sometimes this is so hard!

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so i am a relatively new nurse. 7 months in. sometimes i feel as if i will never know all the things the nurses on my floor know! is it natural to feel this way? i am in that stage where im still new but not brandy new like i was 7 months ago. im making decisions more and more each day but theres always something i forget or i dont know. of course i just ask questions which is fine. i work on a busy med surg floor and can sometimes have up to 7 pts!!!! some days i leave thinking ive certainly forgotten something horrible lol. other days i leave and i feel "omg i cant believe i caught that!!!" is this normal?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Give yourself a break.

It's SO totally normal. A new job takes at least a year to settle into.

And if u think ur forgetting things (or are in danger of doing so), get more organised. 7 patients is the norm on a med/surg floor. Use a cheat sheet to document EVERYTHING you have to do for ur pts on that shift, then you won't forget. I put IV meds in red, other meds in green, other notes in blue (ie: bladder scans, dressings, etc). Anything urgent I put a big red star next to. Grab all ur pts chart b4 u start ur shift, and quickly flick thru them re changes in orders, etc (or if on the computer jump on there quick). Also ensure ur cheat sheet has all the pts down one side, and times up the top.

Quickly r/v ur cheat sheet before leaving too - that helps. Also if you DO forget anything you think needs to be done that day, ring in and ask someone to do it. Apologise but ur not perfect (despite what some say/do THEY aren't either), and it will be seen as a sign of maturity on ur part.

Try to do things slower (I know it's hard) and do everything at once in the same room for the same patient. Time and people management are the biggest aspects of nursing now that you have to master.

You will be OK, just keep coming on AN for our great tips! :)

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You will learn something new every single day of your career. And it all comes together.

I just started in hospice. I made a visit about a month ago and thought a patient had begun the dying process. I did not think her death was imminent. I did call the family but left (she was in an LTC). She died two hours later.

Tonight I made a visit and the pt was following the same trajectory. I knew, this time, to stay. She died 1/2 hour after my arrival.

You will keep learning, if you're lucky, until the day you die. And each piece of the puzzle fits much more easily every day.

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Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

I can assure you that those nurses who have learned so much more than you know, learned every bit of it, one thing at time.

I still, after twenty years, leave thinking, "what did I forget?". And then of course there are the "OH S*&T" moments that wake you at three in the morning.

We have all been there. You'll do great!

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Specializes in Cardiac TCU /tele/SDU.

Yeah, been a nurse for a 6 year' i always right down important stuff that i need to do so i wont forget, but it happens, as long as you dont forget something critical (which you should right down), u'll be fine. Nursing is 24 hours. One shift cant do it all.

And dont expext urself to someone who is far more experienced than u, u wont be up to par yet. Give ur self some slack

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I agree with all the previous remarks. You are in a great learning experiance. We learn as we continue in our field. You are laying the foundation for a great career. I firmly believe all nurses need a strong med-surg foundation. It will take you everywhere no matter what you may specialize in later.

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Specializes in med-surg, dementia.

Everyone has given such great support and advice here. I am also a very new nurse (4 months in) working in very busy med surg post acute care facility. I am still feeling so overwhelmed and stressed to the max! We are assigned 10-12 patients in a shift. It's horrible in my opinion! Paperwork is all-consuming!

Again, great advice and support...love ALLNURSES! Good luck OP!

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Specializes in Cardiac TCU /tele/SDU.
Yeah, been a nurse for 6 years, always right down important stuff that i need to do so i wont forget, but it happens, as long as you dont forget something critical (which you should right down), u'll be fine. Nursing is 24 hours. One shift cant do it all.

And dont compare urself to someone who is far more experienced than u, u wont be up to par yet. Give ur self some slack

just corrected the errors. I was sleepy when i've written it on my ipad.

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