I’m an RN with a little over a year of PCU experience who recently transitioned to the CVICU. I’m only in my third week of orientation, and I’m honestly questioning whether I made the right decision. I knew there would be a steep learning curve, but I didn’t anticipate feeling this lost. I understand some of the basic concepts, but when everything starts happening at once, I get overwhelmed and struggle to keep up. I constantly need reminders, have difficulty retaining everything my preceptor explains, and feel like I’m starting from scratch. My preceptor has been teaching me, so I don’t necessarily think it’s a lack of support. I think I’m struggling with going from being relatively independent on the PCU to feeling completely inexperienced again. I’ve been so overwhelmed that I’ve questioned whether I’m cut out for critical care or whether I should consider leaving bedside nursing altogether. For nurses who transitioned from PCU or med-surg to ICU, did you experience anything similar? How long did it take before things started clicking? And how did you manage feeling incompetent during orientation? I’d really appreciate realistic advice, not just reassurance that it’ll get better.   submitted by   /u/Cultural-Past-5014 [link]   [comments]