How to survive nursing?

Ok old timers... What's your advice for how to survive or even learn to enjoy nursing? I've been a nurse for coming up on 3 years and I recently told someone "Don't put the weight of of being the doctor on your shoulders" because I think that's one of the heaviest burdens we carry as taught in school. That somehow magically we must be smarter than the doctors and double check everything they order and and be sure it is all appropriate when we did not go to medical school or pharmacy school. Yes within reason we need to research and double check but overall we are nurses and should not feel/take on the responsibilities of being the physician. I think that's one way to survive nursing. What other lessons have you learned along the way?
I don't know about this whole "stay in your place...don't play doctor" thing. If you give a bad med order, it's on your ass and your license. Doctors make mistakes or over look things. They are humans like all of us. I think I would continue to double check order that look fishy to me.
That's not at all what I was trying to say. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify my intention since I wouldn't want it to be misinterpreted.I said within reason we should double check. But we shouldn't think that we are supposed to know as much or more than the physician. Many new nurses I know stress themselves out because they feel inadequately prepared for the job. You will never know all there is to know in nursing. At some point you have to learn to trust your team you're working with. Yes, I've advocated for a patient that needed testing and the dr said she didn't. Yes I continued to pursue it until the test was done and my suspicions confirmed. Yes doctors are not always correct. But second guessing every order on every patient is not possible and you will burn out that way. Double check your meds, do your rights of med admin, always verify your patient before a procedure with 2 patient identifiers, etc. but don't walk around thinking the physician is going to order some procedure that will kill your patient. Don't carry that paranoia around. It will suffocate you. Most nurses I know left the field because of concern over liability.
I have so many responses to your post:Quote from RizzThat's not at all what I was trying to say. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify my intention since I wouldn't want it to be misinterpreted.I said within reason we should double check. But we shouldn't think that we are supposed to know as much or more than the physician.
I'm not sure if I'm just not explaining myself clearly or if you're just picking a fight. But it's a mighty tall soapbox to stand on saying you're smarter than the doctors you work with. Or maybe I've just been lucky to work with very capable doctors the majority of the time.
Quote from RizzI'm not sure if I'm just not explaining myself clearly or if you're just picking a fight.But it's a mighty tall soapbox to stand on saying you're smarter than the doctors you work with. Or maybe I've just been lucky to work with very capable doctors the majority of the time.
Well, that escalated quickly.I understand where the OP is coming from. Nurses need to accept that patient care is a "team thing"... in which every clinician does his/her part. No one individual is responsible for EVERYTHING. I think that is a mature and accurate frame of reference. It's not a case of who knows the most. There are many occasions in which the bedside nurse, who has spent many hours in close contact with a patient, has acquired information that the physician doesn't have - unless the nurse provides it. It's just as important for the nurse to understand the physician's plan of treatment - and the "why" for all medications and interventions that are ordered. That's how teams work to achieve their common goal. My advice to the new nurse? Don't be afraid to communicate with the physician. Ask 'why' if you don't understand & make sure that you know exactly what parameters &/or patient information are most relevant to the current plan of care.