I'm going from Med/Surg to Nursing Home

Nurses New Nurse

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I've been working med/surg as a new nurse for four months and was pretty much asked yesterday to resign or they'd resign me. They (my preceptor and also my supervisor) just didn't feel I was where I should be after four months -- they said I should be very close to being able to do patient care on my own of 5 patients and working towards 6.

I thought I was doing so much better with time management, etc., that when the supervisor asked to "chat" with me, I naively thought she was going to praise me for such a great turn-around! Instead she suggested I try a new path and go work in a nursing home where things are not so hectic. So, that's what I'm going to do.

All I've heard about nursing homes are nightmare stories of low staffing and HIGH patient numbers. But I'm determined to become a good nurse and will do whatever I need to do to achieve this. This is a small town and it's either the hospital or nursing homes, so that's my choice. Don't get me wrong, I love and respect old people and don't mind working in a nursing home, but right now my confidence is at an all time low and I'm scared I'll screw up my next job too.

I can't thank you enough for your belief in me. I've applied to another hospital in this area; however, the person in charge there knows I was a new-grad starting at this first hospital. I enclosed an explanation of why I discontinued the preceptorship.

Wish me luck! And thanks a million for your words of encouragement. I needed that!

Specializes in ICU, ER, Hemodialysis.
I can't thank you enough for your belief in me. I've applied to another hospital in this area; however, the person in charge there knows I was a new-grad starting at this first hospital. I enclosed an explanation of why I discontinued the preceptorship.

Wish me luck! And thanks a million for your words of encouragement. I needed that!

Good luck to you. I hope your dream job is around the corner.

Sincerely,

Jay

I can't thank you enough for your belief in me. I've applied to another hospital in this area; however, the person in charge there knows I was a new-grad starting at this first hospital. I enclosed an explanation of why I discontinued the preceptorship.

Wish me luck! And thanks a million for your words of encouragement. I needed that!

let us know how you're getting along.

we'd love to hear from you.

and best of everything to you.:balloons:

leslie

It sounds like you have a good grasp on your own capabilities. Trust yourself. Some places have certain expectations that may not be realistic for all new grads.

With nursing school clinicals often not coming anywhere close to real-world expectations, there's a big gap that some new grads have to cross to function on their own. Many hospitals aren't prepared to deal with that, not to mention it IS expensive. I can see where facilities might feel it's not their place to make up the difference. But that leaves some new grads in the tough position of needing more support than some employers are willing to provide.

What options are there for new grads in this situation? There really aren't any "slow transition" options out there. The areas with lower acuity have higher patient loads as well as hone different skills, so working in a nursing home isn't necessarily a "stepping stone" to acute care. OP, you're in a tough place... but don't give up hope. You have options.

I'd suggest applying for another new grad position at a different facility. Be honest about where you're at. There's probably more than one nurse manager out there willing to take a chance on you. Unlike those untested fresh out of school new grads, you've already tasted the harsh reality of real-world nursing... and decided to come back. You're a good gamble. This new facility will benefit from all the training and experience you received at this first place. If you can get a whole other new grad preceptor experience, you'll probably be ready to roll right on schedule.

Giving another go is useful, because as it is, the only feedback you've had is from this one unit that may have had it's own preconceptions about your abilities. In a new place, you can get a new perspective on your performance. It may become clear what problem this previous place had with you, or it may be become clear that this previous just had problems, period.

Don't just grab up the first offer, though. Ask to shadow. Drop by the unit during different shifts to see how busy it is and how harried the nurses look. What does your gut say? Does it feel like a place you wouldn't mind going to day after day? Can you talk to previous new grad hires about their experience there?

If you're having trouble getting a position or if you'd like a chance to work on your clinical skills without pressure from an employer to progress at a certain pace, see if you can find a local refresher program with a clinical component where you could get more supervised clinical time.

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