u/Lostmyotheraccountuh

So I’m at a crossroads. My husbands work will likely take us to Orange in the next 6 months. I am currently half way through my grad year, and though I don’t like my rotations specialty, I kept an open mind and was actually enjoying it. However, these past 2 weeks in a busy metro hospital with bed/staff shortages have broken me mentally, emotionally and physically. I mean, bed ridden style. Everyone knows nurses are undervalued and underpaid, seeing it first hand is another level of disturbing. The thought of going back sickens me, but it makes me wonder if it will be any different in a rural/regional hospital? This is the only thing that keeps me going tbh. Is nursing just as horrifying in the country?

New grad here on my first rotation in a paeds ward. Wasn’t my first preference but happy to be here. Anyway, theatres was always my aim though I want to develop some core nursing skills before I think about trying to get into theatres. Is it hard to get in if I don’t get my second grad rotation there? And if I want to leave theatres down the line would it be hard to get a job in a different field? I just have this feeling that I might be limiting myself by going into theatres, thoughts?

Also, I have inattentive adhd (not the kind diagnosed by TikTok). So this has always added to my anxiety about counting gauze and instruments etc. I’d be interested to hear from any adhders in a scrub nurse role and how you coped.

Thanks all 🙏

Ok so part advice/ part rant. New grad here. Last week close to the end of my AM shift I had an admission and cannulation to assist with, then my num pulls me aside for a meeting, so my meds got pushed back. When the afternoon staff came in there were a few meds for them to do that I should have done. Mind you I didn’t have lunch either. I was staying back to help but was sent home by my TL.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I find that depending what side of the handover the nurse is on, they can be very understanding of why you’re late (24 hour job and all that), or they get pissed off because they had to pick up whatever was missed, and don’t really care why you’re late. I’ve just put this down to “you can’t please everybody” and move on.

However, I do want to get better at this and be the nurse that squares things off as best I can for the next crew. Please flick me your best time management hacks and how you approach meds and anticipate stuff. With the example I gave earlier I had no way of anticipating, I was the poor sucker that answered the phone and had to take the patient.

ADD extra rant: my buddy nurse was trigger happy when asking me to do all the meds but was too busy to help with mine.