Leaving nursing

BRAGGY · Jun 15, 2004

I read your email and certainly starting off in sicu, would not be one of my first preferences, if I had a choice in my nursing career. What about general pace, such as medical or surgical nursing? As far as quiting goes you have to quit for the right reason and not the wrong reason! For example, the wrong reason would be to think that you are not good enough, and the right reason would be to say, shift work, long hours, low pay stressful and a hazardous work environment would be ther right reason to quit nursing.

Good luck

from down under

Braggy:uhoh3:

moia · Jun 15, 2004

First I would go back and contact the Hr department of your past employers and ask for a sit down meeting with your previous managers.

I would tell them what you have been told re negative comments. Hr knows this is illegal and actionable...you can sue them ..that is why the legislation exists that the employer can only state your hire date/fire dates and ?rehire. If it was probationary they must state that you were let go during that period. People sued and won when employers gave negative references...it violated civil rights law. It is the reason the BON exists...all bad references should be reported to them and potential employers should be contacting the BON to check out employees..ofcourse no one does it and we get crazed serial killing drug addicted nurses wandering all over the place but thats another post.

I would ask your managers for an exit interview that details where they felt your weaknesses were...it is important for you to know how others see you and also to make sure their reasons were valid. You may have lost a job for political reasons you had no idea were going on and were told you did not "fit in"...you need real details...why didn't you measure up?

What skills were lacking?

If you know what you were weak on you can then start working on those areas or take a course to understand that area better. Right know you have no idea what you did wrong and ofcourse you are questioning every part of your nursing.....what if the only thing you did wrong was you were too slow...or you needed more time to interpret rythms...all things you can easily improve on....

If you can't get this info...sit down and do a nursing care plan for yourself....heh...can you remember how?...okay..it sounds weird but it's a good tool...take a look at what the new job requires...skills first....list them..then list pyschosocial..then time management/organization..then time and emotional drain

What scares you the most on the list?

Okay..Why does it scare you? List all the reasons

Now the fun part..take each reason and fear...and write out a solution...what I am going to do to make this stop being so scary.

These are your goals and your plan

Make this formal..type it out and bring it to your manager on your first day...give a copy to your preceptor...these are the things to focus on...

Now you have an action plan..you will know what scares you...your manager will know...your preceptor will know...all of you will be focused on moving you forward and getting you some confidence.

You will be fine...you are a good nurse who got thrown in the deep end and you didn't know how to swim...it's okay...this time you will have a life jacket on.

edrnmike · Jun 15, 2004

Sounds like you are getting you "stuff" together after a rough start in nursing. When I started I went from an ER tech to an ER Nurse and had to "grow up" fast. I was expected to know most all things about emergency care the moment I came on the floor, and was soon in charge way before I thought I was ready. I was terrified! However, I had some background to fall back on in a critical care area that you do not have the fortune to have. My point being that a critical care area is nerve wracking and intimidating for anyone, much less a new grad. Be sure and ask for all the help you need in your new area, but take responsibility for your own education and pick up a critical care book or two to study/reference. Remember, a nurse is a terrible thing to waste! There is more to nursing than hospitals. Good luck in whatever you do, but keep us posted, we all wish you luck

Nurse GOODNIGHT · Jun 15, 2004

To the original poster--keep your head up and good luck.

To everyone thank you for the info on group one. I had no idea. As I am thinking of practicing in Texas, this is a scary thought.

Prof Deane, MSN · Jun 20, 2004

I am in my first year of RN school and find the work challenging and rewarding. I sure don't want to end up in your shoes, that is why I read these notices. If I can offer one bit of advice - after 20 years of employment I have seen many good and not so good employees. I was in the human resources area for 9 years and speaking from that experience your best chances to gain employment is to be totally upfront in your interviewers. I hired many people with 'less than perfect work history's' and never regretted any of them. I found people in general learn more from their mistakes than they ever did in their education.

Go into the interview fully prepared to let the interviewers know your history - don't let your employment history bite you on the butt. Tell them of your desire to work in the nursing field and the improvements (extra education) you may have made to improve your skills. Be open, honest and sincere in your desires to remain in the nursing field.

"You can't erase your history, but you can feed, grow and learn important lessons from it" :uhoh3:

zicovico · Jun 20, 2004

This is my first post, but I have been reading the boards for about 2 months now. I need some advice- I am considering leaving nursing after only being out for 2 years. The reasons I'm considering leaving are numerous. I just don't know if I'm smart enough to be a nurse, and I've been fired from two nursing jobs in a row now- within the space of 3 months. And I can't find another job in the area I'm currently in- after moving accross 3 states to be closer to my family. I'm just so very depressed right now, don't mean to throw myself a pity party. Just wanted to get some suggestions or advice. Thanks

Never let the failures of the past contaminate your next action. You are a unique being and nobody can change that. The worst mistake you can make is to allow the negative connotations of your former employers or anyone to affect your potential.

You are well able to no anything you set your mind to do. Never feel worthless about yourself and your future. As others have said, if you can pass the NCLEX exam there is no doubt that you are a good nurse. Just look for your niche since nursing is an embodiment of different fields.

Remember "Never let the failures of the past contaminate your next action."

AMICRW · Jun 20, 2004

This is my first post, but I have been reading the boards for about 2 months now. I need some advice- I am considering leaving nursing after only being out for 2 years. The reasons I'm considering leaving are numerous. I just don't know if I'm smart enough to be a nurse, and I've been fired from two nursing jobs in a row now- within the space of 3 months. And I can't find another job in the area I'm currently in- after moving accross 3 states to be closer to my family. I'm just so very depressed right now, don't mean to throw myself a pity party. Just wanted to get some suggestions or advice. Thanks

Hi, I'm an RN with 40 yrs experience. Don't give up so soon. Do you know why you were fired? Was it something that you can fix? It may be that you need a mentor who can walk you through whatever problem exists. You might have a teacher, or another Nurse who could help you to make yourself a corrective action plan. When you have this in hand a DON might give you a chance to an extended probation to prove that you can do the job or even provide you with a mentor to walk you through the problems. Have you checked with your state Board of Nursing, they may proveide assistance. You have put a lot of time and energy to prepare yourself, and a "dummy" couldn't have done that or passed boards. Good Luck!

nursemjb · Jun 21, 2004

You are so right. Do not allow these recent negative events to define you. You are much more than that and you will learn and grow...hope this new job works out for you!

Where near cowtown?

Also wandering RN I know exactly how you feel......I haven't worked in nursing since March had two short term jobs since last December.....fired from both.... feel like you.....doubting myself, etc. Have even applied for jobs I don't qualify for....I even have a previous degree before nursing. I consider searching for a job to be much more difficult than actually doing a job.

Someone had a quote about there are lots of nursing jobs...that gave me a laugh....everyone thinks that any nurse can get a job...boy are they WRONG. Oh well, you can see I am having a pity party, too.

Good luck and I pray for you to be blessed with employment that places you where God needs you to be. I like to think that nurses are God's hands on Earth like Mother Teresa said. God will put you where you belong. End of sermonette.:balloons:

nursemjb · Jun 21, 2004

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60901
This thread discussed in the past covers some info on Group One for those not familiar with it. It pays to know what people will say about you when they don't think you will 'find out'.

Group One is like the IRS audit of nursing......I've been blackballed by them once already in 1996.....managed to get another job....but it's definitely not that easy this time.

Major pity party here...what I don't like is going on interviews and then having to keep calling back before they will tell you NO.

Inconsiderate as far as I see......

Another problem - it is very hard to change specialties because of Catch 22 - if you don't have a year of experience they won't give you a chance.....how then do you get experience??? the $64,000 question......

Scubadiver · Jun 21, 2004

I'm sorry you're feeling so down right now and from reading some of the other posts - take heed of the encouraging advice. One thing disturbs me though; when we've had a new nurse who couldn't 'cut it', we always offerred them another position in the hospital. There is such a shortage one would think administration would work with you and try to find the 'right fit' in their facility. Were you not offerred another position in either of those hospitals? :crying2:

nursemjb · Jun 21, 2004

I'm sorry you're feeling so down right now and from reading some of the other posts - take heed of the encouraging advice. One thing disturbs me though; when we've had a new nurse who couldn't 'cut it', we always offerred them another position in the hospital. There is such a shortage one would think administration would work with you and try to find the 'right fit' in their facility. Were you not offerred another position in either of those hospitals?

I wish they would have worked with me, but they wouldn't. Thanks for the kind words. I guess the hospitals and agencies here in Texas don't feel like they have to work with you. Since I'm not a specialty nurse it's much more competitive.

deathnurse · Jun 22, 2004

You're FREE! Don't ponder the life of a nurse! You're outta' there! You won't be abused by patients, doctors, managers, relatives, and visitors any more! You won't be sued! You won't catch a deadly disease or have a patient spit in your face!

You won't go home completely worn out and zapped of your strength! You won't build up a slow tolerance to MRSA through your nasal passages! NO MORE NEEDLE STICK DANGERS!

Drunks won't hit you. Night shift nurses won't ask you to take out the trash! Doctors won't berate you for not knowing every little bit of information so they can get out the door faster!

Visitors won't ask you to get them coffee and an extra couple of chairs while you're trying to stop someone from bleeding!

When YOU'RE sick you can GO HOME without screwing other employees into taking on more patients!

YOUR OUTTA' THIS CRUMMY BUSINESS!

Or are you?

Me? Oh, I love the abuse and all of the above. I make $31 an hour, almost 50 years old. No retirement. Too worn out to work overtime. Got an HMO that almost covers me and my family. I could work as a psych nurse with the hands-on training I got from my managers, fellow employees, and fricken doctors that treat you like krap.

Maybe I could strip in a club? Nah, that's for younger guys. With larger...egos.

I wanna' hurt somebody. Bad. REal BaD!

(Ok, it's 0200 an I'm on a roll here. The bottle is half empty, not half full.)

Lemme have it, all you touchy/feely types. Go ahead, ya'll.!!!