What to do?!?

jay65 · Sep 12, 2012

I am a new grad fresh RN...I have been working on the ICU step down unit for the past 3 months and I hate every second of it...the whole time I'm workin I don't have time to breathe it feels like! I always get the bad patients as in they r turning for the worst or they are high Maintanence all night...I was promised a 3 month orientation and got cut off short and I feel completely and totally inadequate! I work for little to nothing, high acuity pts with several cardiac drips and 4 pts most of the time sometimes we walk into taking 5 and never have the schedule I signed up for which cuts into my family time and when I go home all I can do is cry and think about all the stuff I should have done better!! I absolutely dread goin to work and I have literally cried on the way to work bc I hate it so much...I LOVED nursing in nursing school and knew in my heart this is where I belonged but this job has made me reconsider....should I transfer to a different hospital or go in home health or what?? Is it time for a different job? Please help!!!!!! :,(

Oh I wish I could help or say something. All I can say is "welcome to nursing". Hang in there, I guess? Try to find something different? I wish you luck.

eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN · Sep 12, 2012

I'm so sorry you're feeling like this. The first year is the hardest they say. Do you have a coworker who you ask questions to? Do you feel your assignment is much more difficult than your peers? Can you talk to your manager? Tell her that you feel swamped and unprepared. Ask for a couple more weeks of orientation. Do you have a brain sheet? Search on here, they have awesome ones to keep you organized. I recommend hanging in there for a year if possible unless you have another job lined up. I wish you the best!

RN_BSN_34 · Sep 24, 2012

You shouldn't have that many patients on a step down unit! It's time for a transfer or new hospital all together! Don't give up on nursing! Good luck

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Marshall1 · Sep 28, 2012

Tough unit for a new nurse..I'd suggest transferring out of the unit if you can..if management says "no" then find another job.

allnurses Guide · Sep 30, 2012

Four to five at night is standard on most step-down units. If that is unsafe, then everywhere is unsafe.

I am on ICU Stepdown as well and am 8 months in now. It was SO hard at first. I felt like I was running like a mad woman most shifts, forgetting stuff, panicking all the time. And somewhere around two weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn't staying late to chart anymore and wasn't dreading going in as much. I am starting to figure things out, getting better at time management and taking/giving report and charting efficiently. I am getting better at assessments, medications and getting to know the docs and other staff. The world is quite a bit less stressful than it was last Spring.

Hang in there. Yes, it stinks in the beginning. The honeymoon is over and the reality of nursing is a hard, hard adjustment. But if you keep plugging away, seeking feedback, seeking help - you will get there too. The best feeling in the world is when you have done everything you needed to do and realize you have time to help out a coworker.

Good luck.