[marbles]

Hello, I am a new nurse and I have worked at a hospital where at first they acted like I was their best friend. After orientation I was placed on night shift to begin on my own. Because I was asking some questions , I was told that I needed more orientation time (but not very happy like). When I asked why the supervisor said that the girl who trained me ( who left me all the time to go out and smoke) and who did my duties for me when it became close to going home because she said she needed to get home to her baby.So I quit of which I should not have but I felt they (origionally ) said (when you feel comfortable) we let you go on your own. So summing it all up I feel I had not caught on as fast as they would have liked and that they started to put pressure on me which made me more nervous. I felt that I was learning and when I did something correct and I mastered it I was very thrilled.Sadly they wanted me to learn faster than I could.They never said what I was actually not catching on to but that I should have by 6 weeks. I still kept up 8 people and only asked some clerical questions....I have been told I have wonderful bedside manners >>thats the good side of me. But I now feel very low after I have worked very hard to become a nurse.I was always told I would get a mentor but he/she never appeared.I do not want to be classified as any one type of nursing as I feel everyone can do any type of nursing if people would just stay calm .Anyone with any advice for a 46 year old new nurse? Please don`t say I should go to a dr,s office (not that that would be bad but the issue is about (catching on).I do suffer fron depression and anxiety but I have struggled with that all my life , I just keep picking myself up and going on.,,Relating to anxiety and depression. Thanks for any wisdom....

[cassioo]

it's good you have sense enough to ask questions. You need a preceptor who can work with your style of learning. Everyone lears in different ways and differnt rates. Did you have meetings during orientation with your preceptor, supervisor and education r/t what you needed to learn with goal setting or just whatever comes along?

[marbles]

Thanks for writing back. But the answer to your question was no, there was nothing,no goals etc..I tried communicating to the supervisor and she would just say"I hope this little bump won`t discourage you".

[NavyJim58]

Hi Marbles.....sorry to hear about your troubles but I am not surprised.....as a past clinical nurse educator I know all the problems with orienting new grad nurses to the work force......many nurse preceptors or coaches do not have the training to do a good job and they are usually too busy or too stressed themselves to care....:frustrated: ...some hospitals who have enough good nurses and a qualified education department can set up an excellent well structured orientation plan for new nurses and stick to it......a lot of hospitals have good plans but don't follow them because something always comes up.....call in's so the new nurse has to take patients or the preceptor has to take charge and hasn't time for the orientee.....stuff like that......new grad nurses need a mentor to look out for them......my advice would be too interview at a couple of hospitals and be straight up with them.....tell them what you need to become comfortable as a nurse on a ward and choose the one who will provide you with the precepting, coach, mentor and training you need. Nurses are needed everywhere and you should be able to find the right place to work.....all hospitals are not the same.......good luck

[JSwan]

Originally Posted by marbles

They never said what I was actually not catching on to but that I should have by 6 weeks. I still kept up 8 people and only asked some clerical questions....

Marbles, by "kept up 8 people" do you mean you took on 8 patients? If so, that seems ludicrous that the management would allow that - not because of your or any nurse's abilities, but because research has shown that it's simply not safe!!

At any rate, based on what you said about your mentor and the manager, it sounds like you landed on a floor that is a bad fit for you. I have heard of nurses who have the bad luck of being paired with a floor that does not suit their needs, but then go to a different floor and do wonderfully. I know how hard it is to feel confident once your self-esteem has been shaken, though. When I took a CNA class a few years ago, I had a terrible clinical experience with classmates who made negative remarks about my performance and who would stand glowering at me and snapping corrections at me while I performed client care. It was awful and really shook my self-confidence in my ability to care for patients. I only regained my confidence after going on to nursing school and having positive clinical experiences with classmates who were supportive of each other.

I hope that you can go on to a supportive situation that will help you regain your confidence, gain a level of comfort and experience, and show those people that you are capable, independent, and far better off without their "help"! :houra:

[marbles]

Thanks for answering,
Yes I did have 8 patients and got through the night. I did tell my supervisor that 8 people was too many to know what everyone was doing and HOW they were doing. I think that people think that patients sleep at night but not many! Most are anxiously awaiting their meds exactly at the right hour.
I do not know who has terrible pain or not , it is my job to take care that all 8 people get meds all night long and the paperwork on all of them. No breaks or any supper. Just take a bite and move on. But when I voiced my anxiety over 8 patients I was told by my manager that she used to carry 12!. I said I" I can`t emagine the quality of care that 12 patients could get." I know it could happen but only in emergency situations. Anyway, It is also correct that preceptors get over swamped but not the one I had. She played the card game with cards on the computor (instead of showing me what I might be slow on).I have felt very hurt and frustrated . I know we are to do what we can do to help ourselves. I went and got several books on self esteem and I hope God will help me to stop having fear. But any advise is so helpful.
You don`t know how much it helps just for someone to share their experience....marbles