Support Stickie for New nurses who are not coping

Published

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I have read through lot of threads recently regarding new nurses who feel they are struggling and not coping with being an new RN. So I thought it would be good to start a support thread where all new nurses could post about their feelings and experiences. You are not alone, all new nurses feel this way and if they dont I would be extreemly concerned.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

What about struggling as an LVN? I'm losing my mind too! :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in IMCU.

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I started in IMCU on May 19th and passed my boards on June 30th. I'm working 7p to 7a and 7a to 7p, flipping every other week. I have so many shifts when I just want to not come back! It's an awful feeling, especially since being an RN is all I ever wanted to do. With all the paperwork, I don't think I give my patients nearly the time they need. Does anyone else feel that way and will it get better?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

What a fantastic thread, I'll make sure I pop in every now and then.

Commhospstaff, yes it does get better, I remember as a new nurse being hours late off duty because I couldn't manage to get everything done and the paperwork in the hours I worked. It was only when a senior and very experienced nurse (she was wonderful) took me to one side and pointed out that when I left there was always someone there to take over the care from me, it was OK to hand things over to the next shift when you were having busy days and that I needed to remember that the learning only just begins after you qualify.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in medical/surgical.

Thanks for this support stickie,

I am a new grad nurse going on 6 months on a med/surg floor and still feel overwhelmed. We have team nursing where we have 10 pts., 5 of them are RN pts and the other 5 go to the LVNs but I am still in charge of all 10. Other nights I only have 5 pts with 2 that are TPCs.

I love nursing, but sometimes I want to quit because it is just too much work. Also, I still am having trouble giving reports to the next shift. What is the best way to give report where a nurse will not look at you and have an attitude regarding hand off reports.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

rosstat2

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for starting this thread!! It is so appropriate for me.... I graduated in May, passed boards in June and started working in a high level SICU as a new grad. I have never been so overwhelmed in my life. I am a 2nd career nurse, and did very well in school. I was so far over my head. The other nurses liked me and most were extremely kind and helpful.-they are called the baracudas of the hospital, though...it was just way to much for a new grad with NO nursiing/hospital experience. I couln't eat or sleep...myy husband would almost have to make me go to work. then I'd come home crying. finally I went to my nurse manager - who is incredible and she brought me to her good friend's floor for a 3 month "detail". Kinda help me get more comfortable with basic skills - and then come back to SICU...MMMM I miss it sometimes, but I am in love with my new floor. It fits me like a glove and its so much less stresss than ICU ...I mean it can get busy too, just not all the time crises. Anway, I can't tell you how much this has meant to me and my sanity. I'm not sure I'll ever want to go back to the old floor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, Cardiac Tele/ICU Stepdown.

I too am a new grad, graduated in May, got my license in June, and started work on a cardiac intermediate care unit. I feel so overwhelmed, like I'm always messing something up. It's so hard dealing with the jerk doctors and techs who give you attitude. Giving report is a nightmare to me sometimes, the night shift nurses can make me feel like a complete idiot. I dread going to work, can't sleep the night before my first day back because I dread what kind of patients I will get... and what else I might screw up... I want to just skip this new unexperienced nurse part and fast forward to the experienced nurse part! Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse, love taking care of patients, but the stress can be so overwhelming! Thank goodness for 4 days off!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
Thanks for starting this thread!! It is so appropriate for me.... I graduated in May, passed boards in June and started working in a high level SICU as a new grad. I have never been so overwhelmed in my life. I am a 2nd career nurse, and did very well in school. I was so far over my head. The other nurses liked me and most were extremely kind and helpful.-they are called the baracudas of the hospital, though...it was just way to much for a new grad with NO nursiing/hospital experience. I couln't eat or sleep...myy husband would almost have to make me go to work. then I'd come home crying. finally I went to my nurse manager - who is incredible and she brought me to her good friend's floor for a 3 month "detail". Kinda help me get more comfortable with basic skills - and then come back to SICU...MMMM I miss it sometimes, but I am in love with my new floor. It fits me like a glove and its so much less stresss than ICU ...I mean it can get busy too, just not all the time crises. Anway, I can't tell you how much this has meant to me and my sanity. I'm not sure I'll ever want to go back to the old floor.

I think you have a good manager that seems to be a rare thing these days. I do worry sometimes when students come to my floor and they focus on ICU, ER what they do need is those 6 months on a less acute floor and then move to these specialities. I know a lot of new grads get fed up with hearing ged med/surg experience before you specialise but it is really good advice, and good groundwork for the future. Good luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
I too am a new grad, graduated in May, got my license in June, and started work on a cardiac intermediate care unit. I feel so overwhelmed, like I'm always messing something up. It's so hard dealing with the jerk doctors and techs who give you attitude. Giving report is a nightmare to me sometimes, the night shift nurses can make me feel like a complete idiot. I dread going to work, can't sleep the night before my first day back because I dread what kind of patients I will get... and what else I might screw up... I want to just skip this new unexperienced nurse part and fast forward to the experienced nurse part! Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse, love taking care of patients, but the stress can be so overwhelming! Thank goodness for 4 days off!

I promise you things will get better, the 6 month mark is when things fall into place and one day you will sit somewhere and suddenly you realise 'I actually know what I am doing' and a lovely peace will come over you. You are not far away now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, Cardiac Tele/ICU Stepdown.

I sure hope you're right. ... I don't think I can take much more... it just seems like things get worse and not better... I love nursing, but this is not at all what I signed up for! I'm lucky to have some great coworkers who are always there to help me out, without out them I would have quit already!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro ICU.

Thank goodness I came across this thread!!!! I was beginning to feel I was the only new grad that felt like a complete idiot, a failure, like I didn't know anything. I love the floor I'm on and get along with my co-workers but sometimes my preceptor makes me feel like nothing I do is right. Most of her complaints have to do with multitasking, organization and time management. I know I'm not as quick and efficient as she is but she's been doing this for many years! I have good and bad days, come home crying once in a while.

BeachyRNn08 summed it up very well, "I want to just skip this new unexperienced nurse part and fast forward to the experienced nurse part!"

I feel better knowing I'm not alone!!

Thank you for this thread :bowingpur

Dixie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I think you have a good manager that seems to be a rare thing these days. I do worry sometimes when students come to my floor and they focus on ICU, ER what they do need is those 6 months on a less acute floor and then move to these specialities. I know a lot of new grads get fed up with hearing ged med/surg experience before you specialise but it is really good advice, and good groundwork for the future. Good luck

I totally agree with the med/surg experience advice. I am a new nurse that graduated in May. I did not have alot of experience, only my clinicals which was very limited. I heard many people say this and really wish I would have listened. I took the first job offered to me. It is on a transplant ICU unit, which they are starting from scratch by splitting it off from the SICU which is where some of my training was. It is EXTREMEMLY difficult working with patients with such high acuity who are so sick, and I am actually going to transfer because I don't feel it is the right fit for me at this time. We were promised we would have a resource nurse there to answer any questions we had who wouldn't take patients and of course because of staffing that has not happened. I get anxiety sometimes going into work wondering what to expect, and I just don't feel comfortable taking care of these patients. Like the previous writer who worked in SICU, most of the time I leave work crying and it has made me question becoming a nurse and if I am even a good nurse; which I know I am. That piece of advice is priceless and I just really wish I would have listened to it-but I didn't know, hindsight is 20/20. Thanks for this thread!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion