Got it, GOT IT, Don't got it.....

The first 90 days was tough. I’d say it felt a lot like someone deciding to go skydiving. You’ve been through the instruction, worked through the drills — how to pack the chute, when to pull the string, how to land. Then suddenly, you’re at the door, wind in your face, and it’s time to jump.

I had been assigned a seasoned nurse to follow. She had seen it all, done it all, and could do whatever she needed in her sleep. I spent a few weeks with her learning the ropes: documentation, ER processes, patient flow. Honestly, it seemed like a walk in the park. Patients felt easy to treat and work with.

Then came my shift change. The one I was hired for: weekend nights.

This time, I was paired with a guy who lived for trauma, codes, and chaos — and he planned to train me the same way. I’d made it a few weeks without even flinching, so I figured I was cut out for the ER. That was, until this guy.

Mr. Miyagi Training

We spent some time getting to know each other, then his “wax on, wax off” training began. One of the first lessons: patient assessments.

He told me more than once:

“When you’re walking into a room — any room — it’s ABC’s before you ever get started.”

Airway. Breathing. Circulation.

His explanation was blunt, but true:

“If they’re not breathing, you breathe for them. If their heart isn’t beating, you pump it. If you do nothing, they stay dead.”

The First Test

It was a weekend night when a lady came in complaining of chest pain. For the crew, this was just another day in the ER. For me? This was my first.

The patient was stable, but anxious — sweating, scared. I was paired with my preceptor, but ready to show I had been watching, listening, and learning.

As the team moved — monitors, oxygen, gown, comfort — I saw my opening. The patient became nauseated. I knew what to do.

Got it. Got it. I got it.

I bolted to the med machine, pulled Phenergan, drew it up with a flush. We used it often with morphine, and I knew it worked.

Back in the room, IV access was already established. I explained to the patient what she was getting. She winced as it burned going in — common with Phenergan.

Then she looked at me and said the words that froze me: “I’m allergic to Phenergan!”

Don’t Got It

That night, I got to see anaphylaxis. I got to see someone intubated for the first time. And I got to give report to the cath team and cardiologist who rolled in expecting a “routine” heart attack case.

Yep. Had it, had it… didn’t have it.

The Lesson

In nursing — especially the ER — confidence comes quick. But humility must come quicker. I learned that “got it, got it, don’t got it” isn’t failure. It’s the rhythm of becoming.

It’s what makes you careful. It’s what makes you ask, check, pause. And ultimately, it’s what makes you a better nurse. This story is for every nurse who’s had that ‘don’t got it’ moment. What’s the one lesson you learned the hard way?