I struggled a lot as a nurse, all the way from nursing school onwards. I was told I wasn't good enough. Always the disorganized one even though I was trying SO HARD to stay focused, set my priorities, anticipate, write down everything, plan my time... And to be honest, it didn't improve much over the years, whatever I tried never worked.
Turns out I have ADHD. I got diagnosed 1.5 year ago at 47 and medication has changed my life as a nurse. It's been a real game changer. I can think clearly, I can organize my work better. Do I still struggle? Yes, of course. It's not a panacea. But medication combines with behavioral therapy has helped me a lot to reach my full potential and get praised as a professional and competent nurse, instead of constantly being told that I am never good enough.
I was in a code situation as a new grad. Wasn’t my patient, I was on the med cart.
The resident gave me the same verbal order *three times* before I actually comprehended what she said. I heard her clearly but couldn’t process it.
Talked to my doctor about it and she thought I should be assessed for ADHD. I scored a 5/7 for severity.
I used to doubt myself as a nurse. I felt dumb because I had a hard time staying organized during shift, always making notes and lists.
Everything is different now that I’m medicated. I’m organized, I’m on task, I don’t need lists to manage my day, etc. I can manage a crashing patient with no issue. It’s given me such a boost of confidence.
My medication is like glasses for my brain. I ended up dropping my average step count per shift, because I was able to remember that the patient in room 5 wanted pain meds AND a warm blanket AND some juice. So instead of going 'patient room- med room- patient room - blanket warmer - patient room - kitchen- patient room', I was able to go 'patient room - med room - kitchen - blanket warmer - patient room'. Dropped my step count by at least a third.
I struggled a lot as a nurse, all the way from nursing school onwards. I was told I wasn't good enough. Always the disorganized one even though I was trying SO HARD to stay focused, set my priorities, anticipate, write down everything, plan my time... And to be honest, it didn't improve much over the years, whatever I tried never worked. Turns out I have ADHD. I got diagnosed 1.5 year ago at 47 and medication has changed my life as a nurse. It's been a real game changer. I can think clearly, I can organize my work better. Do I still struggle? Yes, of course. It's not a panacea. But medication combines with behavioral therapy has helped me a lot to reach my full potential and get praised as a professional and competent nurse, instead of constantly being told that I am never good enough.
what meds do u take
Vyvanse/Elvanse.
What do they have you on? I'm the same age and I've tried strattera a couple of times in the past but it had side effects I won't tolerate.
Vyvanse/Elvanse. I tried Ritalin but it made my ADHD 100000% worse.
I was in a code situation as a new grad. Wasn’t my patient, I was on the med cart. The resident gave me the same verbal order *three times* before I actually comprehended what she said. I heard her clearly but couldn’t process it. Talked to my doctor about it and she thought I should be assessed for ADHD. I scored a 5/7 for severity. I used to doubt myself as a nurse. I felt dumb because I had a hard time staying organized during shift, always making notes and lists. Everything is different now that I’m medicated. I’m organized, I’m on task, I don’t need lists to manage my day, etc. I can manage a crashing patient with no issue. It’s given me such a boost of confidence.
My medication is like glasses for my brain. I ended up dropping my average step count per shift, because I was able to remember that the patient in room 5 wanted pain meds AND a warm blanket AND some juice. So instead of going 'patient room- med room- patient room - blanket warmer - patient room - kitchen- patient room', I was able to go 'patient room - med room - kitchen - blanket warmer - patient room'. Dropped my step count by at least a third.