I have given Nursing my best is it not for me?

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I am unsure if this post is under the right topic or not but ...... am I being to niave to believe that ones race has nothing to do with how well you can get along with others? I have had the hardest time obtaining and then holding on to a RN job? I had no problems in nursing school. I smile mind my own business and do my work the way it was taught to me, I even ask questions just to be on the safe side of things? I was the only black nurse working on night shift, but that didnt bother me at all. I loved my job. I was so excited to even have a job. Being a new grad I wanted to learn, any and everything that I could. I thought I was on my way to becoming a great nurse when I got written up. I was shocked I had no Idea that I was doing such a terrible job? Why hadnt anyone pulled me to the side? Or talked to me so that I could do better? Then it just got out right rediculous my co workers were reporting everything I done even things that they to were doing? But why was I the only one getting written up for them? Who do you go to when there is no one you can trust? How do you evaluate your job performance when there are those that tell you, you suck? I know for sure that the honeymoon phase is over. I was let go after my 90 day evaluation due to my so called lack of critical care skills? Is it wrong to believe that your job should help you to gain confidence in your critical care skills or is that just a bs excuse for we dont like you or we dont want your kind working here with us? I know that I have never had a patient go bad on me nor did I ever neglect to give a treatment or dressing change? I know that I always checked vital signs and knew what the meds I was giving to my patients were for at all times. I am unsure. But as lousey as I feel, I am also glad that I dont have to go in to work anymore....

Hmm..THIS IS THE SAME EXACT ISSUE IM GOING THROUGH!IT makes me sick that this type of issue is still going on in the U.S. I am also african american I ended up taking a position with a company who is large.I was hired full time and the state came.I went to orientation and I they felt I needed to be trained for more days due to a ? regarding my skills.I said ok.They told me I couldnt come back until next week!I was furious after being hired full time.I cooled off and waited for that week.I was called and was told to hold off on my comp. test because state was there and I needed to be off of the floor for a few days. I advised them I have been off for more than a week and would like to continue the hours I had been hired for.The unit mgr and the DSD said they talked it over and they feel like my skills are good and I would perform well.At this time I didnt take the comp. test like they wanted me to,but to them they felt I was ok(???)I wasnt given a monthly schedule like promised because the scheduler hasnt made it yet.I followed up often and I was told by unit mgr they were working on it.

Ok long story short.They cut my hours saying the census was low and I went from being hired full time to PRN.I was told I was going to get another nurse shift who was leaving on june 2.So I was patient until then. I was pulled to the side and was told by my fellow co workers who are black that they have seen people who are black jump through hoops there and eventually are fired.Guess what the next day..I was let go..for Performance issues.Mind you for last 3 days I worked on the floor I was given the hardest assignment(patients who complain) but completed my shift with all charting, all meds given out, no patients in distress/suctioned in all, and all dressing changes done.Even the CNA's liked me.So it was a surprise.I accepted that this place was all bad and moved on and filed for unemployment.Now this company who i worked, for is trying to deny me unemployment and I have no income now.Im in california as a LVN and I have been not able to find a job.I know my skills are up to par and even won nurse of the year in "09" for my outstanding skills.I know im not perfect but far from being incompetent in my skills level.I dont like how these companies try to make it seems your not good enough when they are the ones who have the problem.My last facility wasnt perfect but it did have this type of unjust.I just got a whiff of how ignorance and bias is still going on. To make it worst its in the hosptials that where ALL people are suppose to be treated with respect and dignity.This is what really bothers me.

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Diva, I totally understand you. I am so sorry that you had to endure that type of treatment. That is the first thing they claim is that you are not competent, how can that be? Nurses are trained at a basic level in school and I was competent enough to pass my boards? What schools should be teaching is how to survive in nursing when you are a minority. What signs you should look for to know your working in a terrible environment that does not except diversity. Instead of going to work working twice as hard to prove you are able to people that already know you are, they already knowthey are going to show you the door anyway! Then they hide behind their flimsy rules that they bend to fit their needs leaving you jobless without a leg to stand on feeling way less than competent for trusting that racism does not exist in todays world...........

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Oh, girl... I hear ya... Read some of my other posts...

I went through orientation, was told that I was doing really well, and then I went out working on my own. After I was out on my own, that's when it started coming out that I was having trouble "connecting the dots." I appreciated the constructive criticism and I asked if we could get down to specific examples to improve my learning curve. I was surprised that anyone thought that I wasn't "connecting the dots" since I graduated at the top of my class, had work experience in another area. I've asked for feedback repeatedly, but never got anything specific. I was literally terminated at the 11th hour of my probationary period. What gives?

My nose never turned brown from any of my jobs. Is that my problem? It's just not my style. I don't brown nose, I mind my own business, I don't gossip, and I prefer to eat lunch by myself because I want to be alone to decompress. I do my work, don't wear an iPod, help others out, hell I'm nerdy enough that I read the policy and procedures manual online during night shift.

Like you, chocolateskye, I am a minority. I don't think that should have anything to do with my competency. However, as a new grad, I'm not going to be as competent as an RN with 20+ years of experience, so in the end, that was the "excuse" I was given. I don't believe that I was any worse than any other new grad.

Don't let yourself get bogged down by how others perceive you. Chin up, keep looking, know that you have it in your head and in your heart to be a good nurse. I learned that I just need to learn to schmooze better in the future. (I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this one. The thought of having the smell of that s**t on my nose makes me want to vomit.) It's not not you, you just need to find a place that's a better fit for you. Times are tough out there so it's hard for us to be picky. I just pray that we all land somewhere safe.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

To the original poster:

I am also an African-American nurse and, yes, you must not violate any policies during your first 90 days on any job. Do not ever use an Ipod at work until you have built a rapport with your coworkers because double standards do apply. For example, the people who have been with a company longer can get away with certain things, but the new person must follow the rules exactly as they are written.

The nursing profession is permeated with politics. As a black nurse, be prepared for some people to mistakenly and automatically assume that you are the housekeeper, CNA, dietary aide, cook, transporter, or some other position that does not require formal education beyond high school. Be prepared for some patients and family members to subtly doubt your level of knowledge and skills. Be prepared for the occasional patient to openly and blatantly request care from Caucasian nursing staff only. Be prepared for some vexing moments in nursing.

Most importantly, learn to play the game. You must present a certain image of yourself while in the workplace and, unfortunately, pretend to enjoy coworkers that you particularly do not like. In nursing, some environments are set up so that you must become a politician. I hope you know what I mean.

Play the game, continue to keep your patients safe, and good luck!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
My nose never turned brown from any of my jobs. Is that my problem? It's just not my style. I don't brown nose, I mind my own business, I don't gossip, and I prefer to eat lunch by myself because I want to be alone to decompress. I do my work, don't wear an iPod, help others out, hell I'm nerdy enough that I read the policy and procedures manual online during night shift.
This is also my problem. I am not a social butterfly at work. While other nurses like to gossip, converse, and exchange innermost secrets, I prefer to keep it professional. Unfortunately, keeping it completely professional is not considered playing the game. Playing the game involves a repertoire of interpersonal skills, social skills, and charm.

My best friend, who is also a minority nurse, told me recently, "People like me because I know how to play the game. I have a way of working people's feelings and getting them to like me. I pretend to want to be around them and I give compliments, even though the person receiving the compliment might be stinky or wearing something ugly. When people have the choice between a phony person and a truthful person, they will almost always go for the fake because most people cannot handle the truth. I'm a fake and you are the real deal. People cannot handle the real deal, which is why people don't like you as much."

I replied, "That sounds a lot like kissing ass. I will not stoop to that level, even if it means that I don't build as many workplace relationships as you." My friend just shrugged.

If you're a quiet person who eats lunch alone, doesn't gossip, and is independent, then coworkers might interpret you as aloof and standoffish. Quiet people sometimes don't mesh well with the politics of nursing, no matter how competent you are at your job.

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Thank you all for your advice. I just wish I had known about the politics of nursing before hand. I guess there is nothing like on the job training right? Reading your recent posts I realized that I am not very social at times because I want to get my work done to make sure that I did not stay over. But when I had time I would socialize somewhat. I to will eat by myself, do not believe in brown nosing and just cant be too fake! It would show all over my face. I did not smoke so I could not take a million breaks, plus I had not worked as a nurse for years so yes I have to actually sit down and make sure Im doing my work the right way I cant sit up at the nursing station and talk all night. So maybe that was it but, I have still seen how different the white new grads got treated. How they were allowed to make mistakes, refuse patients, call off during the probation period, and wear an ipod they made it thru orientation.

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