How long were you at your first RN job?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am curious:

a) what was your first job and how long after graduating did you land it?

b) how long did you stay at the first job?

c) why did you leave and what did you do before going to the next?

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

1. Staff nurse (RN); 3 months

2. 2 years

3. Relocated to a new state; unpacked

Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

Answer "A" is probably hard to believe but it's the truth!

a) OB postpartum.....DAY shift. Got the job within weeks of graduation (Dec 1983).

b) I worked at that hospital for almost 3 years, but did an in-house transfer (to NICU, night shift) after 1 1/2 years

c) relocated to a new state, continued to work NICU nights at the new job

1) pacu, interview and job offer three months before graduation

2) one year, until husband's job made us move to another state

3) went directly to next job in icu, stayed 5 yrs until husband job transfer again

Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

1.) Floor Nurse - Ortho/Neuro Specialty. Hired before graduating nursing school.

2.) 10 months

3.) The job was hell under fluorescent lighting.

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

1/ Renal nurse on a renal floor, working with acute and chronic renal patients. No jobs so took 3 months to find one

2/ and 3/1 year moved with hubby who was in military

Specializes in SICU.

a) SNF RN- Day after passing NCLEX

b) 2 Months

c) Unsafe,diverting workmates, no room for growth. Went directly to New Job in Hospital.

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

i am curious:

a) what was your first job and how long after graduating did you land it?

working in labor and delivery. got the job during my last semester of nursing school; before graduation

b) how long did you stay at the first job?

five months

c) why did you leave and what did you do before going to the next?

a consulting company came in and told them they were over staffed. i was the last to be hired; my orientation was not quite over, i was laid off. i cried for a month before getting my current job that i have been at for two years; also labor and delivery. the place i am at now was my first choice to work at when i was in school...when one door closes, another one opens...

Specializes in critical care, PACU.

1) Surgical ICU, was offered before I graduated

2) two years

3) I was assaulted by a patient and had to leave per the conditions of my settlement. Ironically, I was planning to leave and was actively searching right before I got injured. I'm so thankful for the experience I got that made it easy to get a job afterwards, but man am I glad to be gone.

I didn't have any warning, either about the whole resignation thing so I acted quickly and applied up a storm and made lots of phone calls.

Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I think you should add year of graduation in there too somewhere.

It is interesting to see the trends in the employment of new grads. From lush to arid and all the inbetweens.

a) what was your first job and how long after graduating did you land it?

My first job was on a surgical/step-down/tele unit. The patients were ortho/plastics/general surgery/and vascular patients. I was offered the job four months after graduating from nursing school.

b) how long did you stay at the first job? I stayed for 2 1/2 years.

c) why did you leave and what did you do before going to the next?

I left because it was a really heavy patient population and I was feeling burnt out. Most of our patients could not ambulate on their own and I was feeling mentally and physically drained. Also, a few nurses were getting injured on the job with major back injuries and I didn't want that to happen to me. Now I am in Labor and Delivery at the same hospital (inter-hospital transfer). I love it!! It was definitely what I wanted to do since nursing school. I also just applied to enter school for my NP in Women's Health.

Specializes in ICU.

1) in 2006, I got my first nursing job even before taking the NCLEX.

2) I was at my first facility for almost 5 years, starting as a float and moving to ICU rather quickly

3) My circumstances changed, i needed more money and the shift work wasn't working with my life anymore. I got an offer as a nurse manager at a different facility and it was a huge mistake. Live and learn. I did love my first facility.

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