WOW 2 days in

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Let me start off with I obtained my LPN in 2016, and I have been gainfully employed in LTC since. My 1st year as a floor nurse, was lets just say a "learning experience". Caring for 20+ patients per shift, coordinating care, learning how to manage different personalities, and honing time managment skills on top of mastering those soft skills and general nursing tasks was a monumental task, to say the least. 

After a year, I was promoted into a leadership position as an MDS nurse, and thought it was something I would really enjoy. I loved putting the puzzle together, writing care plans, and making the facility money. However as the years went by, it was evident that in LTC there is no such thing as a definitive job role. I found myself putting in 40 hrs a week in MDS, and another 20 hours a week on the floor, and while at home sitting on the couch, I was writing care plans and calling the facility to ask if a CNA or a Nurse had completed xyz. A salaried role of course ?

I had decided to go back to school and finish my RN, which I did ? Graduated this December and passed boards a few weeks ago!

I knew that I was ready to try something new, as I had no desire to remain in LTC, so I applied to a local hospital. Never being in an acute care setting, I really had no idea where I would want to land, and when asked if there was a specialty that interested me, I really didn't have an answer. I knew I didn't want OB, or LD and other than that I was open to try just about anything, and I was offered a position on a med/surg cardiac floor.

Well, I just completed day two and for the most part it has been all computer based orientation. What little I have seen of the floor, I am beginning to wonder if I have made a grave mistake ? . I know nothing. Absolutely nothing. I remember feeling like this when I was new in LTC, however this feels different. I have not met my preceptor yet, that will be tomorrow, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out. 

During the hiring process, when they were setting my schedule my nurse manager asked me if I had any questions prior to start (I had a two week lag time) and I asked if there was any material I should go over prior, anything I should brush up on? and she had replied, "nope, you'll learn it all here." Fast forward to "here" and I'm thinking, well maybe I should have come to AL and asked, because I am certain that there were some things I should have brushed up on as I hear my 3rd code being called to the floor I am about to start on. ?

Any advice to a not so new nursling that is feeling very very very new? 

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I have a lot of hope for you based on the tone of your writing. The number one thing you can do is not underestimate yourself and start flailing around being all self-deprecating. You can learn this just as you have learned other things.

The more you believe in yourself enough to stay emotionally neutral and handle the learning opportunities that come your way (as opposed to berating yourself for not already knowing everything and telegraphing that sentiment to everyone around you), the better off you will be.

Yes, you are going to learn a lot, but you've done that before.

Best of luck!!

??

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
41 minutes ago, autism4life said:

I know nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Au contre mon frere!

autism4life, you possess, in the very least, basic nursing interventions and assessment skills.

Building upon your obviously quality foundation of past nursing care, I can see great things on your horizons.

And if you find you cannot meet the requirements of your med surg/cardiac position, well then, hey- there's always psych nursing.

Psych is where all of us losers end up.

Just kidding. I sense that you are a go-getter, and after some time, you're going to shine!

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I've oriented LTC nurses to acute care a handful of times, and they have all done extremely well. There is a lot of computer charting, but you'll learn to make short work of that after you become familiar with it.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Ahhh thank you folks! Going from chronic care to acute care is daunting to say the least. I'm sure I have picked up some "habits" along the way that I will need to address, and ask loads of questions, at least until my preceptor tires of me and tells me to "go away" ?  I find humor in the strangest places, so I hope to utilize that as a coping mechanism as I forge ahead.  

I'll be sure to come back and update with my progress. 

Have a blessed week everyone.  

 

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

You can do this! Ask questions, take notes. Ask staff if they will share a copy  their "brains"  And be prepared to study in your off time.

As for cardiac, brush up on BLS. They will most likely send you to an ACLS class, but it helps to know rhythms. Your hospital library can most likely lend you an Dubin's book to learn rhythms, and an ACLS book. You may want to brush up on cardiac meds and typical labs. 

 

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Specializes in Cardiac.
10 minutes ago, nursej22 said:

You can do this! Ask questions, take notes. Ask staff if they will share a copy  their "brains"  And be prepared to study in your off time.

As for cardiac, brush up on BLS. They will most likely send you to an ACLS class, but it helps to know rhythms. Your hospital library can most likely lend you an Dubin's book to learn rhythms, and an ACLS book. You may want to brush up on cardiac meds and typical labs. 

 

Thank you! I will defiantly ask if they have those resources available, goodness, its been a long time since I had to look at rhythms, time to head to Youtube for some crash courses ? 

 

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

To add to what Davey Do said you also have mad organizational and time management skills.  Now, you'll have to learn what's really important for your new floor and what can wait but you already know the basics.  And if you can take care of 20+ patients you can do your new floor.  Just give it time, there's a whole lot of new stuff you'll have to learn but you can do it, as you've already proven by getting your LPN and RN.  Just...no more working without getting paid, esp 60+ hours.....

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Specializes in Cardiac.
57 minutes ago, Nunya said:

To add to what Davey Do said you also have mad organizational and time management skills.  Now, you'll have to learn what's really important for your new floor and what can wait but you already know the basics.  And if you can take care of 20+ patients you can do your new floor.  Just give it time, there's a whole lot of new stuff you'll have to learn but you can do it, as you've already proven by getting your LPN and RN.  Just...no more working without getting paid, esp 60+ hours.....

Thank you for pointing out a few areas that I may excel in that I may have taken for granted (time management is key in most units).  My 60+ hours a week, I pray are behind me ? and no more working for free for this nursling. 

 

 

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Specializes in LPN.

Sometimes you have to get "thrown in the fire" as they say but you can make it through it. Trust your instincts. Trust your nursing knowledge. Learn from your fellow nurses. And ask questions. Take notes.

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Coming into a new specialty is daunting. Don't make any decisions, until your orientation is complete. It's way too soon to start worrying.

Did you receive an outline of your orientation ? I can tell you that, I started out on med surg/tele. My orientation included a six week critical care course, that taught me telemetry interpretation. Nobody should have to teach them selves tele/ ekg skills.

 Good luck, let us know how you're doing.

 

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Well good folks, I am surviving! Loads to learn, but manageable. I feel very uncoordinated and clumsy in even the most menial of tasks, but I'm getting it.

I know they say there is no "dumb questions", but even I know that's just something people say to be nice LOL. I refuse to ask dumb questions. For example, I did not remember to take all of my supplies that I needed to a room, and had to go back to the supply room. My preceptor, earlier in the day had shown me where to find the exact thing I was looking for, and if you thought I could remember where that one thing was when I needed it, you would be mistaken.  Now, it would have been faster to go and find her (or anyone) to tell me/show me where said object was, however I chastised myself for not actively listening the 1st time, and spent the next 5 minutes looking for it. I eventually found it, and know where a great many other items are as well, as a result.  This is not to be construed that I do not ask questions, my preceptor is probably board to tears at this point with my constant toddler "why's, and what's", and I'm sure she is checking her calendar to see if she can take vacation for next 6 weeks and pawn me off on some other poor soul. ?

My experience with a much larger case load is definitely a point in my favor, in the fact that I can move when I need too. I took two patients on my second day, and though there were many skills I was not accustomed to performing, all my coworkers jumped in to show me the ropes, some even calling my preceptor when they had something they thought I would benefit seeing or doing. 

This hospital nursing thing isn't easy, but smiling is. So when I'm in doubt, I just smile and say "let me find someone to help me with this, and we'll get through this together." No one has thrown me out yet, and I haven't cried ? 

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