Reality shock

working for a year now in a busy med surg unit....I knew nursing is hard and busy...but I am still overwhelmed...there are so many situations that makes one prone to mistakes, and I already made them...an experienced nurse said she's made a lot as well......there are times I feel like I cant breathe.....so this is real nursing...

is it the same for everyone? how do you deal when you get so busy, you're tired and get too many distractions but you have to keep going...any advice/tips? I compare myself to other nurses on the floor who seem to be doing much better. I am frustrated with my performance, but I still want to be a really good nurse if possible
What is the nurse -patient ratio and what shift?

no...it will get better. Nursing isn't for the faint of heart....what you need a good brain sheet.......here are a few. I have made/collected them here for An users...... mtpmedsurg.doc 1 patient float.doc‎ 5 pt. shift.doc‎ finalgraduateshiftreport.doc‎ horshiftsheet.doc‎ report sheet.doc‎ day sheet 2 doc.doc

You're awesome Esme12! These are priceless and you can customize for yourself and unit. Thank you!

First year is NUTS!!! and med/surg nurses get hit with so much!! I think med/surg gets slammed with higher acuity patients too in general and/or overflow. You are doing GREAT to still be there for a year! YaY You! Pat yourself on the back and look for other units that may be a better fit for you now that you have your year under your belt....

This is VERY rudimentary, but it's great for guiding yourself with the very basic essentials on the floor with multiple patients. I made it so you can fold it and keep it in your pocket and reference quickly. Used it for my clinicals then transitioned it to 4 patients for the floor. You can double side print it for overnights when you have more patients.Hope it helps, also I enjoyed the docs posted already, thanks for sharing!