HELP!! Orientation going horribly, but have interview for better job. what now?

[lpn2rn81]

Hello everyone, I dont' know if any of you guys have read my other thread that I posted, but I'll just give a basic summary :)

I'm a recent RN grad, and for the longest time couldn't find a job, so I basically took the first offer that came my way.

I'm on my second week of orientation, but I am doubting i will stay here. There is a lack of support for the nurses at this hospital, constant short staffing, lack of supplies, way too much paperwork (even the veteran RNs that work here complain about all of this..) and this is not my area of interest. I was basically misled about the job i would be doing, and none of the new grads this unit hired in the last 6 months have stayed! The PRN nurses are doing full time hours practically, and the place is miserable, even the physicians don't want to stay. If you all need more details, just check out my other thread about 'Orientation and job NOT what was promised...'

ANYWAY... I have an interview for a hospital I used to work at (which has a better reputation than the current one i'm orienting at, and has a lot better nurse retention rates and patient satisfaction scores, etc), but on a different floor than the one I used to work. This interview is for a hospital that is only 1 mile away from where I live, versus 30 for the hospital I'm currently at. Overall, guess I'm trying to say that I'd rather go back to this 'good' hospital I used to work for.

However, when I filled out my online application and resume, i didn't list the current job, because at the time I applied, I had only been at this 'job' one day, and honestly thought i would have quit before the week was over, it was that bad!

Am I in trouble now? If I go into the interview, what do I say if they ask me about 'current or most recent job'? Do I need to 'fess up and admit that I am in the process of orientation, but the job is not a 'good fit', hence the reason for wanting to work at the 'new' hospital?

If i do have to admit that I'm working somewhere else, how do i explain why I want to leave the job during orientation already?

AND, I am scared because from the threads I read, employers can 'find out' if you worked other places, and if you don't list them on your application, you can be fired/not hired because of omitting this info........ but it's too late to go back and 'list' this current job on my application..... How do i figure this mess out????

I hope I made sense with how I worded things here!

I appreciate any input, because my interview is next week! Have any of you been in a similar situation, and how did you handle it?

Thanks!

[Isabelle49]

Put together a resume and be upfront with the new hospital. Am sure they can see when you applied, date that is. Just tell them you didn't expect to be there long at all.

[BeautifulDoeLVN]

Be upfront with the new hospital why wouldn't they understand you'd like to work closer to home.

[KalipsoRed]

Be upfront about being employed now and that you go this job after you had filled out your application for a job at their hospital. That is understandable.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SAY DURING YOUR INTERVIEW THAT YOU HAD NOT PLANNED TO STAY AT THE JOB YOU CURRENTLY HAD FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. That is just a really bad and stupid thing to say in an interview. It makes you look like you are just 'using' a job and can dispose of it whenever you see fit. (Which is the reality but that is not what potiental employers want to hear so just don't say it.) Just play up the fact that you really enjoyed working for the hospital that you use to work at and that the job you have now is not turning out to be a very good fit. If they ask you why the new job isn't working out mention the fact that you feel the new job is unorganized, unsupportive of its staff, and lacks resources for new grads. Try not to say anything more than that or to go on and on about why your new job sucks so bad.

If you get the job after your interview they will ask what your start date can be, make sure to include time for a two week notice at the job you hate. Yeah, I can understand wanting to dump a crappy job, but it's bad corporate etiquette to do it any other way and will reflect poorly on you.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Be upfront about being employed now and that you go this job after you had filled out your application for a job at their hospital. That is understandable.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SAY DURING YOUR INTERVIEW THAT YOU HAD NOT PLANNED TO STAY AT THE JOB YOU CURRENTLY HAD FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. That is just a really bad and stupid thing to say in an interview. It makes you look like you are just 'using' a job and can dispose of it whenever you see fit. (Which is the reality but that is not what potiental employers want to hear so just don't say it.) Just play up the fact that you really enjoyed working for the hospital that you use to work at and that the job you have now is not turning out to be a very good fit. If they ask you why the new job isn't working out mention the fact that you feel the new job is unorganized, unsupportive of its staff, and lacks resources for new grads. Try not to say anything more than that or to go on and on about why your new job sucks so bad.

If you get the job after your interview they will ask what your start date can be, make sure to include time for a two week notice at the job you hate. Yeah, I can understand wanting to dump a crappy job, but it's bad corporate etiquette to do it any other way and will reflect poorly on you.

Absolutely agree with above :) Play up the mileage difference- that is a reasonable enough "perk" to change jobs, especially in this economy, variable gas prices, etc. Good luck :)

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Put together a resume and be upfront with the new hospital. Am sure they can see when you applied, date that is. Just tell them you didn't expect to be there long at all.

No, no, no. NEVER tell a potential employer that you took a position without intending to stay long. Just explain that you are intrigued by their current position and that it will be a better fit for all involved.

[EmergencyNrse]

... sure, burn those bridges. Way to go!

Since jobs are so prevalent I'm sure you can pick and choose.

Stay on your current course. It makes jobs easier for us to find.

[lpn2rn81]

emergencynurse, that was harsh!

I am not trying to be like that! I honestly wanted this job to work out.

BUT I also believe in giving my patients safe care and protecting my license.

The current job I have is horrible, and I'm not downplaying. Never in my life have I seen such disorganization and high turnover rates and lack of training for new employees.

There are only 3 'veteran' nurses working on this unit, and the stress/disappointment they show and talk about is evident. They have all told me (and told the other new grad orientees) to find a better place to work! They know that we want to give good care, but it is impossible at this place. NO new grad or orientee that has started in the last year on this unit has stayed. It's not just me!

I'm not giving up just cuz the job isn't perfect. I'm getting out because it's unsafe, the patients receive subpar care, can't get their meds on time due to the inefficent MAR system this hospital uses (also lack of pharmacy support), and I did not go to school to be a glorified secretary or waitress......

Please, if your son or daughter was a nurse, and they started at a facility where they feared for their license and received little to no orientation at a place where turnover is outrageous, would you tell them to just deal with it? would you want to see your son or daughter forced to be the only RN on a unit the first DAY off of orientation (it happened to the one new girl here!)

I'm just saying. I know the economy is bad, but that doesnt' mean everyone should stay at their jobs and go home every day disappointed and fearful that they couldnt' give the best care possible. And it's not just cuz I'm new. The seasoned nurses that get stuck working this unit all end up going home late, and they ARE organized. It's just not possible to be a patient advocate at this job.

The hospital is all about money, willl not hire any nurse aide (there are NO nurse aides in this hospital, and coincidentally, there are high nurse turnover rates.... correlation?), will not hire a unit secretary, and does not have pharmacy personnel after hours, so if we get a new admit, we have to hunt down the nurse supervisor to get the med for us. and if pharmacy doesn't have it? oh well..

Wow, sorry for rambling so long. I guess i want to say if you all are content to be in a job where you only have time to hypothetically say 'hi, patient X here's your meds, that's all i have time for today. bye'' and then scrambling around trying to keep putting out fires and hoping you didn't miss something critical, then I'm impressed for you. Really. It's just not happening for me. I did not go into nursing to be put into a job where I get substandard orientation and then am expected to be as fast as the 3 nurses who have managed by some miracle to stay on this floor.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, I was thrilled to have gotten this job, but no matter how badly somebody wants to keep their job, if they don't get a supportive enough environment and a decent orientation, how can they feel comfortable and safe?

Anyway, off my soapbox now. And this unit is desperate for nurses, so if i leave, any of you who think it's not that bad can have this job! when the 5 of us new orientees were walking on our unit tour, the one nursing supervisor actually said 'oh hey new nurses. great. i wonder if any of you will actually stay?!' yeah, she really said that. If you have the stomach for it, perhaps you'll be the first one that actually stays on this unit.

Good luck, and hope you all have a great day.

[mazy]

If you do feel that it's something you want to mention, I would suggest that you just say that you didn't feel you had the resources at that job to provide the kind of quality patient care that you want to and leave it at that. Period. End of story. Do not go into further detail. You might segue into a conversation in which you play up your interest in this new hospital because you have heard great things about this,that or the other, which will lead the conversation away from the past and into the present and your future goals.

You could, I guess, talk about location and the commute, but I'm not sure how that would go over -- you took the job knowing the commute and then decided a couple weeks in that you didn't like it, doesn't make you look all that great.

Agreed with the others, do not say that you only intended to stay at that job for a short time.

Also, as I had mentioned in your other post, the nursing community is small. Facilities know all about each other, they know which ones are bad and which are good. What they want from you is to know that YOU know that and how you feel about it, and most importantly, how graceful you can be in the face of that kind of adversity. So do not go into detail about your issues with that facility, just find a way to show that you are moving along in the most respectful way possible.

I suggest you do some research into the new hospital so that when you arrive at the interview, you have a lot to focus on in terms of your relationship with them, rather than having all your energy wrapped up in why you want to leave the old job.

[EmergencyNrse]

I'm not known for pulling any punches here.

YOU will be responsible for the decisions you make. Ultimately

it will define your character and who you are.

My message however harsh you view it was just cryptic in saying that

you should own up to your responsibilities.

Make your choice.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Hey OP.

Think this way: You have no idea if this other interview will go anywhere at all. What's done is done. You cannot go back and change the application. You very well might be asked if you are currently working. This, question probably by HR. All you can do now is see how the interview goes. IF you are desperate, these are desperate times. Yes, you could get caught in a lie.

Best case: You get the job quickly, and really then have not had any time at this other facility, almost like it didn't exist. It's not like millions of people have not got away with exactly this.

Not so good case: The job is offered but not for a month more, and a few more interviews - which makes you look actually worse as the lie is repeated, and you will find it tricky scheduling those interviews around work/sleep. However, you come out of it all OK, but totally stressed.

More not so good: You bump into a nurse who also PRNs at your new hospital and recognizes you right away. Usually nobody cares, but if she is a little gossip, well... Better then, have something prepared to say.

Bad case: they find out during the process of interviewing by you or on their own, and since they have so many other applicants they don't call you back.

Worse case: You get the job, but some other nurse who PRNs or part times at the new place talks you up a bit, and with no bad intentions, relays that she knew you from your old place. You've been sayin this is the first job... If anybody has the time to care, you might get canned, maybe for something totally unrelated just to get rid of you for lying.

[lpn2rn81]

thanks for the list of potential scenarios!

I still am confused about how to proceed from here. Assuming I get the interview but perhaps don't get the job, do i need to list my current job on future apps and interviews?

How would I explain leaving current job so soon?

Any of you ever left a job so soon due to horrible conditions?

If so, was it easy to explain in an interview and still get hired somewhere else?

I don't want to give up on my nursing career, I want to find a supportive work environment where I can practice nursing in confidence and give quality care.

Thanks for all your insights and tips, everyone!

I love Allnurses!