Support Stickie for New nurses who are not coping

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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.

Specializes in cardiac/medical.

Thank you so much for this thread. It makes me feel sooo much better to know that I am not the only one that is feeling this way. I cried reading all the posts, the stress and frustration coming out.

I graduated in June passed boards in July. We learned about "reality shock" in our last quarter of school but I really didn't think it would happen to me. I did really good in school and I think I have a great deal of common sense so I thought I would be just fine.

I work on a med/surg floor with cardiac telemetry, work 7p-7a, with usually 6-7 patients. I am always busy during the night and leave late every morning to just trying to catch up. It kills me because the other more experienced nurses take their breaks, surf the web and chat all through the night and still get out on time! They tell me that time management and organization comes with time and one day I will get it together but it is dreadful in the mean time.

I am lucky to work on this floor, there are so many experienced nurses that are so kind and willing to help. I bombard them every night with all my many questions, most of them very trivial. They are so confident and I often wonder if there will ever be a day when I come to work when I am not anxious anticipating the type of patients I will get and hoping that nothing "unusual" happens. The thing that bothers me the most is I don't feel I am competent enough to know what to do when things go bad. For example, last night I had a patient that was on 5L O2, when vitals were taken, her SpO2 was 59%. I got her on a NRB but her sats didn't come up much (maybe 70s). I was kinda lost at that point wondering what to do next. Luckily, the charge nurse came in and helped out (called respiratory and the Dr, among other things) but I wonder if there will ever be a time when I don't have to rely on someone else to help out when things go bad. I felt so darn incompetent, like someone else had to do my job for me because I was too stupid to do it myself. I look forward to the day when I feel confident in my abilities knowing that I can handle whatever comes my way. Hang in there, all new nurses, we can do it...it will get better (right?) :bugeyes:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Hospice.

I was just starting to feel like I was getting the hang of it when there was a major shake-up at work. Lots of people left and now I'm being floated almost every shift to cover for short staffing on other units. I haven't been oriented to most of these units and am very, very stressed about work.

Wish I could say more, but I can't at this point.

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Specializes in OB/GYN & Med/Surg.

Wow, have I ever found the thread where I felt I fit. I now have a whole 5 months of experience as an RN, but I still feel so very incompetent. :crying2: I've already posted another thread... I feel like I've exasperated all the other night nurses on my unit, with all my questions. Doubtless many of my questions, the nurses were thinking, "why don't you know that already?" and they showed their distain when answering. (Makes me think twice before asking anything, which I don't think is fair. I'm waaaaaaay too new not to be able to ask questions. Even if I had 20+ yrs experience, I would still have questions some days. But even more-so with so little experience.) I was a CNA on the floor where I work now for 2 years before I became a nurse. I did just fine in nursing school (grades). But within the last month, I have had 2 separate nights that I just couldn't seem to get things together, and it could have cost 2 pts their lives. Thankfully, nothing happened to either pt; everything came out just fine in the end... but it's the "what if's" that torture me. I can't sleep very well, even when I'm off. I dread going back to work, because I am so afraid I'll have a "brain fart" again & this time may be the big one. I love nursing, I hate it when my pts are suffering, even more so when it's my fault. Even while writing this post, I'm crying. I so desperately want to be a good nurse. It's just that sometimes I feel like there's no light @ the end of the tunnel. Anybody have any words of wisdom? I work on an OB/GYN unit with med/surg overflow whenever the hospital deems it necessary (almost every day for several pts). HELP!!! I feel like I'm drowning & nobody wants to throw me a life preserver. :cry:

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Specializes in OB/GYN & Med/Surg.

wow. what a difference going to nights has made for me.

i am feeling so much less stress now that i'm on nights. i know this isn't everyones case, but for me, it has really helped a great deal. i'm a night owl so the hours are fine for me, no problems staying awake or sleeping or anything (thank god). i don't see myself ever going back to the day shift.....too much work and stress for less money.

the night staff i work with is so nurturing and supportive, i could almost cry! i feel renewed in my job and not as stressed out and i don't feel like quitting anymore.

i feel like i have the time now to assess my patients really well, to think about things things i am doing for my patients, to read their charts, understand their history, etc. i love it!

so, where do you work? are they hiring? i'm getting to the point of desperation to feel the same support. :crying2:

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
Hi,

I posted this in another forum, but I think that I might get more replies here...

I am a (relatively) new nurse. I spent my first year as a psych RN, which I loved and felt that I was good at. I was told that I should get some med-surg experience, so I left my psych job after a year and 2 months. I currently am on orientation in med-surg, but have become very stressed out over this job already. I feel that I have to drag myself in every shift. I'm not sleeping much, and I sometimes cry when I'm by myself because of the frustration. I don't find this work interesting or enjoyable.

My questions for the more experienced nurses:

How important is "the med-surg experience"?

I always felt in school that the floors were overwhelming, but I have interests other than psych (i.e. OR, OB) and I'm afraid that if I don't do med-surg, I won't have any other options other than psych.... Do you think that is accurate?

How long do I have to stay to make it "count"?

A year? 6 months?

Thanks for any advice that you can give. I am a hard worker, and was a relatively good student. I don't want to have to give up options other than psych, but I just don't know how how much more I can take.

hI

It is not a question that is easily answered how long? I would say that it will take as long as you feel comfortable with any situation which is thrown at you and when you feel "ok I know what I am doing" and believe me for most people that happens there are an odd one or two who will always double and triple check themselves but they do that in normal life anyway so nursing is not going to change their inate personality.

It is so individualised that to say 6 months could make those who dont achieve it in 6 months feel inadequate. I am not being vague but in reality somewhere along the 6-12 months you will all feel much more comfortable in what you are doing.

Then the second stage of learning comes in because in nursing it is a continum and you never stop learning and changing.

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Specializes in IMCU.
hI

I am not being vague but in reality somewhere along the 6-12 months you will all feel much more comfortable in what you are doing.

Then the second stage of learning comes in because in nursing it is a continum and you never stop learning and changing.

Madwife, you are great! :yeah: I just finished my first year as an RN and I have noticed that my comfort level is much much higher than during the first few months! I have enjoyed reading your replies to the nurses here who are May grads. I remember what my first few months felt like, a living hell most days, then something happened and it started getting way better. Don't get me wrong, I still don't know what I would do in a code and I had a patient develope a pnuemothorax one night and thank God one of my supportive co-workers caught it, and advised me to call the Red Shirts in! They sent him to the unit immediately and he was intubated there. Her observation saved his life. She will always have my loyalty. I have yet to have to call a code, or even be in one so that thought is scary though I have been through ACLS training. I hope I would be able to do what I need to when I need to.

Thanks so much for posting to this thread. I am feeling much more confident most of the time, but there is still so much to learn.

Do you have any advise on dealing with patient care techs who have a nasty attitude? I have one tech who I practically have to beg to help me with my changes and baths. She always has something else to do, or a snarky reply regardless of what I ask or tell her. One night I had two new admissions and one of them had diarrhea, and she put off assisting me in changing him for two hours. Finally I confronted her and she refuse to help me. She went and got another nurse who came and helped. I told my charge nurse what had happened, and she talked to her about giving me attitude and dragging her feet on helping me. She still rolls her eyes when I ask her about something or ask her to do something other than take vitals. The techs are supposed to do our blood sugars if we ask, but actually I don't trust her to give me correct info and this could put someones life at stake. I am sort of at my wits end with her. I worked with another one the other night who complained all night and anything she was asked to do, she said she didn't know how, like tying restraints or putting in an order for an abdominal binder. I don't know which is the worst, a young one who has a nasty attitude toward me personally or an older one who whines all the time period. Anyhow, I try to be polite and respectful to techs and always try to help them with the changes and clean ups of my patients, but I feel that it is their job. I am ultimately responsible for my patient and there are times when they are so overwhelmed I will get another nurse to help me do it, but not when the tech is doing paperwork or much worse, gossiping or playing on the computer.

Anyhow, your input would be greatly appreciated!

Mahage

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Specializes in IMCU.
Thank you so much for this thread. It makes me feel sooo much better to know that I am not the only one that is feeling this way. I cried reading all the posts, the stress and frustration coming out.

I graduated in June passed boards in July. We learned about "reality shock" in our last quarter of school but I really didn't think it would happen to me. I did really good in school and I think I have a great deal of common sense so I thought I would be just fine.

I work on a med/surg floor with cardiac telemetry, work 7p-7a, with usually 6-7 patients. I am always busy during the night and leave late every morning to just trying to catch up. It kills me because the other more experienced nurses take their breaks, surf the web and chat all through the night and still get out on time! They tell me that time management and organization comes with time and one day I will get it together but it is dreadful in the mean time.

I am lucky to work on this floor, there are so many experienced nurses that are so kind and willing to help. I bombard them every night with all my many questions, most of them very trivial. They are so confident and I often wonder if there will ever be a day when I come to work when I am not anxious anticipating the type of patients I will get and hoping that nothing "unusual" happens. The thing that bothers me the most is I don't feel I am competent enough to know what to do when things go bad. For example, last night I had a patient that was on 5L O2, when vitals were taken, her SpO2 was 59%. I got her on a NRB but her sats didn't come up much (maybe 70s). I was kinda lost at that point wondering what to do next. Luckily, the charge nurse came in and helped out (called respiratory and the Dr, among other things) but I wonder if there will ever be a time when I don't have to rely on someone else to help out when things go bad. I felt so darn incompetent, like someone else had to do my job for me because I was too stupid to do it myself. I look forward to the day when I feel confident in my abilities knowing that I can handle whatever comes my way. Hang in there, all new nurses, we can do it...it will get better (right?) :bugeyes:

Hi Fan, I know just how you feel! I have a year under my belt now and feel much better most of the time. I still don't know what I would do in certain situations. I have never been in a code. I just hope and pray that it is not just me around when it happens. I hope I have one of the good charge nurses and some veterans who know what to do around me. There is so very much to learn. About time I feel confidence a new situation arises that causes me to doubt myself. I think in a way that is why I like nursing, there is always a challange.

Hang in there!

Mahage

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Specializes in cardiac/medical.
Wow, have I ever found the thread where I felt I fit. I now have a whole 5 months of experience as an RN, but I still feel so very incompetent. :crying2: I've already posted another thread... I feel like I've exasperated all the other night nurses on my unit, with all my questions. Doubtless many of my questions, the nurses were thinking, "why don't you know that already?" and they showed their distain when answering. (Makes me think twice before asking anything, which I don't think is fair. I'm waaaaaaay too new not to be able to ask questions. Even if I had 20+ yrs experience, I would still have questions some days. But even more-so with so little experience.) I was a CNA on the floor where I work now for 2 years before I became a nurse. I did just fine in nursing school (grades). But within the last month, I have had 2 separate nights that I just couldn't seem to get things together, and it could have cost 2 pts their lives. Thankfully, nothing happened to either pt; everything came out just fine in the end... but it's the "what if's" that torture me. I can't sleep very well, even when I'm off. I dread going back to work, because I am so afraid I'll have a "brain fart" again & this time may be the big one. I love nursing, I hate it when my pts are suffering, even more so when it's my fault. Even while writing this post, I'm crying. I so desperately want to be a good nurse. It's just that sometimes I feel like there's no light @ the end of the tunnel. Anybody have any words of wisdom? I work on an OB/GYN unit with med/surg overflow whenever the hospital deems it necessary (almost every day for several pts). HELP!!! I feel like I'm drowning & nobody wants to throw me a life preserver. :cry:

Hi Latina-

Unfortunately I don't have any words of wisdom, being a new nurse myself. What I can say is that I feel the same exact way and I truly believe it is an expected reaction. In fact, in my last quarter in school, we spent quite a bit of time going over the "reality shock" that new nurses experience. How we feel overwhelmed, incompetent, and how there are days (most days for me) when we just want to quit. There have been days for me that I had to leave report (we record and listen to report on the phone), multiple times and go to the bathroom to cry and compose myself because I felt so overwhelmed and stressed out with what I was about to encounter.

It is disturbing that you do not feel comfortable to ask questions of the more experienced nurses. I don't know how I would survive if I didn't have such a great group of supportive and experienced coworkers, even most of our aides have been around awhile and can share some knowledge. I will definately remember how I feel now and carry that with me so when I reach a point where others ask me questions and advice, I won't make anyone feel inadequate or afraid to ask. Nurses are supposed to be caing and supportive...that doesn't mean only to our patients.

I can relate completely when you say you want to be a good nurse and not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but as I mentioned earlier, I believe this is a normal reaction and if you didn't feel this way, I would be more concerned. Hang in there, we can do this. I decided I would give myself a year and re-evaluate at that point. My husband tells me, "if it was easy, everyone would do it".

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Dear mahage

Give me another 24 hours to answer your question I am working a double and my brain cell is tired lol. I will come up with some suggestions for you wed if that is ok.

Madwife xxxx

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Specializes in Surgical.

Thanks so much for starting this thread!!! I know for me personally, i will have a terribly shift where just about everything goes wrong, and ill come home and come on here, and find out quickly that I am not alone, that there are thousands of new nurses feeling the same exact way I do, and its such a relief and a blessing!

I am just shy of 5 months into my first year of nursing. I work on a surgical unit that specializes in GI and GYN procedures, with some medical thrown in. At first i loved it, i felt good about what I was doing. Then i got off of orientation 6 weeks ago, and despite positive feedback from my Charge RN and director, i feel like i am off my game most days. I have made a few classic mistakes, given a pt barium contrast without checking when they would be going for their CT, etc. but all in all i come out of each day alive in one piece, and so do my patients (thank god!). But i feel...blah. Like there is TOO much paperwork, too much computer charting, too many patients and not enough time to give each of them the care they need or deserve! I know its normal to feel this way...but when does it END?! hahah....like someone mentioned in a previous post..i cant wait to go to the experienced nurse phase and skip right over this novice period!!!

Thanks to everyone for their advice,

IrishRn84 :-)

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Specializes in IMCU.
Thanks so much for starting this thread!!! I know for me personally, i will have a terribly shift where just about everything goes wrong, and ill come home and come on here, and find out quickly that I am not alone, that there are thousands of new nurses feeling the same exact way I do, and its such a relief and a blessing!

I am just shy of 5 months into my first year of nursing. I work on a surgical unit that specializes in GI and GYN procedures, with some medical thrown in. At first i loved it, i felt good about what I was doing. Then i got off of orientation 6 weeks ago, and despite positive feedback from my Charge RN and director, i feel like i am off my game most days. I have made a few classic mistakes, given a pt barium contrast without checking when they would be going for their CT, etc. but all in all i come out of each day alive in one piece, and so do my patients (thank god!). But i feel...blah. Like there is TOO much paperwork, too much computer charting, too many patients and not enough time to give each of them the care they need or deserve! I know its normal to feel this way...but when does it END?! hahah....like someone mentioned in a previous post..i cant wait to go to the experienced nurse phase and skip right over this novice period!!!

Thanks to everyone for their advice,

IrishRn84 :-)

Irish you are approaching your 6 month mark and I predict that you are right on target for the way you are feeling. I know that somewhere between 6 and 8 months I quit feeling scared to death all the time, then about my 9th month I started feeling like I will someday be a really good nurse. Now I am just past a year, Nov. 5th and I am still scared of some things, like I have never been in a code. I have had ACLS training but the only part I would feel comfortable doing is chest compressions. I pray that the stuff they taught us comes back to me when it happens. But overall, I am feeling like a pretty darn good nurse for a novice. Not the best mind you but good enough. I wish I could fast forward to 4 years because some of the nurses I admire most are not old timers, but they have 4 and 5 years experience and they are sooooooooooo good! They haven't forgotten what it feels like to be new and drowning either. Then one of my favorite charges has 20+ and she is so great, always there for me when I need her and I don't think it is just me, I think she is there for all of us. Then I just love the new crew who hired in after graduating in May. I precepted some of them, (I know wierd with my 6 months exp.) but they are terrific and a lot of them come to me with questions and if I can't answer them I direct them to someone who can and will with support not in a condescending manner. It is much, much better at 1 year and 1 month than it was at 6 months even. I look forward to learning more.

Mahage

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Specializes in Surgical.

Thanks so much! Its so comforting to know that im where i should be, especially since most days i feel like i don't even know which end is up! Thanks for the encouragement...you sound like you're doing great and I hope to be in your situation when im at one year!!!

irishRn84

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