So frustrated. Need advice!!

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Specializes in Home Health, Med/Surg.

I have 6 months home health experience and was recently hired to work at a very reputable Level 1 trauma hospital's Med/Surg unit (the only one in this region). My hospital is a Magnet hospital and has an overall wonderful training program and i have been trying to get in the door since i was still in school. I am so happy that i am finally employed by this network.

this is my sixth and final week of orientation. i feel like i am doing a horrible job. i thought i was progressing at first but this weekend, i worked Fri - Sun and i just got to my 6 patient load on Friday. On Saturday i had 2 PCA pumps, 1 Heparin drip and 3 discharges that occured simitaniously. 3 of my patients were also on tele and two had to go for 2 seperate procedures. On Sunday I had 2 PCA pumps, 1 Heparin drip, a Facial fracture who was a new admit by night shift but i had to do the admission because they came 30 mins prior to shift change. I had never used a PCA pump until Saturday when i got my two pateints and had never hada heparin drip. There were 3 stat labs due at the beginning of my shift and my patient with the PICC line had an occlusion so i had to order activase and could not get her stat labs done. I needed so much help from my preceptor those two days. She seems to get so frustrated with my dependence. I really wonder if I am cut out for this. I LOVE being a nurse and i love caring for my patients. Most of my patients are so understanding of my mishaps because they say that i am very pleasant and i am always honest and let them know that i am a new nurse who is still on orientation.

I have been told that I am too slow and I am so nervous. I spoke to my manager on Sunday and she told me that they expect me to sink a little at first for my first month or two that i am off orientation until i get a routine together, but that still didnt make me feel better. Most of the time i really think that my preceptor thinks i am incompetent to do this by myself. In all fairness, i dont know what i would have done this weekend if she hadnt been right there the whole time doing stuff. She did all of my charting, started all of my IV's, did 3 of my head to toe assessments. I am so frustrated. i should not have needed so much help!!! I have not handled all patients by myself yet and i only have two days left of orientation!!! When asked by one of the clin II's if i still felt ready to be off this week, about two weeks ago when i was at 3 patients, i said yes. I feel stuck and like i am going to fail. Any advice? :crying2:

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.

You are describing how most new grads feel during orientation. Days are the hardest shift to handle. Things will get better, I am a living testimony. I just completed my first year as a nurse and felt the same way. Its gonna take time and practice. You will get better and faster. Keep at it.

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Specializes in Float Pool, Hemo Dialysis.

We have all been there. Hang in there and stay focused. It will get easier and you will love what you do even more.

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I think you sound like most new grads I've known as well.

You are further along than me in orientation (I'm about 1/3 of the way in) but I know I'm slow and it's frustrating. I spent almost two hours doing assessments and meds for just four patients! And I'm not talking about an extensive med pass either, just a few things on each person. Much of my problem is that I'm having to look up pretty much every single med I give which eats up a lot of time. Also, I'm still disorganized and forget which meds are in the Pyxis versus what is in the patient's folder or stocked on the unit so I'm running from place to place looking for things.

Everyone keeps reminding me it will get better with time and I know they are right. I'm just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what I can to get it done. I figure I'll just be a p.i.t.a. for a while with lots of questions and asking for help but I know I'm going to get better and experience will rid me of my ignorance. Eventually it won't be me asking if someone can help me but me asking if there's anything I can do for someone else as I'll be the one who's all caught up!

Hang in there, it's going to get better! And when you do have a bad day, think about what you could have done differently so next time maybe it will go a bit better. Even experienced nurses have bad days where everything happens at once and they fall behind, some days are just like that.

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Specializes in Home Care.

I'm a new LPN going through orientation, I'm doing well.

For years I was a waitress and most of my life a single parent. Time management and organization is a big skill to learn if you've not had much experience with it in previous jobs or at home.

Ask your preceptor and other nurses for tips on organizing your time. Plan your day and stick to it the best you can. Maybe you're repeating the same things over and over again that don't need repeating.

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Specializes in ccu cardiovascular.

Okay it seems like you are really overwhelmed. Your preceptor needs to take you back a notch. Right now you are not handeling 6 patients well, just feeling overwhelmed and losing your confidence. See if you can take less of a load for right now. Your preceptor doing your charting, ivs is not helping. I think it would be more beneficial of doing all the work for say 4 patiients and doing it well than have six patients and feeling inept. I have been a preceptor for 10 years and this is what I would do. Six weeks on orientation is not long, we have 12 week orientation for new nurses and 8 weeks for experienced nurses. There is a lot to learn in 6 weeks, I understand needing to get nurses on the floors but this is alittle fast.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

It is totally normal to feel overwhelmed. I've been on my own for about a month, and I still feel scared. It'll be o.k., you just need to get into your groove.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Informatics.

im 4 weeks and barely handling 3 patients on my own. I feel like im behind. i have a 6 week orientation and then on my own. I feel like im going to fail at Med Surg

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Have faith...It sounds like you love the job and thats what you need to focus on. Its always hard in the start..keep your head high and believe in yourself. I bet you know more than you think :)

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Specializes in Medical Surgical Orthopedic.

My preceptor was a busy bee who always had to be doing something. I appreciated allll of her help, but I really never got to develop my own routine and things always felt very chaotic.

She would frequently take over when situations became difficult, and often had everything done with my new admissions before I could even dream of getting started! I never completely handled more than about 4 patients on my own while orienting, but my first day off orientation I got handed 5 plus a new admission. Things were very rough at first, because I had to handle all of the things that I didn't know existed. :uhoh3: I've been on my own for a few months now, and I'm pretty close to having an effective "system" worked out ...but for a while I was not sure it was possible.:D

What I'm trying to say ...is that you will probably swim instead of sinking when the time comes:balloons:

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Specializes in Home Health, Med/Surg.
My preceptor was a busy bee who always had to be doing something. I appreciated allll of her help, but I really never got to develop my own routine and things always felt very chaotic.

She would frequently take over when situations became difficult, and often had everything done with my new admissions before I could even dream of getting started! I never completely handled more than about 4 patients on my own while orienting, but my first day off orientation I got handed 5 plus a new admission. Things were very rough at first, because I had to handle all of the things that I didn't know existed. :uhoh3: I've been on my own for a few months now, and I'm pretty close to having an effective "system" worked out ...but for a while I was not sure it was possible.:D

What I'm trying to say ...is that you will probably swim instead of sinking when the time comes:balloons:

thank you!! your situation sounds EXACTLY like mine. you give me hope!!:yeah:

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you are NOT alone! :) I, like you and many new grads feels the same way. You are trying your best and you've come a long way (think about what you've achieved already compared to day 1). I would suggest that you speak with your preceptor and manager to ask if you could extend your orientation. Don't be afraid to ask them for advice.

Time management and knowing your meds comes with experience and just remember, you are getting better everyday :nurse:

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