1st day off orientation was HORRIBLE

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Specializes in NICU.

Today was my first day off of orientation. Of course the 2 weeks leading up to me being off orientation were smooth, calm, easy... ect...

Well today was my first day off orientation.. and the first day i've ever cried on the job (in the bathroom of course where no one could see me).

For starters I got out of report an hour late. Our tape recorder messed up and the nurses who taped had to give verbal reports over again. Charge nurse listens to all reports so this took a while. So when I finally got out of report I was an hour behind. Right away I noticed one of my IVs had gone bad. I put that on my to do list. Then I have a discharge at 9AM... Right in the middle of morning rush. And this guy and his family are standing at the door with their bags packed at 0910. They bugged me so bad that I finally stopped giving meds and D/C him. Right when i get him out. They page house keeping to clean the room stat b/c i was getting an adm.

I finally get morning meds out (late).. shove food down my throat before my adm. got there. When i got my adm.. he was a total mess.. orders were all screwed up (spent about an hour getting it all straight).. LONG story short ... everything went wrong.. 2 more of my IVs went bad.. my adm went to surgery... It was so horrible. I kept getting critical labs called to me. I hate leaving things for the oncoming shift but I just didn't have a choice. This is what I left for oncoming shift...

1. a pt wanted a laxative (i just didn't have time to call and get it)

2. a pt had questions about her meds (never could get down there)

3. a dsg change

4. and a late IV antibiotic due to having to restart the IV

5. and i was still awaiting a call to be returned about another order

I did get the pt sent to surgery at shift change, I did all the IVs that went bad. I just feel like i looked horrible on my first day off orientation. I was so embarrassed!!

Thanks for letting me vent

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I can so relate to this, you are NOT alone! My first night off of orientation was a debacle. Everything that could have gone wrong did. Stable patient became not only unstable, but emergency surgery (not anything I did, but hey, it screws up the plan). IVs going bad, patients not as they should be, you name it. The oncoming charge found something wrong (because a surgeon was coming on and found it wrong) and I got my head handed to me (via my a$$, of course). Ended up in the bathroom, crying.

I survived, and still survive horrible nights. There WILL be more, but you will learn better how to cope with them, and what to freak over and what to let go. What you can change, and what is just plain old excrement hitting the cooling device.

You can do this!

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

Bless your heart!! I'm sorry to hear about your day,....welcome to the wonderful world of nursing!! I promise,.it does get better!!! Everyone was still alive when you left!!! Sounds like you actually handled it quite well!! Take a deep breath,.get some sleep and do it all over again,..tomorrow is another day. Best of luck to you!!!!!

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Sorry you had such a bad day. This was a a real learning experience right off the bat. we all have these shifts. What I do is this-I step out of the situation very briefly (if not literally-then figurativly) I calm down, take a deep breathe, and then remember "this too shall pass". I make a quick mental note of the situation and get my top three priorties in my head and run with them. I repeatedly do this as many times as needed, due new situations arising, until I feel I am back in control. Might sound crazy, but it works for me. I wish you the best-tommorrow is a new day

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You will get used to the wonderful world of nursing. We all have days when nothing goes smoothly and are frustrated and then the next day will be better compared to what happened the day before. Hang in there, it will become easier for you. And remember the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

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Specializes in SICU.

Awww so sorry about your bad day!! It happens to all of us, hun... and to be honest, it sounds like you did pretty darn good to me. DO NOT ever feel bad about sometimes having to leave stuff for the next shift. Nursing is 24/7 and there will be shifts when you just can't get it all done. You will also have plenty of days to return the favor and cover the previous shift's leftovers, trust me!

As far as that impatient discharge goes, next time maybe you can let the patient know that there are tasks you have to take care of first, ask them to please be patient, and give them an approximate time that you'll be in to take care of them. Lots of times people will settle once they're acknowledged and know that a plan is in place.

You're doing fine. Just breathe, and take it one task at a time!

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If nothing else, know that you are not alone. I cried my first week off orientation and was convinced that nursing was not for me my first 3 months. It WILL click and it WILL become more tolerable/easier for you. Things that are so hard and confusing right now will become routine.....you'll see. You'll look back in a year and be amazed at how far you've come. If it were easy to be a nurse, there wouldn't be the nursing shortage. HANG IN THERE!

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EVERYONE has bad days, TG, hang in there. You just got unlucky enough to have one right off the bat. It will get better, we promise.

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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

I feel for those of you on dayshift with all the impatient discharges. I have to say, I look out for yas. My patients at 5-6 am or sometimes the night before, are asking, ok so I'm going home in the morning. Can I be out by breakfast? I say, no, no, no. Ten am to noon is when you should expect to go. Not a minute before. The dayshift has got to feed, medicate, and bathe everyone first. Not to mention they need to make your follow up appointment and doc's offices open at 9 am. So relax!

It definitely screws up your shift to have a d/c and an admit in the first few hours of it.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Sounds like a typical day for me every day. :)

My first day off orientation was a disaster as well. I think it just goes along with things like Murphy's Law - the first day off orientation will be a tough day.

Hang in there. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a 24-hour job and you can't do a 24-hour job in one shift.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

Sounds like a day I had last week.

I promise, you will be able to cope better with time. Some days will be great, others won't, but you will get better and it will get easier.

I work evenings now and I wouldn't have minded at all picking up on the things you mentioned. I think you did great.

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sounds to me like you did a good job. The first day off orientation usually has some added stress just knowing "i'm on my own". Just take it one day at a time and it does get better

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