Thrown under the bus ... Got back up.... now what?

You're going to need some nursing experience at the bedside before being hired as a wound nurse. You didn't say if you left your job. If you haven't, hang in there. It gets easier.

Did you quit? If you did, was it just because you had a med error? Did you quit during orientation? Were you let go? I'm confused! You left a lot of info out. Human Resources can tell you. If you aren't considered rehirable by that facility try another. Not all of nursing is like that but it is usually a lot more over-whelming than you expect when you first start out. Most nurses deal with it until they can get that experience and find a better position or until they learn to handle it all. We have wound care nurses at our hospital but it's like any nursing position-those with the most experience get the job. Good luck!

This patient ratio is not unusual at all in this part of the country.

As a long-time nurse educator, I can assure you that almost all new grads feel "overwhelmed". It is usually due to a lack of ability to confidently prioritize - which results in each 'task' having the same degree of importance. So, naturally you have difficulty with "time management" (aka - getting everything done in the time allotted). Otherwise, each shift just seems like a never-ending avalanche of work & can quickly descend into feelings of panic and outright fear.

Experienced nurses have an internalized system for sorting out what needs to be done; generally in terms of urgency. They continually re-assess their work and focus on tasks that have high levels of urgency (must be done within an very short time to keep the patient safe or meet a deadline). The next priority would be given to tasks that can wait a while and the last (lowest priority) is for tasks that should be done by the end of the shift but could be handed off without harming the patient or missing an important deadline. Urgent tasks can crop up at any time -- so the plan has to be adjusted. This may mean that some low priority things are left undone for the next shift. And this is OK . . . that's why we have round-the-clock nursing care. Problems arise if you are trying to hand off 'urgent' and overdue tasks to the next shift.

My organization trains preceptors in the skills needed to help a new nurse get organized and prioritize. It's a shame that others aren't doing the same.

My organization trains preceptors in the skills needed to help a new nurse get organized and prioritize. It's a shame that others aren't doing the same.

I've been looking for info on organizing and prioritizing. I found one book with CEU's attached called Time Management for Nurses. It's a Quick E-Pro book. It's pretty useful, but I expected to be able to find lots of information of this nature to help me. (Please see my new thread "Career in a Ditch".)

I'm desperate for information on how to get myself ready to be re-hired! I so sympathized with the OP here....