Orientation and Job NOT what was promised, want to quit!

diva rn, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2011

Again, i appreciate all your insights and replies. you certainly have all been very helpful!!! :)
I guess i will tough it out until I can find a new job, but my problem is, how do I explain to a new employer/interviewer why i'm leaving this job?
I heard from other threads that it's best not to 'bash' your job, but I honestly don't know what to say if they ask me why I'm looking for a new job so soon.
Well, first of all you don't know how long it will take you to even find an interview...if it's soon, I suggest you do not bash this job BUT you research the facility that you are applying to and find their strong points...THEN you go for the gold....you play this up and tell them how you have always wanted to work at this facility b/c they have the best "athlete's feet" unit in the entire state and that is the specialty you have always wanted to do and you can not believe this opportunity is now within your grasp and how you will work night and day...etc, etc......you get my drift..it's the old bait and switch...and you tell them what they want to hear...without bashing your old facility--let them think that it's ok there but you have been BURNING to work at their facility....yada yada yada..but do your homework, know everything about that facilty and that unit, the manager, the doctors the CNO the CEO....before you go in!
Believe it or not..this has worked for me in the past...people always want to hear good things about themselves and what they have or represent....try it!

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2011

Firstly, you are right to protect your license. I protect mine more than gold.

Secondly, clarify your job description and tell your concerns to your DON/NUM. What do they want you to do exactly, and tell them u can't cope with the unsafe workload.

Thirdly, can you go thru an agency instead to work your own hours/day/shifts to reduce your stress?

Fourthly, tell your potential employer WHY you are leaving - it's unsafe, I not only feared for my license but for the safety of patients, I wasn't learning anything, it was misrepresented to me. Stress that you are a PROFESSIONAL nurse and only want to work in a professional health care environment. They will appreciate your candour, and if they want more info, will ask you. Just don't go on too much about how bad your last employer was.

Fifthly, if you can afford it, I would leave such a place if it's as bad as you say, but many times we don't all have that option.

If you have to stay at your work, YOU NEED A PLAN OF ACTION! I can't stress how important this is. If you have say, 6 patients, are they ALL demanding and/or post op? You need to start taking control of your work place. For example, you may have 4 patients who are demanding. Start saying to these people something like OK Mr/Mrs X, I have 6 patients today, and can only spend 20 minutes in this room AT THIS TIME. This way, you will set up the tone of your shift and patients won't have such high expectations of you.THERE IS ONLY ONE OF YOU - and you need to make patients aware of that.

If you just go on shift, and run around trying to do everything with no plan, you will get nowhere fast. And sorry sweetie - I would NEVER stay back 2 hours to do charting - you should not have to. You sound like you might be wasting some time during your shift.

If you have patients who are not so dependent, spend less time with them. Try to do everything for one patient at one time in the same room. Ask for help if you need it as well. You can cut corners and be safe as well, though I don't recommend doing this ever with any medications. Ask family members to help out if they are there.

There are many threads on here re time management you can access too.

The bottom line is, if you don't control your patients and your shift, THEY will end up controlling YOU - and that's when you run around like a ragged doll and feel like you're always chasing your tail.

Try researching threads/sites on nursing management as well.

mazy · Aug 22, 2011

I heard from other threads that it's best not to 'bash' your job, but I honestly don't know what to say if they ask me why I'm looking for a new job so soon.

Yes, it is very important not to bash your old job. The nursing community is small and people know about other facilities, believe me. Your interviewers know. The question is almost a trick in that it requires you to address a deficiency -- so that they know that YOU are aware of the problem -- but to do it in a way that is graceful and tactful.

Most importantly, do not talk about how your old employers "misrepresented" the job, even if it is 100% true, it makes you look bad, as if you feel that you were hornswaggled and you are very bitter about it.

I think one way to look at it would be to examine what are your dealbreakers. Now that you have experience, what are the things about that job that, if you ever find them in another facility you won't take that job. For example, one of my deal breakers is orientation. I make a point of asking them what kind of orientation they give and ask a lot of questions about their expectation for new employees. Another is about resources and support I ask them about the responsibilities of their supervisors and charge staff, access to supplies, also training opportunities for extras like ACLS or wound care, etc.

So then if I were to think about why I didn't like my old job, it is that I wasn't getting any kind of support or training and didn't have the resources to do the job well, which meant I wasn't able to provide the kind of quality patient care that I want to.

So the question would be how to tactfully address that in an interview. Well. At any rate, that is the issue that matters most for me. You could have other things that are important. But the point is to turn the question around so that the answer does not dwell on the bad stuff in the other facility, it actually points them to what you want to do as a nurse in their facility -- i.e. provide quality care, and wanting to work in a facility that has a reputation for that. Tricky stuff.

lpn2rn81 · Aug 22, 2011

Thanks guys! to Carol- everything you said is true and makes great sense. I will point out that i'm not 'wasting' time yet, as I have only had one day on the floor and was mostly observing. It was my preceptor who had to stay over 2 hours, and she said most of the other nurses have to as well! :uhoh3:

I don't really need the job financially at this point. i have some savings I can live on. I honestly do want to quit and I NEVER felt that way about any of my previous jobs, not on ORIENTATION>

but this place is mismanaged.... we have ICu and medsurg patients on the same floor, and they both require a different chart and different flowsheets! there is NO medical attendant, so if we get a specimen, we have to run it to the lab ourselves!

The hospital has no nursing aides, so we have to do all our own baths and vitals, in addition to regular RN duties.... and did i mention everything is all on paper?? there are no computerized charting or labs to look up.. the MARS are still handwritten and can't be found half the time...

the bedside/flow charts are kept at the desk, but they don't have a holder, so they are scattered everywhere.. it's a mess...

AND, the brand new RN who JUST got off orientation was left ALONE to be the only nurse on the floor on her first night off orientation.... :eek:

needless to say, this floor has had EXPERIENCED nurses try orientation, and they end up leaving due to the inefficiency......

it's sad. I want this to work at this job, but I just don't feel safe, and I can't give my patients proper care when I don't have supplies half the time, or I have to hunt down specific papers for specific things I have to chart...

UGh.. sorry to vent, but I just feel so disappointed. I wanted to work out here, but I honestly don't feel it can happen.. and as I said, if you read all my posts on this thread, I have had LPN experiences on other floors, and NEVER felt like quitting......

so, I'll do my best, IF i get an interview elsewhere, to explain why i'm leaving, but how do I best explain the situation I described above, to a new employer??

They are so short staffed, they said that since i am an 'experienced' nurse (haha) I may get pulled off orientation early?! I don't even know how anyone can handle this floor.. the nursing care is one thing, but having to run your own specimens to the lab, and having to hunt down papers and supplies and unable to look up labs half the time,,, yeah it's frustrating!

i really appreciate your responses, everyone! It's helping me cope and realize it's not 'just me'. :nurse:

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Aug 22, 2011

I do not enjoy bedside nursing/med-surg
I just don't feel like this floor is going to work out for me
I want to quit so bad, yes even after one shift
I feel there may be no hope for me to find my 'niche'
I don't think I can survive the requisite '1 YEAR' requirement
I don't know how y'all do it
I CANNOT be in 6 patient rooms
I want to quit this job, I know it's not gonna get any better
it is impossible
I don't like the idea of
I can't live like that..
maybe you all are martyrs and have bladders of steel and stomachs that can go without food
I just can't survive like that
ARe there any jobs out there that don't require inhuman suffering,

being pregnant and having terrible morning sickness
unable to adjust
no way to humanly do
i have a history of back problems
I had a back surgery (microdiskectomy d/t herniated disk)twice due to back injuries
I ended up pregnant, and that exacerbated my back condition,
but my back can't handle ortho rehab
but I CAN't. I'm sorry
i have emetophobia,
hx of severe depression and anxiety/panic disorder
it is impossible to do
I want to use my medical training, but with one patient at a time

I only worked officially ONE shift so far.....
I know I can't stay on this floor.

i just dont' see
I don't think I CAN stick it out
I wish I woudn't have taken this current job

I can't give my patients proper care
I just feel so disappointed.
I honestly don't feel it can happen.

At the risk of alienating the OP and other members, I want to explain why I did what I did there...

The negativity in this thread/the OP's post was just SO glaring to me. Now, DON'T GET ME WRONG...I can absolutely relate to a bad experience. Lord knows I can. But I can't get past the fact that this was all posted due to not only ONE NIGHT, but the FIRST night on orientation. I just don't think it's possible to accurately examine an entire unit and it's staff, routine, etc, in ONE night, on the FIRST night. Maybe it was a bad night. It IS possible that it was out-of-the-ordinary bad. I certainly remember having nights at work and leaving thinking....OMG. You just can't process how bad the day/night was. Those nights happen anywhere. It COULD be that it's the norm for this place, but you can't know it after one day.

I pointed out the health-related sentences only because to me, it added to the overall negative tone. Again, not putting you down, OP, because you've had health problems....I've had my fair share, including back problems, so I can relate. It just comes down to what you make your focus.

You asked, a few times, if there were nursing jobs out there that "don't require inhuman suffering"....and yet, you also posted about several jobs that you've had in the past that you loved. Good staff, good working conditions, etc. In other words, you KNOW they exist, and yet you're ready to chuck your whole nursing career and do something totally different (you mentioned sonographer) due to a bad first night at a new job? It seems extreme to me, when you HAVE had good experience with nursing jobs in your past.

I'm not saying you didn't have a bad night. Like I said, I understand that. The force behind the words and the posts don't seem to match up with that, though. I feel like I'm missing something.

Take it for what it's worth :twocents: , I'm only one anonymous internet person. If I'm off-base, I apologize. Just the impression I get from reading.

Gonna go find my asbestos undies now.

lpn2rn81 · Aug 23, 2011

Looking back over what you highlighted, cherrybreeze, I didn't realize how negative I was! WOW... and you're right, I did have jobs in the past that I enjoyed. I am applying to the hospital I used to work at.

I am not trying to judge this new job by one shift. I guess I may have been scared off by the fact that the preceptor and other nurses warned me that 5 new orientees started within the past 4 months and none have stayed. Even the girl i mentioned who just got off orientation and was left alone on her first night, she is planning to quit.

The experienced nurses on the floor are frustrated and leaving late from work d/t how crazy that floor is and how it's almost impossible to do all the paperwork they expect plus take care of all the patients with no nurse's aide, and, lots of times, lack of necessary supplies. The unit is mismanaged and inefficient, IMO. It's not just my observation. Many others have told me that they can't keep anybody on this unit.

Again, I apologize to all for my incessant complaining. I have had some problems in the past and want to stay positive here, but it looks and feels bleak. I'll try my best, and I guess i will try not to be so negative in future posts.:doh::doh::doh:

johnny depp23 · Aug 23, 2011

Hi, just wondering if you got your degree on-line or from a traditional school? Thanks

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Aug 23, 2011

Firstly, you are right to protect your license. I protect mine more than gold.
Secondly, clarify your job description and tell your concerns to your DON/NUM. What do they want you to do exactly, and tell them u can't cope with the unsafe workload.
Thirdly, can you go thru an agency instead to work your own hours/day/shifts to reduce your stress?
Fourthly, tell your potential employer WHY you are leaving - it's unsafe, I not only feared for my license but for the safety of patients, I wasn't learning anything, it was misrepresented to me. Stress that you are a PROFESSIONAL nurse and only want to work in a professional health care environment. They will appreciate your candour, and if they want more info, will ask you. Just don't go on too much about how bad your last employer was.
Fifthly, if you can afford it, I would leave such a place if it's as bad as you say, but many times we don't all have that option.
If you have to stay at your work, YOU NEED A PLAN OF ACTION! I can't stress how important this is. If you have say, 6 patients, are they ALL demanding and/or post op? You need to start taking control of your work place. For example, you may have 4 patients who are demanding. Start saying to these people something like OK Mr/Mrs X, I have 6 patients today, and can only spend 20 minutes in this room AT THIS TIME. This way, you will set up the tone of your shift and patients won't have such high expectations of you.THERE IS ONLY ONE OF YOU - and you need to make patients aware of that.
If you just go on shift, and run around trying to do everything with no plan, you will get nowhere fast. And sorry sweetie - I would NEVER stay back 2 hours to do charting - you should not have to. You sound like you might be wasting some time during your shift.
If you have patients who are not so dependent, spend less time with them. Try to do everything for one patient at one time in the same room. Ask for help if you need it as well. You can cut corners and be safe as well, though I don't recommend doing this ever with any medications. Ask family members to help out if they are there.
There are many threads on here re time management you can access too.
The bottom line is, if you don't control your patients and your shift, THEY will end up controlling YOU - and that's when you run around like a ragged doll and feel like you're always chasing your tail.
Try researching threads/sites on nursing management as well.

I think going in to all of this with a new employer is a BAD idea. True or not, it can reflect poorly....and make it look like the OP just can't handle the job. It's impossible for someone else (like the interviewer) to TRULY understand it unless they were there to witness it, and it may sound exaggerated (not saying it was, but it may sound like it). To avoid that, you'd have to say more than you intend to, which is going to end up sounding like bashing.

As far as telling your patients that they're not the only patient you have? Another big no-no. Again, it might be true, but that's one thing that was DRILLED in to our heads at my last job. Patients do NOT want to hear this. It makes them feel not-taken-care-of, and makes them afraid to ask you for anything, legitimate or not. I can see the logic behind what you say, but we would have been in BIG trouble for pointing that out on a regular basis.

Charting 2 hours after a shift? I've been there. Some days, it's all you can do. There literally ISN'T time to touch charting until you are done with patient care (meaning, the shift ends). There are days that are non-stop running, no matter how organized you are. Is it and should it be every day? Absolutely not. But it happens.

Looking back over what you highlighted, cherrybreeze, I didn't realize how negative I was! WOW... and you're right, I did have jobs in the past that I enjoyed. I am applying to the hospital I used to work at.
I am not trying to judge this new job by one shift. I guess I may have been scared off by the fact that the preceptor and other nurses warned me that 5 new orientees started within the past 4 months and none have stayed. Even the girl i mentioned who just got off orientation and was left alone on her first night, she is planning to quit.
The experienced nurses on the floor are frustrated and leaving late from work d/t how crazy that floor is and how it's almost impossible to do all the paperwork they expect plus take care of all the patients with no nurse's aide, and, lots of times, lack of necessary supplies. The unit is mismanaged and inefficient, IMO. It's not just my observation. Many others have told me that they can't keep anybody on this unit.
Again, I apologize to all for my incessant complaining. I have had some problems in the past and want to stay positive here, but it looks and feels bleak. I'll try my best, and I guess i will try not to be so negative in future posts.:doh::doh::doh:

lpn2rn81....thank you SO much for taking my post in the spirit in which it was intended, and with a grain of salt. I was very worried that I would offend you, and that wasn't my intention. I know that personally I can fall in to the same thing without realizing it (being negative).

Hopefully, the nurses griping about leaving late, etc, was due to having a bad day. I know I complain more, and about everything, when I've had a shift from he!!. Maybe I just want to hope that no place is that bad to work at, but I can be naive, even after all these years. :rolleyes:

I hope things work out, either in terms of getting better there, or in finding somewhere that you will be happy. :)

lpn2rn81 · Aug 24, 2011

Haha, cherrybreeze, I wouldn't say you're naive.

Anyway, Just finished a crazy 12 hour shift. I Had 2 preceptors ( 1for each half of the shift) that shift and we were so busy with admissions and transfers and discharges and bell-ringers and q 1 hr accu checks and a lady with intractable vomiting.....

I thought no place was bad to work at, until I came here. Both of my preceptors today told me they have complained and asked for many changes and help on the unit, to no avail. They told me how ridiculous the place is. I am not kidding about the turnovers. Even the physicians don't want to stay.

there is no pharmacy after day shift ends, so if we get an admission(and we usually get at least 2-3 after hours)who needs meds after hours, we have to call the nurse supervisor to get the meds for us.

We have to run our own blood and specimens to the lab....

there is no nursing assistant to help bathe patients, toilet them, collect trays, or answer bells.

I am trying not to complain, just stating facts. We spend more time acting as secretaries, couriers, and waitresses than we do spending time doing nursing care.

That is not the kind of care I want to give to my patients, and that is what frustrates me..

ah, I guess I'm done venting now. Thx for listening, everyone!

oh, Johnny depp- I went to a vo-tech for the LPN, and went back to a community college to attend classes to finish for my RN degree.