3:Is it possible to list the problems you are having and then schedule a meeting to discuss the list with your supervisor? This way you two can work together to see that your learning needs are seen to so your stress level decreases.

You can not go on very long with stress levels that give you nightmares!!

Please take care of yourself! If the job can't be better, I agree with other posters. Run, don't walk away, before you or some else gets permanently hurt.

Best of Luck!!!

fgoff