With a Little Help from My Nurses

I’ll be the first one to admit that I do not know everything. In fact, sometimes I feel like I know nothing, since I’m relatively new to nursing. This is not a case of “imposter syndrome”, where one incorrectly believes the world is going to find out they are a fraud. The field of nursing is so vast and ever changing that once you finally figure a process out, it gets altered due to a new evidence-based practice.

You cannot know everything, but you can be the best nurse for your patients one shift at a time.

Being a nurse resident or new to the nursing profession is incredibly overwhelming. I have been a nurse for over a year now and I still get anxiety attacks while I am preparing to head into work; I’m constantly wishing that I could fast forward 13 hours to the end of a shift. These are incredibly tough times for nurses at every level and it scares the new nurses seeing the seasoned ones break down due to the weight of the stress. The experienced nurses are our ‘go-to’ for advice and guidance, we rely on them as they have no choice but to help us get through a shift. They must carry even more weight on their shoulders when the hospital is only able to hire fresh nurses out of school due to the nursing shortage. Experienced nurses barely have enough time in their shift to take care of their own patients or carry out their individual tasks let alone act as a preceptor. It is a difficult time to be a nurse at any level, but especially a senior nurse; their new co-workers do not necessarily have adequate training and are expected to take care of such a sick population.

I am absolutely guilty of being a burden myself. I am constantly asking questions and seeking advice from my more experienced coworkers, as I am not completely comfortable with my nursing skills yet. I always ask for second opinions or reassurance that I am doing the best I can for each patient as I want to ensure the best possible outcome for each case.

Being so short-staffed, the nurse residents might not have the opportunity or access to the senior nurses as these nurses are bogged down by their own disaster assignments. I have been there and seen this time and time again; there is no one to turn to and you must rely on your own best judgment. It is very hard to rely solely on yourself if you have self-doubt; but this is sometimes one’s only option.

Receiving a horrible patient assignment has honestly become the norm. It is physically impossible to get everything done and do everything you wish to accomplish to better a patient’s outcome in a single shift.

The first step to surviving such a horrible shift is acknowledging that you cannot do it all — you are only human.

So what do you do when you’re handed an impossible assignment and s**t hits the fan? You suck it up, power through, and then cry in the med room between medication passes for your patients; then you cry when you get into the car on the way home; then you cry when you shower off the infectious bodily fluids you acquired from being in precaution rooms. This sounds a little dramatic, but this profession is way more emotionally taxing than one might think. Patients passing away is emotionally exhausting, but bearing the weight of all the stress without releasing the tension takes an immense toll on the human spirit.

The important thing to remember is that all your coworkers are in this together; we are all experiencing the same issues (some of us have different ways of addressing our stress/emotions). Being able to admit that you do not know everything and that you need to ask for help is a huge step in a successful nursing career. Nurses who do not ask for assistance inevitably increase the likelihood of making a mistake and can possibly harm their patient.

Every nurse has to come to the realization that they cannot help everyone; the healthcare system and way of life of many individuals has made this feasibly impossible.

When you have the opportunity to ask for help, ask for it. When you have the opportunity to give help, give it.

The moral of the story is: release your emotions, know it is okay to ask for help, and accept that you will not know everything. The constant internal and external struggle experienced during every shift is why nursing is my cardio.