Hey to the members of "allnurses", this is my first topic/post. I come to this forum as a place to vent, confide, and connect with other nurses, so hopefuly I have come to the right place.
Cutting to the chase, I was brought into my director's office today for a 90 day evaluation of my new position as an ER nurse coming from a nursing home in the same facility. As all evaluations go, your strengths and weaknesses are reviewed. It basically went well, but something that was said to me in so many words perplexed me and actually concerned me. My major weakness is basically that I am too smart for my own good, my directors words! Now, in context, this was not referring to being cocky or over-confident. This was referring to other nurses complaining about me "not listening". Meaning that when they would want to teach me something(being the new guy) I would already know what they are going to say in most, not all by any means, but most situations. I was told that I need to act like I know nothing and "just go with it". I have been told by a few nurses that I work with that I "think too much" and that I need to put what I learned in school in the back of my mind and start learning now, and to "slow down", can you believe that? Slow down in an ER? I have actually been told by a nurse in my department that I am too smart to be a nurse. Huh??
What the heck is going on here. I am very frustrated right now. I don't know if working in a rural southern town has anything to do with my situation, but I feel that my knowledge and capability is not being utilized because its stepping on some other's egos. I know that there are ways to be diplomatic and tactful, after all I am the low man on the totem pole, I just don't know. It is just hard for me to believe that in a field where our knowledge base is paramount to safe practice is looked down upon in any way.
