Advice for a New Grad RN After Quitting job/ Orientation after 5 & 1/2 months

[DonovanRN]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for advice from experienced RNs and nursing recruiters. I will try to keep this as brief as possible but it's complicated.

I am an adult male in his 40's, second career, new graduate RN, having graduated in January 2009 with my Associates in nursing with a GPA of 3.65. I passed my NCLEX in February 2009 at 75 questions. I started my dream job in the ICU in March 2009 beginning my 6 months orientation. I worked VERY hard (long story) to get this job and was excited to begin my career as a critical care RN.

My new grad orientation was very complicated, having several preceptors and then switching to one preceptor after 4 months of hell. My new preceptor was great but I was having a lot of problems with time management and anxiety and feeling overwhelmed all the time. I know this is expected as a new grad but it was truly hell for me and effecting my work. I never argued and always took the criticism graciously and seriously. I was determined to learn to become a good critical care nurse, but I continued to be corrected all the time and told I was not picking up fast enough and that they were concerned if I would be able to work safely on my own after my 6 months orientation.

I was called into meet with my nursing educator and the nursing director on 2 occasions to discuss their concerns. I told them how much I wanted this and that I was trying very hard but I was aware I was struggling with time management and being overwhelmed. After this last meeting I was told to decide if I wanted to consider resigning as I may fired in the near future if I continued to struggle. Well after hearing that and knowing how miserable I had been the last 5 1/2 months, I decided to resign and protect my nursing license I worked so hard to get.

I was extremely disappointed that I found myself resigning from my dream job and I was so humiliated that I left that day and never spoke to another person I worked with again. I couldn't even transfer to another job at this hospital over feeling I would always be reminded that "I failed" and I wasn't capable to be a critical care RN.

It has been 2 months now with no job. I have applied to SEVERAL jobs and even had a couple interviews but when I was asked why I left my first job after 5 1/2 months, I explained it was "bad fit", and that I discovered that critical-care was not for me and that I wanted to experience other environments to learn and grow in. Well, that didn't go over well. I was asked to further explain why I would quit my first job after only 5 months and never completed my orientation? The nurse recruiter was a previous critical-care RN and would not stop asking me to explain why it was a "bad fit". I guess I didn't answer her questions in a way she liked and she really wanted to get me to say I wasn't able to handle it. She said that it was a RED Flag to her that I left my first job so soon in my training. Obviously I didn't get that job.

So, I decided on my next job application and phone interview with a recruiter to not mention the new grad RN job at all. I thought I would just be a new grad with no experience looking for work like so many of us out there. Well, she asked me why I was still not working after 9 months since I got my RN License. I explained I had traveled some and that I hadn't found the right opportunity yet. Well, she said... "Wood luck to you in your future and we will keep you in our "new grad pile". So that was a bust too.

So my question is this: Should I mention my 5 1/2 months of ICU training from a prestigious hospital or just leave it off my resume and hope they never find out? I was told to be honest as they could find out, but when I am honest it seems like they think less of me for resigning my first job during orientation and that it's a RED FLAG not to hire me. Well, with so many new grad nurses looking for work I can't afford a red flag these days.

I know the job market is horrible right now for new grads and it's very depressing especially for me loosing my "dream job". I guess it wasn't meant to be and I am trusting that something better is ahead for me.

I am still pretty traumatized from the entire experience and still now have sleepless nights and or nightmares about my ICU experience. I sometimes wonder if bedside nursing is for me. I would love to find a clinic job but I know right now I need to take whatever I can and get a year or two of experience.

I am also looking to complete my BSN and may go back now while I am still looking for work, though I need a job soon as I have a mortgage to pay. I may have to get another kind of job if I can't find a nursing job.

So does anyone have any Job Search and interview advice for me? Words of wisdom are also welcome. I feel bad enough on my own so you can save the negative comments for someone else thanks.

Look forward hearing from you.

Thanks!

[meluhn]

Donovan,

I am going to disagree with all the other posters and say leave the ICU off your resume. No matter what you say, the interviewer is going to read into it. Nine months is not long to be without a job as a new grad, especially in the current tough job market. You can just say you were taking care of your sick Grandma or something, it doesn't matter. There is no way for them to find out unless you live in a small town where everybody knows everybody elses business.

I would also like to say you are very brave for even attempting to start out in such a challenging area, where many people do not last long. I know first hand how getting fired can be a shameful experience and a real blow to your confidence. Do not let this be the end of your career! Its like a bike, you just have to get right back on and keep trying. I was fired from my 1st job as an LPN because I had such anxiety when talking to Drs that I couldn't even think straight and used to say some pretty stupid things. They thought I was nuts and one of them, the medical director, went to my DON and told her to fire me. I was totally devastated but you just have to keep going. I have grown as a nurse so much since then (15 years ago), and you will too. Whatever you do, don't allow yourself to wallow in depression.

[kylefig]

I am a new grad with an Associates Degree and I can not imagine going directly from nursing school into the ICU, that is a HUGE jump. I am surprised that they even let you do that?? Just training on a regular med/surg floor is difficult enough. It almost seems unethical to have a new grad go right into ICU. Your 5 1/2 months of training in ICU is equivalent to 1 year of med/surg at least!! That is a MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT for you and I would definitely put it on your resume, NO new grad ever gets that kind of experience, incredible training. A new job would be FOOLS not to hire a new nurse with that kind of training. Also, remember, maybe they had you "resign" for other reasons, usually money is involved, maybe it wasn't as clear cut as just your time management skills, hospitals are pretty sleezy. I don't see why an interview person wouldn't completely understand you saying "ICU wasn't for you, it wasn't the right fit" God knows I would NEVER want to work in ICU, it is a much different kind of nursing than regular nursing, not very touchy feely, very clinical and can be very cold. It was a major coincidence that your interview person was a previous ICU nurse, that is 1 in a million. Keep telling the interviewers that you always dreamed of working in the ICU, but after 5 1/2 months of extreme pressure and people dying, etc, etc. you found it wasn't for you, a good interviewer would TOTALLY understand. YOUR TRAINING IS INVALUABLE AND TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW -

[kendel]

i have learned to stay away from hospitals who say they have magnet status...i use to get caught up with the prestige..now i dont care

i share your pain and sympathise with you but just because they try to make you feel that you cant handle ICU does not make it true

i had a similar situation..i had left ny moved to nc and taken a position on a medicine unit...at the famous "duke" magnet hospital in NC

i was treated as if i was incompetent i was so humiliated and then they propose the same question you may need to go to a slower floor????? that type of conversation...

my preceptor was horrible meaning.... nonsupportive she told me i was doing great and told management i was horrible

i quit after 1 month of humiliation

i got another position at a nursing home but i did not put my duke experience on my resume..

the ghetto nursing home as i call it treated me with more respect than prestigious duke and i slowly recovered..the ghetto place had more class and i met lots of great people..so i learned not to judge the smaller facility

i then applied to another local acute care setting hospital in NC went on the floor and explained to the nurse manager that i had relocated from ny with 8 months experience , i worked at duke for 1 month but left because i was treated so badly that i left from a broken heart and now work at a nursing home but would still want to work in a hospital if given the chance as i wanted to learn and grow and care for the patients because it was all about them....

she took compassion on me hired me on the spot ..i was suppose to be oriented for 3 months but was off orientation after 2 weeks, the ceo of the hospital came to me personally and told me he heard of the great job i was doing and thanked me for being there

i was pleasantly surprised. they said i came on the unit and just got right into pt care with no problems as if i had years of experience

lesson:dont let one bad experience ruin your whole career to make you feel incompitent

one mans loss is another mans treasure

some people try to stifle your growth and its ok to quit and move on and try other hospitals

my suggession: you dont have to put the ICU experience on your resume because if leaves you open to being judged unfairly

you are still a new grad you can just start out fresh looking..if they ask you why you havent found anything tell them you took a break but now you are ready to work

on interviews let them feel its all about the pts and the company thats what they want to hear

i did not put my duke exp on any resume at all they were what i wanted to forget.

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I think the term "bad fit" is not the best choice of words. I would just be completely (and probably overly) honest about the whole situation. Saying that it was a bad fit makes it sound like you can't get along with your co-workers.

I would say that it was overwhelming and that you felt you needed more time to work on your skills and that you are looking for an environment that lets you do that and at the same time, is a better fit in terms of acuity or training.

I think people talk enough as it is, especially in nursing. A hiring manager will figure out that somewhere in your past you have a secret and the fear of that secret is worse than the truth.

You really have done nothing wrong. Really. In fact, I think you did a great job considering the circumstances.

[ivanh3]

i appreciate your situation. it must have been difficult for you to a) have gone through that and b) share your story. i applaud your fortitude. i have a couple of thoughts about your situation.

first, there was a time when no way no day would a new grad get an icu or ed spot. you did a year of med surge first. i don’t agree with letting new grads into the high acuity areas unless there is some significant previous experience. i am an icu rn. i watched several new grads (with no previous experience) struggle in the critical care environment. some made it. some did not. those that did not were offered the opportunity to go to a med surge floor for 6 to 12 months and then try again later. having said that, i have to ask: why did they not offer this to you? or did they? if they let you stay for five months it seems they should have protected their investment.

please don't take this the wrong way...are you sure you are cut out for nursing? not everyone is. this is something only you can answer, but we must always consider all the points of view if the proper decision is to be made. if, however, nursing is what you want to do then keep trying brother. keep trying. i just feel compelled to look at the whole picture.

please don't listen to anyone who says don't mention your experience. you will be falsifying a work document which is lying and grounds for termination. it will come back to haunt you.

nurses are holistic. with that in mind, how is the rest of your life? are there personal issues that are spilling over into work? if so, i would address those or you might not make any progress.

in any case, with some self reflection and determination i am sure you will do great things. good luck.

ivan

[meluhn]

please don't take this the wrong way...are you sure you are cut out for nursing? not everyone is. this is something only you can answer, but we must always consider all the points of view if the proper decision is to be made. if, however, nursing is what you want to do then keep trying brother. keep trying. i just feel compelled to look at the whole picture.

please don't listen to anyone who says don't mention your experience. you will be falsifying a work document which is lying and grounds for termination. it will come back to haunt you.

nurses are holistic. with that in mind, how is the rest of your life? are there personal issues that are spilling over into work? if so, i would address those or you might not make any progress.

in any case, with some self reflection and determination i am sure you will do great things. good luck.

ivan

i just cant believe some of the unhelpful comments made on this thread. the man comes here for support, you dont even know him, and you are adding to his already injured self confidence. how can he not take this the wrong way? are you really trying to encourage self exploration or are you just feeding your own ego by assuming he is flawed and you are just such a super nurse?

oh, and could that last line get any more condescending?

the same goes for the pdr reader. very unhelpful comments that just serve to feed your own ego.

[meluhn]

yet another example why new RN's need floor experience first. ICU nor more difficult than renal if you put your mind to it but you have to study at work and at home just like you did the boards. work gets harder once one is an RN since the learning goes on.

I can't say everyone is the same. I did a year of surgical floor then took an icu course which was challenging but I love to learn...then it was all easy from there. i used to read the PDR for fun so maybe I'm a weirdo.

Wow, really helpful and you managed to get a dig in on renal nurses too:up:. It is nurses like you who run people out of the ICU.

[ivanh3]

Donovan,

I am going to disagree with all the other posters and say leave the ICU off your resume.

I just cant believe some of the unhelpful comments made on this thread.

My intent was honestly not to offend, and if I have then my apologies to the OP. The advice was from the heart. Which is why I recommended that he keep trying. That was right before the part where I recommended that he not follow your advice about lying.

[NurseAdida]

I sincerely feel sorry for you and I hope all works for you in the end. I think you need to mention the 5.5 months experience and add that you learnt a lot like 1....2....3...basically give examples of skills you acquired.

When asked why you left do not excessively explain yourself, you could shoot yourself in the foot. Tell them hospital ABC was a great hospital with wonderful facilities however their ICU preceptorship program was not working for you as a new grad. Remember never talk trash about your previous employer. If you are going to say something negative it should be constructive negative criticism. Also add that there were no other openings in other units at the time you were leaving.

[kendel]

MELUHN

you are right the guy comes on for support and he is being judged...if he was not cut out for nursing he would not be a nurse

and just because icu is his first job does not mean he cant handle it as some are suggesting

he just had 1 bad experience..some times you meet people who are not helpful or patient or sometimes the preceptor is no good either

[mamamerlee, LPN]

The experience you gained will serve you well in the future. I agree with the poster who said that the orientation program wasn't working for you. I personally don't believe in hiring new grads to the ICU setting. You need that year or two of M/S under your belt.

So sorry that you felt so bad, so humiliated that you couldn't try another unit at the same hospital. Best wishes in your job hunt.

[barlowjb]

I have a friend who just got fired from her first icu job at the end of orientation, she just had a crappy preceptor. i think seasoned nurses forget how it was when they first got started. I am a new nurse myself and at the end of my orientation on a med surg floor and my greatest challenge is time management. in response to your question i think you should be honest in your resume and let them know you were overwhelmed. i have another advice too if you still cannot find a job try psych nursing - most new nurses dont want to do psych nursing. you could try to become a psych nurse for now - it may be easier for you to explain that icu was just too overwhelming for you and that you found that you liked communicating with patients and so you quit and have been searching for a psych nursing job since. my reason for telling you this is because you could do psych nursing for say 1-2 years and switch to med surg later on. another option is try to get part-time hours as a psych nurse and in your free time try getting something in med surg part time. There are also nursing homes that are desperate for new grads. the point i'm making is this - try areas that most new nurses probably don't want to work in and think of it as temporary - then you move on. the important thing is that you start somewhere. You will be ok