first RN job proving to be a disappointment, tips please...

U.S.A. Missouri

Published

I started my first RN job here in St. Louis through a SSN hospital in August. I work on a critical care floor and am having a very hard time with it. I often dread going in to work, and have even used the 'hate' work when people ask how I like it. I am really thinking I made a mistake in my choice and after my first year is over am seriously considering trying to find a job working in a physician office. How am I going to make it throught he next 6.5 months?!?! without going crazy...which I am been very close to already. HELP!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

I don't have any answers for you as I am still in school myself, but all I can say is, if you made it through 2 (or 4) years of nursing school, you most likely can make it through the next 6.5 months. If you really feel strongly like you can't finish up there, can you see if the hospital can find you another assignment? Or is it the hospital? If so, then perhaps find another facility to transfer to or just try to suck it up.

Make sure you understand all the reasons why you "hate" it there -- the staff? Employer? Patients? Job duties? And then take it from there so you know where you DO want to end up...

Best wishes!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Get out, Get out, Get out. Not out of nursing, out of the Unit. Not everyone is suited for critical care. Not everyone is suited for homecare, not everyone likes OR, not everyone is suited for ER. Some excel at paperwork and some need fast paced thrills. Some bask in teaching. You simply haven't found your nitch. It may take several tries before you find the right place for you in nursing, the good news is there is plenty of room. So, get out the want ads and try, try again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
You simply haven't found your nitch. It may take several tries before you find the right place for you in nursing, the good news is there is plenty of room. So, get out the want ads and try, try again.

Gosh, after a tough week back at school, it is SO nice to read something uplifting, positive, and encouraging on these boards!!

:urck:

Bless you :redpinkhe christinaquilter!! :wshgrt:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SICU, ER, MEDICAL.

Thanks for the words --- I am on a critial care floor in a bjc hospital and I feel the exact same way...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

I'm going to stick out here and say that I think you should give it the additional 6.5 months and then see how you feel. Reason? The first year of nursing is hard on every single new nurse out there - particularly those who have decided to go into a high-stress specialty. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I wanted out of labor and delivery during my first year. I even contemplated taking my old banking job back (half-kidding, half-serious)!

Bottom line is that you will most likely feel this way during your first year no matter where you go. There's a reason why most employers prefer 1 year of experience or don't want to take on new grads....sticking it out that first year will look a lot better on you to other employers. It proves you were able to work through that first year of non-stop stress, nausea before shifts, dreading going to work every day, crying before shifts, praying on the way to work, being a nervous wreck throughout your whole shift, etc. etc. (just a partial list of what I've went through, of course! ;))

Take a peak at the "First Year In Nursing" boards. You'll find plenty of company - guaranteed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you for posting this message- it really spoke to me! That is how I feel every day before my shift. I really think that first year of nursing is just so hard and nothing but experience is going to relieve the pain.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.
Thank you for posting this message- it really spoke to me! That is how I feel every day before my shift. I really think that first year of nursing is just so hard and nothing but experience is going to relieve the pain.

Very well said! I had those same feelings and did in fact leave the NICU, at 8 months in. I was unhappy with the unit overall and thought that it meant I was not cut out for the NICU (my dream all through school). I left and went to a step down special care nursery job. Guess what, in 6 months there I was bored out of my mind. Found another nicu position and am now very very happy and content.

Looking back, I think most of my problems were first year jitters. From someone who has been there, leaving worked out great for me, taught me alot. But staying may have been my best option. Go with your gut instinct. It could simply be the unit you are on that you are not fitting in well with or the icu is not for you at this time.

:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

I agree. Just an update (since I last posted on this thread in January '08), I did end up leaving L&D for NICU. I decided at the end of my one year anniversary in L&D (not counting orientation/training time) that I had given it my best shot and it wasn't working for me. I was still feeling miserable before each shift, even though I felt like I had a good handle on my job. I had a heart-to-heart with my manager, and she helped me arrange a transfer to NICU. I am much happier in NICU, and I don't dread going in to work every day like I did in L&D.

I still stand by my statement that new grads should consider giving it a full year to see if it's the job or if it's just the "first year in nursing." And as an added bonus, my training in NICU is going so much smoother because I have a year of experience as a RN. I think it's much harder to learn a specialty AND learn to be a RN at the same time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Make sure you understand all the reasons why you "hate" it there -- the staff? Employer? Patients? Job duties? And then take it from there so you know where you DO want to end up...

Best wishes!!

I strongly agree with the above sentiment. Too many people stop at "I hate it..." and don't go beyond that to analyze how/why they ended up with a job you don't like.

1. Were your expectations unrealistic to begin with? Did you expect everything to be unrealistically perfect and now you are struggling with the fact that "all your problems in life didn't go away after you graduated." I know that sounds silly ... but I have known many nursing students who fantasize about how great it will be when school is over that they build up expectations that no employer could match.

2. Is there something about the work itself you don't like -- the critical nature of the patients' needs ... the fast pace ... the technology ... the possibility of death ... dealing with stressed out family members ... etc.

3. Is there something about your colleagues that is at the root of the problem?

4. Are you uncomfortable because you are not yet feeling secure in your skills -- and that is unpleasant? If so, that may pass as you gain experience, knowledge, and skill.

etc. etc. etc. Only after you have identified those things can you begin to make an informed decision about what to do next.

Also ... I suggest that you literally take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. Identify all the good things about your job on one side of the paper ... and all the challenges/stresses on the other. Try to maintain and honest, balanced viewpoint. Then, begin to address the problem areas you listed one at a time. Develop strategies to deal with them. Talk to other people to identify strategies you can use, etc. In the meantime, remind yourself of the items on the positive side.

If you can't think of any positives ... your judgment is probably being clouded by emotions and you are only seeing the negative. Even in a bad job situation, there are usually a few positives, if only the paycheck and the benefits. If you can't see a few benefits, use that as a clue that your thinking may be clouded and be careful about jumping to quick conclusions. Get the perspective of others, etc. to help you work through your emotions so that you can take an objective view of your situation.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac/Neuro.

I am also a new grad who was hired straight out of school into a unit. I was miserable and overwhelmed. I lasted 2 months off orientation and then I transferred to their stepdown unit.

I like the stepdown unit. It's still fast paced, I still get similar patients just not on a critical level. I have learned a lot in the past year. The nurses on the stepdown unit were also accustomed to new grads and much more likely to help.

It took me a long time to get my confidence back, but I feel so much better now and I know now I am good at my job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency/Trauma, Transplant Surgery.

I am a firm believer that new grad RNs, including myself when I was, are not meant for critical care in any shape or form. My reasoning? Things are just too quickly paced to be learning time management, accountability, and general nursing abilities at the same time as specializing.

Granted, there are always the exceptions. You have the PCTs who've worked in ICU/Stepdown (myself) who don't want to work anywhere else. You've got the thrill-seekers who think they're above "floor nursing" (guess what? That SICU patient you finally transferred went to the floor! Don't knock the floor!)

I guess my point is, we get done with nursing school, and we think we have an idea that we want to specialize in higher levels of care before we master the art of nursing.

Don't overwhelm yourself.

P.S. - This post I guess is more for the un-initiated, as the OP obviously has made their bed and now must lay in it. :p Just kidding. You'll make it, just hang on.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment