Anyone here who's worked in critical care? Was your first day/week just as bad?

It was my first day and it went so bad. I did everything wrong. I was overwhelmed, unprepared, ill-equipped emotionally. I could not keep up with the speed of everything that was going on. I did a procedure without a superior by my side. Got bashed for it too. I got hypoglycemic and nauseous and almost fainted twice. I didn't have a good grip of all the histories of the patients I was watching because there wasn't any time to go through the files there were too many calls to make and too many orders to chase. I was a disorganized mess. My superiors didn't trust me. I made a bad first impression. I forgot to do some things. I was slow at others. I couldn't make decisions and my superiors were getting annoyed at that. And I wonder if it's just me or that it was my first day. 😞 I felt discouraged by how I was treated. I forgot to tell some important things during the handover too. Ugh.

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kentex35 · 100+, M

It's just one of those days. Some days you're the bug and somedays you're the windshield. Shake it off. I'm sure you are very professional.
Even as a 45 year carpenter that first day on the job, especially a well established job that's been going on, everyone is in a groove and I don't even know where the nail box is. The foreman trying to establish his boss iness runs you right over to someone get over and help them! I rush to them trying to evaluate on the way and I get there everyone struggling to get some big and heavy plumb or level they're breathing hard staining and telling nail a brace on it before I it gets away. That's a trap every time not only do I have no nails I look around and can't find anything to nail it with. They cute you and I sayi couldn't find a 2x4. The boss says goddamn turns around and trips over a 2x4. And all I can do is say well f***me Agnes.
Shake it off but be ready tomorrow. And you don't have to take it from everyone either. Just sayi don't want to talk about it.

hartfire

Hospital environments can be toxic workplaces.
Most professionals would understand that it takes several weeks to get comfortable with the basics.
But the trouble is that even before Covid, costs were already cut
to barest minimum, a threshold at which the nursing unions/associations were always warning of the risks.
Now with the constant new waves of Covid, staff are overworked and burning out.
Because just one error can cost a life, supervisors come down hard on every error and flaw.
Your best option is to look after yourself as best you can. When not at work have baths, eat healthy foods, get good sleep, walk in nature, spend time with a friend or pet, read or watch movies - anything to relax and revive.
Wishing you all the best. Under present conditions, nursing is heroic.

Ingwe · F

uh oh

Your job is nb and mistakes musn't be made.

when you make a mistake someone could die!

One day you'll look back at this awkward time and laugh. lol

assemblingaknob · 26-30, F

@Ingwe well it's their fault they left me unsupervised. Why weren't they in the ICU? Who allowed them to sit elsewhere? It's my first fcking day and then fcking leave me.

deadgerbil · 26-30

It's tough but important work. Chances are, the same people who got annoyed at you were just as anxious when they first got into that stuff

SW-User

First days/weeks are almost always bad. It's ok, you're still learning. Dust yourself off and get back out there soldier

DDonde · 31-35, M

You're doing important work, hope it gets easier for you

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