My First Year of Nursing

Week 1:

Week one consisted of HR orientation, 1 day of EPIC training, and 1 just reviewing general power points related to the hospital and best nursing practices.

I also had my first day on the floor on Friday (so I worked 4 days this week!). I shadowed mostly, but did get to administer some meds through the IV pump. I learned how to set up the feeding pump as well! My patients were very young (all < 3 years old). I struggle to calculate respirations on babies since they breathe so fast!! I was so tired I told my preceptor I was counting the HR instead of respirations (and then said the RR was 120--SO wrong)...LMAO i need to sleep when I come in. I am a complete moron on days I don't sleep.

My preceptor complimented me on how fast i picked things up. I still feel extremely nervous and paralyzed. I really feel like hospital nursing isn't for me, but as a new grad I need this experience to move on. My goal at the moment is to be a nursing professor. I also am looking into research. I guess those could be kind of intertwined, since a lot of tenured professors need to conduct research anyway. 

I am very nervous every time I am on the floor and need to work on being more present in the moment and less anxious. Anxiety is my number one problem in nursing and is the reason I quit my last job. Not this time! I have faith I'll make it through the first year. 

Part of the reason I am making this journal is to look back on it and help me keep going. I honestly HATE nursing at this point, but I think that stems from my general incompetence. Hopefully by the end of this I'll be a different person (and a lot more confident!)

Bye for now!!

💜

Annie