Will I ever get this nursing thing? LONG

[emilysmom,RN]

HI

I have been a RN on a med surg floor for close to 6 months now. I work four 8hr nite shifts. Things were going good for the last couple weeks. Until this AM. I had this pt that was suppose to go get a angio done last Fri but it was cancelled it was my understanding that it was cancelled due to her labs. I did a chart check and I did not actually see an order for the new angio but I did see the angio form it was not filled out. I talked to the charge nurse and asked her about it, she said that I should just follow the angio protocols as they were ordered last week. So I did, there was an order for labs in the computer already the only thing is it was for 11am not 6am and I missed it. Also, she had a order for a special IV to be hung 1hr before the procedure but I did not send it to pharm because I did not have a time since angio is not in till 7:30am. AM nurse was a bit mad so I called for a stat lab and by then it was later I called angio and got a time and found out the reason the angio was cancelled was because the DR had a hard week and did not want to do it on a FRi afternoon. She scanned down the IV order with the exact time. I appologized and feel really stupid.

We have compadecies next week I wonder if I will pass them.

Thanks for listening

[LogCabinMom]

Emilysmom, I hear what you are saying. I'm in a LTC facility and I feel as if there are times I have no idea what I'm doing. I hate going from a huge high when I think I am doing it all right to a crashing low because another nurse either said something nasty to me or found something I missed.

Our acuity is actually pretty high for LTC; I have IVs, wound vacs, etc etc, as well as pages and pages of meds for at least 27 residents, sometimes 54. I never know when I'm supposed to call a doc, my assessment skills are minimal because - hello! - I'm fresh out of school, my morning med pass takes me at least 4 hours. Assessing, charting, calling docs/family - suffice it to say I have had 3 med errors in the last 3 weeks and know this cannot go on. I am called almost every day I have off to come in and help out.

I have an interview at a hospital on Wednesday for a med/surg position and really hope I get it; I think the training at a hospital will far exceed anything I've gotten so far. I would also love to only have 3-5 patients.