Newer grad thinking of leaving nursing..

[gaRdeNer77]

I graduated nursing school in 2011 with honors and did everything that I possibly knew to make my resume stand out. In Colorado, we heard it was difficult to get a job. I arrogantly thought I was immune. Long story short, it took 8 months to land my first job as a RN. I applied everywhere (except prison nursing). You name it. Nothing but rejection after rejection. It was hard. Then I decided to apply for every CNA position in all the hospitals up to 30 miles away (foot in the door approach). I was rejected because I was overqualified. I applied to over 150 jobs (mostly RN) and did not have a single interview. Man oh man.

Just when I was ready to volunteer my nursing abilities for free to gain some experience, I got a job working as a CNA (different title, but basically a RN working as a CNA) in a hospital. I worked on this tele floor for 3 months as a CNA. Finally, I could apply to RN positions at this hospital and they looked at my resume! It was a great feeling. I ended up getting a nursing position on a surgical spine floor. It was a 12 bed unit with 2 nurses on - providing total care.

Coming from a 25 bed unit where we had staff everywhere, this seemed a little scary to me to have ONE person to ask for help. Still, it was the only job I could find. (Trust me, I would have worked in that nursing home had anyone offered me the job.) I was hired and unfortunately, made it only 5 months. The manager that hired me stepped down after a few weeks and I was trying to coordinate my "orientation and training" with the director of the floor and fill-in managers (4 total) while on nightshift. She assured me that I would be properly trained. I ended up orienting with 5 different people on both day and night shifts. I received a packet of information about the spine in a notebook with a 2 page quiz that I was instructed to take after reading through the information...this was my surgical orientation. And I was only given 6 weeks on the floor before being on my own. I wouldn't complain much except that the people that were hired after me who had been nurses for years also received 6 weeks on the floor training so I thought I deserved a little longer. I asked for 2 more weeks and they were okay with it, except our census was very low and I had 2 weeks of having 1-2 patients so it wasn't much of a time-balancing learning experience like I had hoped.

This is not the most ideal scenario of course but none of these were the reasons why I had to leave.

We were extremely short staffed. Then all but 1 other person on the night shift got very sick and couldn't come in for months. I had been off orientation for 3 weeks and each shift, they were floating someone new in to work with me. I was looked at as the "expert" on the spine and made charge nurse every shift. Once they floated down another new grad from my old tele floor. I called the house supervisor and informed her that 2 new grads were running an entire floor...and neither of us had ever used the crash cart.

I constantly felt unsafe in my job. It was a great hospital and probably a wonderful floor had I been a nurse with experience but the timing of the management changes, the lack of real orientation and consistency, and the illnesses that took out the staff made it too much. I was getting severely depressed and had anxiety like never before.

So I left. And that was last June. And I have been praying and trying to decide what to do next. I am not sure that nursing is for me..but I am hoping that this type of nursing is just not for me, at least right now.

I have been looking at jobs again but with only 5 months experience and a strong distrust for managers who say they will train me, I wonder how I will ever get back into the profession again.

Has this experience been similar to yours? Any ideas of what to do next? I would love to work with pediatrics and a clinic sounds much less intimidating but I don't even know how to apply for those. I desire experience but I am weary of taking a job that I think I would hate just to get it. Most of all, I am scared of the same thing happening to me all over again.

I think I just need someone to tell me that it will be okay. And not to judge me like many of my fellow peers have. Thanks for reading.

[knittygrittyRN, MSN, RN]

I'm also a new grad and I've had the exact same feelings your having, if it makes you feel an better. My orientation is at a large hospital and they are only giving us 9 weeks of training (including new grads heading down to the ED). Granted I have more people available to me if something went wrong, it still doesn't make me feel prepared.

I've began looking at various other Nursing Jobs that aren't at a hospital so my liability isn't so much. I only have like 3 months under my belt though so I doubt I'd be hired anywhere. I feel the burnout rate for floor nurses is just immense it's hard to give the best care when you have 5-8+ patients every shift. I'm sure though it does get better and there are a multitude of jobs for nurses so one of them has to work for you!

[gaRdeNer77]

Thanks for the encouragement.

[CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Hi @dandelionrn, welcome to the world of Nursing! Sorry to say, but your experience is not a unique one... this happens almost everywhere. My first job upon graduation was in Continuing Complex Care and my orientation was a total of 3 shifts; it consisted of me buddy-ing with a senior nurse for 1 day shift, 1 evening shift and 1 night shift. That was it! In addition to this, I was given a giant binder to study, nursing manual and package indicating all the online corporate nursing education courses I was mandated to complete as well. After my "orientation" I was shoved onto the floor to fend for myself. The other, more senior nurses were so burnt out and frantically busy they really didn't have time to help guide me. When I asked my manager for 2 additional orientation shifts I was told something along the lines of, "we don't have it in the budget". So, I was on my own to provide total care for 8-10 completely dependent patients per 8-hour shift on a poorly staffed unit (I presently work on a similar unit and it is killing me inside, I will likely quit come this summer/fall season).

Anyway, at the time I was so overwhelmed and scared... I would often struggle through the work riddled with anxiety, and after my shift I'd sit in my car in the hospital parking lot and cry. These feelings of anxiety/overwhelming stress do subside with time (as you establish more confidence and gain more experience), but that seems to also coincide with symptoms of burnout. To be honest, most bedside Nursing Jobs I've had have been similar experiences to how you described yours, and this is why I am desperate to leave bedside nursing. I can handle the stress better now that I am more confident and experienced, but the working conditions remain completely intolerable! If I can't find something less back-breaking and with more ethical working conditions for nurses, I will consider leaving the profession altogether... I just have no clue what else I would do with my life if I wasn't a nurse, that's the problem!

Keep in mind that I am a diploma nurse (we're called Registered Practical Nurses here in Canada), and where I live the employment options for diploma nurses are severely limited right now. As a nurse with a BScN , your options are greater but you may have to relocate. Have you ever considered teaching? You can teach diploma nursing programs a colleges if you have your BScN . Personally, that is my dream job but I would need to complete my the BScN first. Good luck and never forget you're not alone!

[Nonetheless]

Oh but they spent like $30,000 training you, and then you left! You shouldn't have quit because they obviously invest so many resources in their new grad program.

Anyway, why did it take you so long to get your first job? I thought there was a nursing shortage!!!

/Sarcasm

I am being sarcastic.

Reading these stories make me angry and I would have quit that job too. Patient safety comes first, and it disgusts me that they would put patients at such great risk like that.

[Ron N, ADN, BSN, LPN, LVN, RN]

Not all jobs are like that, but, as you have found, they do exist. My advice for new grads is always pursue what you enjoy, but be open for other opportunities.

You want to do peds--my favorite! You have some experience now; leverage that (make sure you watch what you say about previous employers/experiences--negativity, even well-placed can be off-putting to potential employers).

Look outside of the box. What can you do to improve your odds of getting hired without peds experience? Which departments do you want to work? I like ER, so I did all of the required certs on my own (PALS, ACLS, ENPC, TNCC). I actually got a job as a direct result of PALS--impressed a director taking the class with me (did not know she was one). Don't just pass, know your stuff. I searched for and took those classes throughout my state for two reasons: I wanted to finish in as little time as possible (I wanted a job), and I wanted to see different facilities and their staff. I still take those classes outside of my facility for the networking opportunities.

Don't just google jobs or hospitals and apply. It's a waste of time and energy. Be selective (now you know why you need to)! Drop off a physical resume with a cover letter (for the specific job) to the department manager (in addition to your application through their standard channels). Applications are screened by HR and may never even be seen by the hiring manager--sell yourself directly.

Network. Join an association in your desired area, go to meetings, and get involved! Guess who attends those functions? Staff that work where you want to work--they can give you the inside scoop and more. Realize that people talk--this is a double-edged sword. Present a positive compassionate professional and it won't ever hurt. Present negativity, unprofessionalism, or apathy and it will get around. Oh, and be punctual to the meetings (maybe even first and help setup/tear down if needed--gives you a chance to build relationships). Good luck, and congrats on graduating with honors!

Just saw how old the thread is. I hope you have found your niche.

[Miargaarmiga]

I graduated in 2011 also and relocated back to my home state. I took a job in a rural area, brand new rehab unit. All nurses hired, there were 6 of us, were new grads. I had 2 days do shadowing an LPN on the M/S floor before we were set loose on our own pts. It was 1 RN& 1 CNA per shift. Our census was usually 3-4pts, with varying levels of acuity. We were treated like the red headed step children of the hospital, every time I had to have an RN check my insulin I got rolled eyes, if we had someone turning for the worse we were pushed out of the way so the "real" nurses could take over. It happens everywhere, just keep trying and keep your chin up...