So far I know that there are three of us starting our new careers as RNs on 7/10. Anyone else?
6 Days to go!!! Are you excited? Scared? Nervous? Is there anything that you afraid or nervous about doing?
I am so excited to be starting...so excited, that I feel as if I am almost wishing away these last few days. Which is really dumb...as it will probably be a long time before I get vacation time.
Is there anything in particular that you are worried about? big or small?
My biggest fear is that I'll be in the middle of some critical situation...and I'll take the time to do something - the way I learned to do in school...but not the way it is done in the "real" world and someone will scream at me for not moving quick enough. I was an EMT, and there were all kinds of ways to do things the "textbook" way vs. the "real" way...took awhile to get used to that. I'm sure it's going to be that way all over again...on a much grander scale. oh well...we're all newbies at some point.
Can't believe I ever stressed about not being up on my skills.....LOL they go over everything in orientation and you have to pass the skill to move on..........Whew!
Sounds like we are all enjoying our new positions. Today I get to go the floors...I think/I hope...we were told to wear scrubs. Good thing, I'm running out of normal clothes...for me it's either scrubs or jeans. Found out yesterday that in addition to vents and ALCS training that the facility will opening a tele floor...more good skills to hone. We learned IV therapy yesterday...nervous but, yet so excited to start that. I feel that this position will really give me a great foundation. Now...I just need to start!!! No more videos!!!
I started 7/10 two weeks of orientation with days in between on the unit. Tomorrow I just shadow a nurse. Really nurse - have a lot to remember. I guess I better start getting really organized. They work you up gradually- 1-2 patients the first week the next three and the fourth week 4 patients. I hope I have a great preceptor. It looks like alot of new nurses on the floor. That helps I hope. Good luck to us all.
I'm drowning in a sea of policies and paperwork!!!!! not too mention the stuff inbetween. webed, skills lab, computer know how, pixis,passwords, procedures etc etc.........argh!
Youngatheart, great to hear that there is one more of us, newbies. What kind of floor do you work on? I think that is going to be the most challenging part of being a nurse is the organization and time management. You'll have to keep us all posted on your progress.
AmyD...last day of week one...tomorrow is Friday. Unless of course you're on the weekend. Hope not. I know what you mean about all this...stuff. It can be overwhelming. Have you been on the floor yet or are you still being oriented to the hospital? We finish vents tomorrow morning, and then we go to the floors. I have a nine page medtest to do before I can pass meds...so, I think at the most I will just get to follow a nurse around. There is no way, that I want to start this test tonight. My whole internal timeclock is changing...I'm used to being up until 11, 12pm...this week I've been falling asleep by 10p.
well I know what you mean about sleep patterns I too was used to 11p or 12 p then getting up at 6:30 now I am falling asleep around 9-9:30p and getting up at 5am dog tired! This week has been an eye opener that I would not work full time mon-friday 8am-5pm.........I would just miss my family way too much. Hard with kids. this is our last day this week in hospital orientation then we go one more week next week then off to the floor! yikes!!!!!!
Done with the first week... I'm still excited to be starting but I'm kind of disappointed with our orientation - I did not find much of it substantive at all. It was a very , extremely general hospital orientation. Even though it will probably be overwhelming, I am ready to hit the floor! I go to the unit on Tuesday 7/18.
Good evening to all...actually, it's bedtime!!! First week is over...woohoo!!! I don't know about all of you but, I'm exhausted from sitting in a chair watching videos and playing with the computer...LOL! Today, I got to go to the ICU and observe for about two hours and will go back Tuesday for my first shift. I'm still really excited but now really nervous...there is soooooo much to remember. The knowledge is there and the skills I can practice...it's all the hospital policies and procedures that are going to make the job tough. Every time I start to feel overwhelmed I need to keep reminding myself that with everything I do, I become more knowledgable, and more competent...most of the time however, it just feels like very, tiny, baby steps...but, nonetheless it's still progress.
Hope everyone has the weekend off...we all deserve it. You're right AmyD...I could never and would never want to do this M-F, 8-4 thing. I missed my kids so much today. I started at 8a...by 9a I was almost in tears. I was reading a handout on development and read about preschoolers needing bandaids for the tiniest of cuts because of their fears about bodily injury...blah blah blah...and I had visions of my 4yo asking me for a bandaid and crying about falling and getting hurt. Most days when I'm home and she falls 100 times in the course of a day, I get annoyed with every request for a bandaid...today I was thinking "I'd give anything to hear her ask for...anything.":(
Hope all who started last week are enjoying their new positions. I am loving mine...so far so good!!! I will be on a regular floor once I am on my own, but for now I am training in the ICU. I love it...the fast pace, the autonomy...I think it will be my goal to end up there, ultimately.I just think I need to do my time getting acclimated to being a nurse and to the hospital. This hospital offers ACLS training, so I will pursue that...and then we'll see. I've only been on the floor for two 12s, but I feel like I've learned so much already. The people training me have been amazing - so patient, and trusting in my abilities - more so than I trust in myself, I think. I am off for two days, and then on again this weekend...I'm exhausted so the time off is great and I've missed my kids, but I am looking so forward to getting back there. Also, looking forward to hearing about how everyone else is doing.
sO happy to hear you are finding orientation great. Mine is terrible I have been on the floor two times already. I am assigned to a nurse who is also the charge nurse on the floor. She is very nice but busy doing charge nursework. Because i am new i really want this time for someone to show me the ropes so I can eventually get my nursing legs. I had to find where everything is on my floor. (rooms, supplies, forms etc) I will have about 4 different preceptors while on orientation. It can be good and bad. I am hoping it will get better. Good luck with your orientation it sounds great
Hi everyone! Just thought I would check in with my fellow newbies!
I am in my first week of actually working in the unit ( had hospital orientation for the first week and a half). I tell ya', my head is ready to fall off from the weight of all the crap I am trying to stuff in it!
What is overwhelming me a bit is trying to put my (very rough) nursing skills into play while trying to learn all the policies, proceedures, paperwork, routines,where things are located etc. There is so much to focus on that I am, at times, forgetting to do very basic things that were second nature while doing clinicals. Kind of frustrating....makes me feel like a dither head.
Thank goodness I am working with a nice group of nurses or I would probably be running for the hills already!
It's funny...Today was fine, a little stessful at times trying to put things together, but overall OK...yet I came home and started crying. My poor husband. I couldn't really even put my finger on WHAT was wrong. Nothing bad happened, no one was nasty to me...I guess this is just a very VERY BIG adjustment.
It's nice to have this board to come to and find people who understand what I mean when I say that :)
Count me in...I start nurse residency July 17th...will be rotating on the med-surg units and eventually end up in Oncology. Should be an exciting few months ahead!
AmyD_RN
464 Posts
Can't believe I ever stressed about not being up on my skills.....LOL they go over everything in orientation and you have to pass the skill to move on..........Whew!