Think I hate nursing... Now what? pregnant and hormonal!

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Ok, so maybe it's a little early to say... I have only been on the floor for 6 shifts total. I'm a graduate nurse (will be RN) and I work nights on a medical floor. Actually last night was my first night. I had one day shift and four afternoons.

I feel like an idiot and I will never remember all the things I need to do or be fast enough to get everything done. :banghead: The LPN does most of the patient care besides assessments and IV push meds. So I hardly even see my patients and honostly don't really have time to anyway. My school had VERY little clinical time and now I'm thrust into this job I feel like I know virtually nothing about. To top it off I am just finishing my first trimester of pregnancy and am tired and absent minded all the time. All I can think is I should have been a teacher or something. At least then this would have been an exciting time... not an extremely stressful/ depressing one. I know there might be an avenue of nursing for me... working in a clinic or teaching or something. But to do that I have to put in my time on a 'med/surg' floor and I am completely miserable. I pretty much cry on the way home every day ( yes I am a tad hormonal). I don't want to be stressed I don't think it's good for the baby and I have read recently how women who work night shift have a higher chance of miscarriage. (http://www.womenfitness.net/news/fertility_pregnancy/sw_night_sift_linked.htm, http://www.kaisernetwork.org/Daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=34239). So I worry about that too. Didn't know I was prego when I interviewed... or that'd it be this hard (and potentially bad for the baby) when I accepted.

Lets face it, I'm not a fast-paced nurse or a future critical care nurse... I'm okay with that. I don't like feeling pressured or behind. How long do I have to spend at this job to do something else? I'm done with orientation at the end of february and I'm trying to stick it out. Everyone says it will get better.. but all I can think is yeah right you probably weren't half the idiot I am. I even have thoughts of leaving the field altogether. But I just started and I worked so hard to get here. I know there's some area I will be happy. Any words of wisdom?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to the General Nursing Discussion for more responses. Good luck with your job and the pregnancy.

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Specializes in LTC.

I thought LPNs weren't allowed to push IV meds, or do assessments. Maybe this is just in my state though. I'm a LPN student, so I'm pretty sure about this.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

You poor dear, there is no way that I would have wanted to start a new grad position in my first trimester of my pregnancy. My emotions where all over the place while I was pregnant. All I can say is to not give up on nursing. You may feel totally different about your job once you have your baby. If you can afford it maybe you should see if you can cut down on hours. You may try explaining to your NM about your pregnancy and see about switching shift until after you have the baby.

Also keep in mind that you are not slow you are a new grad nurse and everyone feels that way at first. Be sure to eat healthy, get plenty of rest, and try to relaxe when you can to keep yourself and the baby healthy. Good luck with everything.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, Oncology, Rehab, LTAC.

Nursing student 19-she says that LPN does the patient care "besides" meaning-the LPN does patient care "except for" assessments and IV pushes.

As for being pregnant and trying to get through the first year of nursing....I can't even imagine. My only advice would be to try to take the best care of yourself ie. resting when you can, eating a good diet and staying hydrated. Maybe keep an eye on the job board to see if a daylight or evening position comes open that you can try to get without having to leave that facility. Also, give yourself a chance. You may find that once the baby is here, your hormones level out and you have a little more experience under your belt...you may actually love nursing. There is a reason you worked so hard to graduate nursing school, right? Good Luck to you.

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Specializes in Cardiac Tele, MICU RN.

I'm sorry you are going through this period of being the novice nurse in your first trimester, because believe me, we have all been through this phase and I remember have the same feelings as you. Just know, this too shall pass, and as time goes on, things will get better and you will be much happier when you see a newer nurse start in your unit and you are able to help them. You may even need to go to another unit, you don't need to have med-surg to go to another floor, but it does give you good experience and will help you with organization and assessment skills. Good Luck in you nursing career and congratulations with your soon to be baby!:p

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Put your pregnancy first! That means - you and your baby. Med-surg is notoriously difficult, even for non-new-grads. And night shift messes up your metabolism. This should be a HAPPY time for you, not a miserable one. Rememer all that we were taught about how to exquisitely & tenderly care for the patient's body? You need to care for your OWN first.

I'm still in nursing school and am trying not to come to the conclusion that today's med-surg nursing world is miserable. I have yet to see any real evidence to the contrary.

You don't want to look back at this time as having put undue stress on your body. You should be happily expecting that little one. Being a nursing martyr just isn't worth it.

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Hi. A very long time ago in a different lifetime I became a maintance engineer. I didn't know anything like electrical circuits or even how to clear a plugged toilet. I just knew I made a big mistake by taking this job. I found out at that time I was pregnant and that added a lot of stress to everything. Trust me I know.

I talked to my supervisor with the explanation of being pregnant and unsure of procedures. He (tho uncomfortable about talking about it) advised to let him know when I was having a 'crisis' and he would help me all he could. Eating right, and drinking more water than an elephant seemed to work too. The first 3 months were, simply put HELL! I gave up so many times, crying myself to sleep, knowing I did everything wrong, knowing they were gonna fire me when I came back to work etc.

One day I had to change out an electrical outlet in a hotel room and I had to do it live. I had felt the baby kick earlier and wasn't sure I was up to doing this alone for the first time. No one was available for this task but me so I went into the hotel room and did the job. Didn't get shocked or hurt or anything and most of all did it right. Since then I was able to handle anything that came up; well except for a few small things which we won't go into.

What I am trying to say is it will pass. Give it time. Just remember you are not alone in this. We are here.:)

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
I thought LPNs weren't allowed to push IV meds, or do assessments. Maybe this is just in my state though. I'm a LPN student, so I'm pretty sure about this.

The scope of practice varies widely from state to state and even within each state....

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Regarding RN/LPN...I assumed from the way she wrote that she is an RN and the LPN's see the patient more than she does, yet she is still struggling. Maybe the author of this post can clarify.

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You are a new grad and pregnant... a double whammy for sure. Remember to take one day at a time, one task at a time. I have been in your shoes this time last year (almost exactly as I will be delivering my second child any day now)... it does get better. I was out of orientation about a month when I found out that I was pregnant. Most of the stress that I had was pressure that I put on myself to be the best nurse I could be. Just know that it does take time to get the hang of this job. Give yourself a break because you are only one person. Listen to your body, when you need a break take one, if you need help-ask for it. Your colleagues should understand the challenges of being a new grad and those of being preggers.

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Yes, I'm a soon to be RN. Actually I'm a graduate nurse at the moment and I'm taking my boards in Feb. (My assistant NM is pushing me to take my boards asap which means less than a month from now when I'm working full time overnights and stressed to the max! but that's besides the point) I was saying that pretty much the RN's only do assessments and IV push meds because the LPNs are not allowed to do these things in our state and the RN needs to focus on the enourmous amount of paperwork that has to be completed per shift.

That being said I had a full out panic attack leaving the hospital today :cry: I felt like I couldn't breathe and all I can think of is this isn't right. I should be taking care of myself.. The only thing in the world I care about is my husband and this baby. I have an anxiety disorder which I'm off meds for at the moment due to the pregnancy.

so..

I'm thinking about moving departments or jobs altogether. I feel horrible my NM is so nice and helpful and i've only been on the floor for a week and a half. Plus not sure which budget it comes from but they've invested time in training me and money in a Tele and Vent class, but so far it's just not a good fit. I'm not a good time manager I'm high anxiety and throw the hormones and lack of anxiety med in there and I'm just a mess right now.. there's always time to work med/surg later right? So as far as other jobs go I'm thinking of applying for OR.. I did a rotation down there and school and their job seemed well... boring... which would be a welcome change for me, trust me! I'm also looking at home health (not sure I love the idea of being in other people's homes... creepy old men, dogs that bite.. those are some issues that come to mind). There is a posting for one of each of those jobs. And possibly looking at local nursing homes. (but have not seen any advertisements yet). Are these good ideas? Should I just put in my app and not mention to my NM that I am thinking of leaving the position?

Thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to talk to people who understand.

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