Terminated After Two Months!!

Dear Nurse Beth Advice Column - The following letter submitted anonymously in search for answers. Join the conversation! Nurses Nurse Beth Nursing Q/A

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Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

I guess I'm floored ~ I'm an LPN grad '72 we had tons of clinical hours as my program was based on the old hospital based diploma program. I was well prepared for the job I was hired to do and those diploma new grads could hit the ground running with little orientation they were a joy to work with ~ my concern is this new grad's program is badly lacking if after 3 months of orientation she couldn't handle the job ~ scary So many schools today don't have enough clinical hours ~ my last term we were given close to a full assignment of patients we learned time management skills in school, we also had what we then called "brains" a form we filled out at report and carried in our pockets about each one of our patients with notes to make sure we did it right and on time. Back then we also had team nursing with total patient care ~ there were no cna's or techs only LPN's and RN's ~ those patients got fantastic care! I would ask the OP if others in her class are having similar problems?

Specializes in Aged, Palliative Care, Oncology.

Oh Dear lady. I feel your struggle.

Nurse Beth thanks for the advice. Very good. One of the reasons why I'm on this site is to get adequate support and a sense of comradity... when

I feel alone and scared as a 1st year / 2nd year nurse I freak out and I need an outlet. This site let's me know that I'm not alone. That i have people who belive in me when I no longer do or felt like my old colleagues did.

Where do I begin... my story very similar to you. I'm smart and soft and caring but I just kept making wee mistakes or ones that could be potentially dangerous. and it felt like it sucked the living life out of me.

I was working on a short staffed ward for my first rotation of new grad and some of my "preceptors" were crabby, short tempered, surly and unapproachable. I therefore felt scared to ask questions and for help. then I Began to make mistakes. .. and it followed me around for a year. The pain I went through.

The humiliation is traumatic. you feel scared that you're never going to soar in nursing like other seems to do... (I don't want to be a cranky one either)...

but, Yeh don't give up you'll find a place that like something about you and are willing to give you a shot and like beth said.. support you and help you to flourish.

I'm in a predicament myself... I need full time work and city jobs are COMPETITIVE .. I may have landed one but references need to be done. And I am running scared even when I get reassurance.

My latest line manager has to be honest (most probably about the mistakes and what entailed on my year I guess) ... and I'm worried (I cried myself to sleep last night) that the new manager won't give me a go and let me show him how amazing I can be. . I feel like not many people feel comfortable doing my reference.

Yeh I'm a nice kid but is that enough? will I make the same mistakes again... I don't think so.... I just hope my future employer sees that. The struggle is real... I've been waiting 3-4 weeks for this job (manager went away), busy, etc. so if this guy doesn't give me a job I don't know who will.. because it is where I want to work and the manager seems very smart and reasonable.

When you get back on the floor/office. .. DEEP BREATHS... always. .. deep breaths and believe in your ability. You have trained you are deemed competent. Use your confidence to let that competence shine!

You can do it. DO NOT feel afraid to ask for help even when you're working with a cranky pants. Don't let their bad attitude make you feel like you have to close up, wilt, not breath, not work together and start to make mistakes.

Stand tall , breath, be professional, stick to the task & don't worry what anyone thinking of you. . you're all there for the patients and to make it a good, safe thriving place... not a place for any old ego to air and ruin morale :inlove:

OMG! Poor thing, I really don't know what to say but wish u all the best. I'm sure my fellow season nurses have tons of advise for u. Good luck!

I am SO Sorry for what you have gone through. I have been a nurse for 32 years and now at 55, I believe I am going to get out. Healthcare is not kind. Nurses get set up for failure. I see it alot. Do not take it personally!!! You are a smart, caring individual. Get out why you are young and get a new career. Believe me when I say, a lot of nurses have been fired for no reasons, made up reasons, false reasons, etc.Get out now - save yourself a lot of grief.I wish you the very best.

As a BSN graduate, I left school with little to no skills. I felt the 2 yr. RN's from a community college were far better prepared. Also, the few nurses I came in contact with who were trained in the hospital were superb to everyone else. Theory is great, but bedside skills is where it is at!!

Nursing is truly one of the most difficult professions to navigate; it's constantly changing and so much of the day to day processes we have to figure out on our own. Not everything is taught and pertinent information is often left out. That being said, I have been a nurse for nearly ten years now and I'm still learning.

I started out in med-surge where I stayed for eight years. I decided to try something new and was an Admissions Nurse and then Case Manager for about the past year. Training was poor if not non-existent. I took over as case manager when my boss became Director of Hospice. The problem here was there were no written protocols in place specific to hospice and my boss never gave clear or full instructions. At times her instructions were actually incorrect. I found she had made mistakes in charting patient information and medications when she had my position.

When my three month review came it was not good. I was told my documentation was poor, poor judgement, medication errors, etc. She said she would extend my probation period for two more weeks, but also said that she would give me a good recommendation if I wanted.

I didn't agree with my review; I felt it was unfair. For instance, medications were correct but I forgot to pull a template down several times so physician could sign. My poor judgement was that I contacted the Attending Physician to alert him of change in patient condition and he ordered wound care consult. My boss was upset because she didn't want me to contact physician saying we could consult our pharmacy for instructions (which she was unaware of until one of our other nurses told her). I took care of everything and consulted our pharmacy. I accidentally put an incorrect number in for a patients weight loss ( consequently I picked up on similar charting errors by other nurses but I was the one being watched). The other errors were along the same line. Needless to say, I resigned. It would have been impossible for me to continue under those circumstances. My boss said to take the weekend to think about it. I walked in Monday morning and handed her my resignation, effective immediately!

I was in the same position as you. I couldn't trust that my boss would give me a fair recommendation, so I left my last job experience out. This can be tough because you have to explain Here are some suggestions: Time off to recoupe, family event/emergency (This was mine. It was actually true).

I didn't want to go back to med-surge so I looked at out patient surgery centers, Behavior Health, etc. I found it difficult to get my foot in the door as I was competing with applicants with experience. I finally landed a job with a large company with assisted living, skilled nursing, personal care, etc and love it!! This may be a good option for you as it is a little slower paced. You can sharpen your assessment skills, become familiar with medications, etc. I would recommend becoming certified in IV insertion during this time so you don't loose the skill.

Best of luck!

Don't feel too bad, I know a lot of people who were in your position. I currently work as aide in a hospital and I will probably start working in a nursing home for my first rn job. I graduated a couple months ago and have not been able to secure a hospital job even at the one I currently work at. I interviewed at one place, and the nurse I shadowed said that a lot of the nurses leave before their first year ends, very high turn over. I think your should expand your horizons as I'm doing, maybe try a nursing home.

Hi!

Count your blessings and move on.

As for me , when I committed and admitted my Med Error ( Toradol OD to Post op pt.- pt OK) way back 2009 and I was just out of orientation, my Director submitted my name to TX BON .

And I needed to comply with the stipulations on my license.

I suffered emotional and financial drain.But I needed to move on.

Fast forward October 2016, I'm here in Long Beach, CA and I have yet to get an RN job .I had several interviews but not accepted.

CA BON is requiring me again to comply with the stipulation on my License.

I was able to comply with all the courses but now time is catching up with me as the end of my probation is coming nearer and I have yet to receive a call.

I have a strong faith in God and that's what keeps me going.

Miracles do happen.( though there were times I feel like giving up)

But I believe God will make a way when there seems to be no way.

Let's keep on praying!

Specializes in Psychiatric Mental Health.

I never worked in med-surg and that has never stopped me from getting a job I want in my 19 years of nursing. I may never have the skills to work in med surg, but I never needed (or wanted) to and I am confident in the skills that I have treating people with both medical and psychiatric issues in the settings where I work.

Specializes in Psychiatric / Forensic Nursing.

One of the best decisions I ever made as a nurse was to join the United States Navy Nurse Corps after 1 year out of school. I worked my year at the V.A. that had been more than helpful with schedules while I was in school. I went to work on the same Med-Surg floor where I had been a Nursing Assistant. Joining the Navy (actually any branch Nurse Corps) is a guaranteed, predictable career path. After 6 weeks Indoctrination School (no nursing at all), the new nurse Ensign is assigned a large regional medical center, usually Med-Surg. If you show promise, you may be moved to a critical care unit, ED or surgery. With a BSN, after 1 year you are automatically promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. When your initial 2 years are about up, you can choose to stay another 2 years and get an assignment overseas; Rota, Spain; Roosevelt Roads, P.R. come to mind. Of course Hawaii is not considered "overseas" but is "Out of CONUS (Continental US)". After completing overseas duty and getting another promotion, you have pretty much a choice of where to return. If your grades and performance reports are good enough, you may be chosen for Full Time Duty Under Instruction for up to 2 years. When I was in, I was chosen to attend the university of my choice for Masters in Nursing in Critical Care. That's 2 years with full pay and benefits, plus all fees, travel & moving and living costs PAID. 20 years may seem like a long time starting out. But you may retire then with full retirement benefits. I had friends retiring from the Navy Nurse Corps at age 44, starting their "2nd careers" in the civilian world with a Masters and 20 years experience. Almost name your price in job hunting.

No job is perfect for everybody. Contrary to popular belief, EVERY nurse does not start IV's, monitor drips, read cardiac monitors or assist in surgery. Get basic experience in a place where you are appreciated. And, appreciate yourself ! Finishing a BSN is not a stroll down the beach. Take pride and validation in your accomplishment.

Believe it or not, my favorite overseas station was Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (before the prison). It was like being paid to live on paradise island. I had my wife and two daughters with me. We lucked out and got housing in a 2800 sq. ft. house overlooking the golf course. Went scuba diving at least 3 days per week. On weekends hospital staff would rent a cabana at one of the big beaches and just hang out all day, coming and going into the night with BON fires. When a deer stepped on a mine the Marines roasted it at the beach and we partied. I worked Med-Surg, E.R., Outpatient Clinic, Active Duty Sick Call, Surgery. Got to go out with Marines on tanks, shoot guns and practice camping skills. As an old commercial once said, "Try it. You might like it".

I am a new LPN, and I feel like my school did not prepare us at all for the real world. I had at most 3 patients in clinicals, and I have 20 patients in my first job in LTC! It was quite a shock on top of learning all the computer stuff (they have a terrible computer program, different than the normal one, you have to enter things 2 to 3 different places, they don't flow automatically). I feel like they taught us to only pass the boards pretty much. The place I work is chronically short-staffed and the training is inadequate but I feel like if I can do this I can work anywhere after this first year. Some nights are great, but some nights I have charting for 1-1 1/2 hours after all the work is done. You learn to prioritize and manage your time. I really wish I had a mentor though, I work 3p-11p and there is not any other nurse except the RN supervisor who is too busy to do much except respond to emergencies. Hang in there, I don't have experience to respond to your question too much but LTC is probably a good start for a year. Good luck!!

I am so sorry all this happened to you!

First, there is a national nurse movement about safe staffing - and your experience shows exactly why. A nurse cannot do more than what he/she has time to do. And a trainer/mentor can only help another nurse grow if his/her s patient load allows it. You have been a victim of poor management planning and execution of safe staffing.

The same goes for your needlestick injury. Nurses are in situations where they have to use dangerous objects in unstable situations. Police are given vests, and firefighters breathing apparatus. Construction workers are given hard hats and steel-toed shoes. But they just tell nurses to "be careful." Studies have shown the safest devices have passive retraction. I'll bet they did not provide safe devices, but then blamed you.

I can see by your letter that you care and you want the best for your patients. That makes you a great nurse. Unfortunately, the industry does not value your strengths as well as they should. Hang in there. You will find your place. I believe in you.

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