Just starting my career...overwhelmed..help!!

[debson]

Hi everyone,
I have just started my career as a LPN. I began work in longterm but I'm very overwhelmed. My first shift was a nightmare. To many meds to hand out and I have never done that before. What do I do? I feel so incompetent.

[MRS. ERNURSE]

What you are going through is perfectly normal: misaerable, regretful, dumbfounded. Those are words to describe my first year, 4 yrs ago. Now, stressed at times, confident, knowledgable and able to serve faster than any waitress around (OOPS, DID I SAY WAITRESS??? That's what our clientel see us as much of the time or airline stewartess.....oh well) and think quick, clear, and critically on my feet...Thank you Lord.

My advice: prioritize, put one foot in front of the other, do not compare your insides to other nurse's outsides (how you feel you are doing compared to what you THINK they are doing-they could be going through they same thing just feeling numb and not reacting on the outside), and pray pray pray!

You'll do just great. I know you will, because when I read your thread, it was like looking into a looking glass mirror...Alice In Wonderland. You are going to be one awesome nurse...like me. No regrets..well occasionally it would be nice just to be a janitor!

Keep your chin up, your back straight no matter what happens on the floor.
And remember two awesome things: No matter how crazy things get....life is good if everyone still has a pulse and the time clock keeps moving reguardless of the activity around it. You still get to clock out eventually. I use to tell the day shift "See you guys later, I'm going on vacation" They'd look at me funny and say "what do you mean, I thought you were coming back tonight?" I say "I am, I'm going on a twelve hour vacation to the land of the zzzzzzz's" "or I'm going to close my eyes and be in Lake Tahoe".

Things will get better. You will know those meds. It will get to a point that you will look at someone and know exactly what they are being treated for and what their history is, just by experienced assessments....assess. assess. assess. If you can't remember anything else remember that.

Good luck,

Mr. Ernurse

[debson]

Thank you so much for your reply. Now if I survive tomorrows shift I will be ok. I know its real difficult now for myself and I am my worst critic. I sometimes wish I was in that ditch helping the sick and injured as an EMT rather than what I'm doing now. I just don't want to miss up, 41 residents is a tough med pass, and I just dont know how I will manage.

Thanks again, and you will know my progress for sure as I know where to get some valueable input

[nrsgrl]

Thanks-Mr. Ernurse! That was comforting to read even though it didn't apply to me! I can tell you have a nurse's spirit.
-Lesley

[justatraveler]

Thank you so much for your reply. Now if I survive tomorrows shift I will be ok. I know its real difficult now for myself and I am my worst critic. I sometimes wish I was in that ditch helping the sick and injured as an EMT rather than what I'm doing now. I just don't want to miss up, 41 residents is a tough med pass, and I just dont know how I will manage.

Thanks again, and you will know my progress for sure as I know where to get some valueable input

One med at a time, one patient at a time. You'll get the hang of it.

[hmmm...iwonder]

yeah, I know what u mean. I felt the same way when I started my first LVN job @ a SNF. Well, it is about 6 months there now and I can say it gets easier. Just go as slow as u need at first, ask questions when in doubt. You have to get good at delegating work to ur CNA's, so that you can focus on ur med pass w/out interuptions. Oh yeah, and use the paging system instead of walking around the facility to get help. Overtime u will be amazed at how far u have come. Whatever u do- Don't give up, u are not incompatent, we all have felt that way and just remember you are new and it takes time.

[orionseal]

Well, where do I begin? Ah I know. Here goes.

Only 41 residents? The N/H I work at is a 51 bed skilled home, with one charge nurse (me) and three aids per shift.

Talk about feeling overwhelmed, when I started work they had just lost 4 out of the six charge nurses they had working for them, I went almost blind staring at the M A R 's that first night (HORID NIGHT MARES STILL, INVOLVE LOOSING LIMBS TO ASSORTED CHARTS, please don't ask me about the flying Sharps containers)

Now days (Still work at same place) I still have bad days but I now call them whelming days rather than over-whelming.

How many cena's do you have? Don't let them bullie you (it's your license!!!) You are the Boss, and yes some cena's/aid's hate me, but most say they love me (to my face, that is.).

Incompetent? Not a day goes by that I don't get butterflies in my gut on my way to work, and to my surprise some of the nurses that I admire for the way they handle situations with such calm resolve have said to me "I hope to be as good a Nurse someday as you are Charlie.". Talk about goosebumps.

Now that I have been the charge nurse for a while and have seen some of the things I had hoped to never see (yes, it will happen to you too.) it seems to be second nature to reach over and grab what ever it is I will need and go do what it is we do best.

Whats that?
Oh.
What we do best is CARRING for those who trust us to do so.