I will be graduating with a BA in December and am thinking about my options for when I graduate. I am stuck between nursing, MPA or MSW.

I was diagnosed with MS last year and am pretty stable for the most part. Do you guys think it is a bad idea to do nursing with me having MS? I am trying to make the best choice for myself taking my illness into consideration. Please help!

Thanks.

Carmen

Mandy

I have had an orientation that was promised to last 12 weeks but because we are so short staffed, it is being cut short. I am terrified to be by myself, the honeymoon is over and there are more threats of being written up for things that I was NEVER taught. I don’t want to go to work everyday thinking I am going to be reprimanded for things I didn’t even know were rules! This job is stressful enough without the constant fear of getting in trouble for things you were never taught, I am already afraid that I am going to miss some small change in a patient that may mean the difference between life and death. Most of the nurses are really nice, there are some with a bit of an attitude but I just brush them off. I just don’t like being promised the world in the interview and then finding out that the reality of the floor is total hell! I have been off for 4 days and still I don’t want to go back, I have only been there for 2 months! I don’t even have a license yet!!!! (next week is the test) If it is true that the horror lasts a year I do not think I can take it! I know there are more of you out there that feel like me, I just need to know that it is going to get better. Should I get a different job when I get a license? What does it say about a floor that can’t keep nurses because of low staff?

Ellie

Lois Phillips

Doreen

Thx
Marta

It’s a nagging question of mine. Also, I am currently working full time and my big concern is will it be an obstacle when I start my nursing degree? I can’t quit work and be a full time student. I can’t afford it. I’m planning on doing the A.S. degree first, be employed as a nurse and eventually get my B.S. degree.

I hope someone is able to give me an honest advice.

Haidee

Talk with at least 2 nursing graduates who have been working as nurses for anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Ask them about their socialization to nursing after graduation. Did either of them experience reality shock? How long did it last? Did they recover from the shock? If so, how?

Feel free to email me. Any info would be great!!!

thank you so much!!

Malia

Anyone else have this problem?

lrs

Our initial orientation was supposed to be 8 weeks, but I was thrown out on my own a little sooner than I would have liked. I started at my hospital June 1st doing orientation and by the fifteenth they had me on my unit with a peceptor. I did that for two days and by my third day I had two patients by myself. the next day three, next day four, five and so forth up to six which I am now at. (I think thats the limit) It was extremely stressful As soon as I felt comfortable with my time management and felt like I was finally getting my “niche” (as my co-workers called it) I would get brought back down to reality again when I had an extra patient.

I of course struggled the most out of any day so far the first day I had my own patients. I had not created any kind of system for myself…I was still searching for one. I found myself passing meds like an hour late and having patients who were supposed to have procedures done in the AM and I didn’t have any of the paper work done for it. I also got a phone call that night from the cardiac unit telling me my patient had a pause in their rhythm strip. I was in the room with the patient when this was supposed to have happened and he was totally asymptomatic I checked his VS’s and reassessed him and everything. I asked a new of my co-workers what had happened and what I should do about it. my shift was ending in less than 30 minutes. They recommended I just chart my findings and mention it to the oncomming shift when I give report so they will be aware of it. Well when I did this the nurse I gave report too flipped out and yelled at me and embarrassed me in front of the whole team. Telling me I was crazy and I should have “called the DR!!!”

She ripped my papers out of my hands and stormed off. Now if thats not a bad way to end your first day I would like to know what is! Here I was passing meds and having two patients by myself and its only my third day on the Unit! I’m still supposed to be precepting for another like 4 weeks here! On top of that My pt. with the critical lab (low K+) Is leaving for a CT scan and needs to have her IV K+ hung STAT…all the girls are yelling at me telling me hurry hurry hurry… I had never hung an IV bag of K+ at the time and was still trying to even figure out how their IV equipment even worked. After what seemed like an eternity I got someone to come walk through it with me and she was able to be sent on to CT. I was scared becasue I was in a hurry and I didn’t want to go do somethign I didn’t feel comfortable doing for the first time under that much pressure and stress. I have heard far too many horror stories about IV’s getting put in the wrong port and people getting a bolus rather than a drip rate. I was a nervous wreck! Well that morning when I went home from my shift I felt like crying the whole way home. The nurses on my unit are very helpful and they come and help me whenever I need it. That particular night they were all just very busy. If I ever ask a question or ask for help and I notice that fabulour eye roll or I feel like I am getting on their nerves I just tell them thank your for helping me and I have to remind them that this is still new to me. I usually mention that I would rather ask for help and get something done correctly than to do it alone and mess up and have an even bigger mess than if I woudl ahve just asked for help. They usually agree with me, smile and are more than happy to help walk me through something I am not comfortable doing…thank god! lol….AFter that terrible shift I felt hopeless…like I was never going to be able to make it. I figured I needed to come up with a routine so that this sort of night will NEVER happen again! I went home and wrote down all the things that eiher I over looked, or got behind on, or just didn’t understand well and I reviewed it. I created my own little “care plan” of what interventions I can do the next shift so that I can fix all these mishaps. This is what I came up with…

I created a little page with 6 blocks on it and I typed it up so it will be neat. I take a sharpie and put the pt.’s name and room number by each section and I made the copies on Yellow paper so it will stick out when I get a big load of papers and find myself fumbling through them. I have the time labeld on the left hand side… 2300, 0000, 0100, 0200..etc. with a line out from it I label the time everything needs to be done so I will have a quick go to guide when I get behind or confused. I also have a section saying what PRN’s have been given and what time. What their O2 is set to…what IVF’s are hanging and what rate..etc. I dread leaving stuff for the morning shift to do becasue they give your “the look” and make you feel like you didn’t do your job. And being the new kid on the block I don’ t like leaving feeling like someone else is picking up my slack. So I try to not let that happen as much as I can. My routine as of now is I clock in go get my report on my patients then I go assign each of them to me on the computer and look up everything that needs to be done on my shift for each patient. Labs, meds, xray, procedures, etc.

Once I fill that out I make my initial rounds do my assessments and pass any meds that I might have to give. I started asking them their pain scale while I’m doing my first rounds so I don’t find myself running back and forth to the med room 10 times when they call out for pain meds, or nausea meds. After I get all that done I get to my charting with hopes of getting it all done by my 3AM Chart checks. This method works great for me unless I get critical labs adn have to call the MD or heaven forbids one of my patients gets bad and needs some extra TLC. It’s those little surprises that can totally get me off track and feel stressed out. I talk to my co-workers and they all tell me my feelings are totally normal for a new nurse and that alot of them felt that way when they were new too. They always tell me it gets easier with time and once I get my “niche” I will be smooth sailing. I long for the day when I can actually go to the bathroom or sit down and have a lunch break and not feel like I am missing precious time.

How long will it be before I feel totally comfortable as a Nurse?

When does that “Reality Shock” finally wear off?

And does anyone have any tips for new nurses to help us find our “Niche”?

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

I work night shift so we have a little extra paperwork than the day shift does. The big stack of charts I have to go through one by one bogg me down so bad. I have a goal every night to get to them by 3AM if I can manage to sit down and start at 3 and not have interruptions I can get it done and go on and get ready to give my morning meds and make my next rounds. If not I get overwhelmed and feel like I’m not going to have time to get everything I need to get done.

Thank You!

Brittany