Resigning during orientation

Justmeandmycat · Jan 29, 2005

Hi. This is my first response on this wonderful site. When I saw the topic title - my heart stopped. I was too embarrassed to write the same thing - but now that you've broken the ice, I feel the weight has been lifted off my shoulders.........I feel sick at heart at the moment (4:45am here in Boston) because I am so stressed out over my orientation at a "state of the art" , LTC, corporate facility. This place is rife with $$$. Mostly private pay. Opulent in every way - real high-tech - and the newest and the best of everything......so you are asking what's the problem?
I am beginning to question my own abilities as a nurse and a person and feel as though I have been "set up to fail"...........they painted this wonderful picture of what I was to expect (last week during classroom orientation). I was told the following at that time: "our med nurses do all the meds, answer lights, do the treatments, DO's, admits/d/c's, in addition to their assigned and prn notes........ This week I have been shadowing on the floor. The med pass doesn't get done until the shift is over - it's that simple (and I haven't even done it yet alone). The other med nurses all say the same thing: " It's a wonderful concept, but are you kidding me? The treatments hardly ever get done - not if you want to get through this med pass.....".
My first nite on the floor - I was pulled away from my med pass shadowing to do an admission. The pt. was a major fall risk and I made sure he had a bed/chair, and personal alarm in place. The alarm went off at least 6 x's. Since I was really an "extra" person, and no one else seemed to hear it, I answered each one. I got there just in time - every time. You are asking "where were the CNA's?" We had TWO CNA's for this team of 22 residents. Each one was responsible for putting 11 residents to bed. As you know, on 3-11, everyone seems to be ready for bed at the same time.......most of them need assistance, and some need complete assist - at which time both CNA's are in the same room.....I can't blame the CNA's. They are run ragged and stressed to the max.........
What's wrong with this picture?????? All this money, the best of everything, and not enough staff. How is anyone supposed to do their job, maintain patient safety, and be compliant with the med pass????
I'm so sorry that this is so long - but I just have to talk to anyone before I lose it. Let me preface this tale by saying that the lst day of orientation, I hesitated to even go. My niece had been in a near fatal car accident and was still on life support. I was sleeping with 2 phones in my bed and I was worried sick and exhausted.........I finally decided to go - but explained what was going on to the Staff Development Coordinator. She said she understood, and that we would take it one day at a time - not to worry - see how things go, etc.........RIGHT.
On Friday of the first week, I was supposed to report to the floor to shadow the charge nurse and observe the goings on......The nite before I spent hours reading the required nursing materials and ended up falling asleep exhausted in the den (which meant of course that since I didn't even get near my bed, the alarm wasn't set......") This is not my style - I was devastated because I knew I would be late and knew this would not look good for me. I always screw myself with my honesty, though. As it turned out, I called to let them know I was on my way. They weren't even aware that I wasn't there - the charge nurse never knew I was coming. I called the SDC and left an apologetic message on her voice mail, telling her I was on my way......bottom line: I could have just shown up, said nothing, and no one would have even noticed - but obviously I could never do that.
On Friday of my first week of shadowing (yesterday), my youngest child (19 yr. old daughter) woke up and could barely open her mouth because she had such a severe sore throat. She couldn't even swallow Tylenol, or open her mouth wide enough for me to inspect. The left side of her neck was immensely swollen. We ended up at the doctors by 11am. He was very concerned. She had developed a large abscess behind one of her tonsils. He wouldn't touch it - and said she may end up having to be hospitalized. We needed to see an ENT asap. It's now noon and I'm supposed to work 3-11 and have no idea how this will end up. I start to panic. I call the SDC and left a message on her phone stating that "no matter what happens, I will be there - it may not be at 3, but you can count on me to be there....." By 1 PM we were at the ENT's. He anesthetized her throat 3 x's, and then proceeded to drain this awful abscess. My daughter was in agony. We left with rx's for ABT and Tylenol #3.
By the time I filled the Rx's, picked up juice and gatorade, gave her the meds, got her settled, and was putting on my scrubs - the facility called (at3:02PM), wanting to know, "what's the story here?"....... I told her that I had called (twice actually) and kept getting voice mail, so I called the floor at 2:15 to make sure they received the message (they hadn't). I told her that I was now dressed and about to leave my house - I would probably be there around 3:40 and that I would stay as long as they needed me........The reply? "It's probably better if you just don't come in". I said, "are you letting me go?" She said, "no, it's not that, it's just that we will need to sit down on Monday to discuss the "tardiness" issue." I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I really don't know how I could have avoided these two incidents, other than taking a later orientation - but hey, they said they would work with me. As for my daughter's emergency - I had no control over that either. These are not usual circumstances in my life, believe me. You know how they say WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS?? That seems to be what's happening these past two weeks - and I have to ask myself if I want to continue at all in this job..............I am a conscientous, caring, loyal nurse, and my self esteem is in the toilet at the moment. ANY advice or feedback from anyone would be greatly appreciated......thanks.

Oh, brother! Sorry for all of the difficulties you have encountered. As for me, I'm running from LTC has fast as my fat little LPN legs will take me!:chuckle

DDRN4me · Jan 29, 2005

Little play nurse!! you certainly have had some extenuating circumstances...what you need to do now is sort out wherter it is the job that is the not right for you, or if your life is just"out of control" right now. If you feel that the job is tryuly "not for yo", then by all means, give a professional written resignation and say exactly that..you do not feel this is the right position for you at this time..YOu could also mention in another letter, perhaps to the DON, that you felt mislead by what is said in orientation and the reality on the floor. I doubt you are the first person to feel this way.

Hope your daughter and your niece are both feeling better. Chin up..nursing is a great profession, and there are MANY other avenues to explore. Mary

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Jan 29, 2005

Yes you do need to give proper notice unless the DON says "go" when you turn the resignation in to her. I would get out now, you are having negative feelings, from your post you feel as if you have been mislead and have no support, so get out and look for some place else to work. You have nothing invested here and no real ties to the place. It is better to go while the feelings are civil and professional. I do not think I would say "you mislead me" when asked why you are quitting, they know this place has issues, nothing you say to them will change it, perhaps a report to the state after you are gone is an idea, but for now just say personal issues and leave it at that. I wish you luck on the next job.

sun_chica · Feb 7, 2005

I actually had resigned at 6wks into my orientation...my house sold in 2 wks & I was relocating to another state.

Definetely, give a formal resignation, thanking them for their time & energy & put in a good word for any "great" preceptor you had. You probably won't have to worry about the 2wks notice, b/c you're an extra expense. I was tokd to finish out the day (I resigned in the am), then that would be it. Oh well, you need to look out for you, because no one else is going to!

good luck!

SophieMae · Feb 9, 2005

Sometimes.........the roughest starts, give the smoothest ride!

JulzNDuane · Feb 9, 2005

I resigned during my orientation and I have no regrets. Perhaps the timing isn't right for you at this facility or maybe it is not your cup of tea. I left my orientation because I felt the standards of care practiced were unsafe and contradicted all of the information given to me that made me choose to work at that facility. I now work as a school nurse and love it. Had I stayed in the other position, I would probably still be miserable and stressed out. So don't feel bad, you are not alone.

xmaxiex · Feb 9, 2005

In the last two months alone we have had three new nurses on orientation leave before they were even done ! Always remain professional , resign formally and go on your way to better things!

littleplaynurse · Feb 10, 2005

Thanks to everyone who has posted replies to this situation. I also have no regrets concerning my decision, and feel the same as you - in that the standards of safe practice were being compromised (r/t lack of staff), and the situation I found on the floor was certainly contradicted by what I had been led to believe. I am hopeful that someday very soon, I will be able to write back and say that I have found my niche and that I also love my job.....best wishes, and thanks for the support once again.... :)

icyounurse, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2005

Hi. This is my first response on this wonderful site. When I saw the topic title - my heart stopped. I was too embarrassed to write the same thing - but now that you've broken the ice, I feel the weight has been lifted off my shoulders.........I feel sick at heart at the moment (4:45am here in Boston) because I am so stressed out over my orientation at a "state of the art" , LTC, corporate facility. This place is rife with $$$. Mostly private pay. Opulent in every way - real high-tech - and the newest and the best of everything......so you are asking what's the problem?
I am beginning to question my own abilities as a nurse and a person and feel as though I have been "set up to fail"...........they painted this wonderful picture of what I was to expect (last week during classroom orientation). I was told the following at that time: "our med nurses do all the meds, answer lights, do the treatments, DO's, admits/d/c's, in addition to their assigned and prn notes........ This week I have been shadowing on the floor. The med pass doesn't get done until the shift is over - it's that simple (and I haven't even done it yet alone). The other med nurses all say the same thing: " It's a wonderful concept, but are you kidding me? The treatments hardly ever get done - not if you want to get through this med pass.....".
My first nite on the floor - I was pulled away from my med pass shadowing to do an admission. The pt. was a major fall risk and I made sure he had a bed/chair, and personal alarm in place. The alarm went off at least 6 x's. Since I was really an "extra" person, and no one else seemed to hear it, I answered each one. I got there just in time - every time. You are asking "where were the CNA's?" We had TWO CNA's for this team of 22 residents. Each one was responsible for putting 11 residents to bed. As you know, on 3-11, everyone seems to be ready for bed at the same time.......most of them need assistance, and some need complete assist - at which time both CNA's are in the same room.....I can't blame the CNA's. They are run ragged and stressed to the max.........
What's wrong with this picture?????? All this money, the best of everything, and not enough staff. How is anyone supposed to do their job, maintain patient safety, and be compliant with the med pass????
I'm so sorry that this is so long - but I just have to talk to anyone before I lose it. Let me preface this tale by saying that the lst day of orientation, I hesitated to even go. My niece had been in a near fatal car accident and was still on life support. I was sleeping with 2 phones in my bed and I was worried sick and exhausted.........I finally decided to go - but explained what was going on to the Staff Development Coordinator. She said she understood, and that we would take it one day at a time - not to worry - see how things go, etc.........RIGHT.
On Friday of the first week, I was supposed to report to the floor to shadow the charge nurse and observe the goings on......The nite before I spent hours reading the required nursing materials and ended up falling asleep exhausted in the den (which meant of course that since I didn't even get near my bed, the alarm wasn't set......") This is not my style - I was devastated because I knew I would be late and knew this would not look good for me. I always screw myself with my honesty, though. As it turned out, I called to let them know I was on my way. They weren't even aware that I wasn't there - the charge nurse never knew I was coming. I called the SDC and left an apologetic message on her voice mail, telling her I was on my way......bottom line: I could have just shown up, said nothing, and no one would have even noticed - but obviously I could never do that.
On Friday of my first week of shadowing (yesterday), my youngest child (19 yr. old daughter) woke up and could barely open her mouth because she had such a severe sore throat. She couldn't even swallow Tylenol, or open her mouth wide enough for me to inspect. The left side of her neck was immensely swollen. We ended up at the doctors by 11am. He was very concerned. She had developed a large abscess behind one of her tonsils. He wouldn't touch it - and said she may end up having to be hospitalized. We needed to see an ENT asap. It's now noon and I'm supposed to work 3-11 and have no idea how this will end up. I start to panic. I call the SDC and left a message on her phone stating that "no matter what happens, I will be there - it may not be at 3, but you can count on me to be there....." By 1 PM we were at the ENT's. He anesthetized her throat 3 x's, and then proceeded to drain this awful abscess. My daughter was in agony. We left with rx's for ABT and Tylenol #3.
By the time I filled the Rx's, picked up juice and gatorade, gave her the meds, got her settled, and was putting on my scrubs - the facility called (at3:02PM), wanting to know, "what's the story here?"....... I told her that I had called (twice actually) and kept getting voice mail, so I called the floor at 2:15 to make sure they received the message (they hadn't). I told her that I was now dressed and about to leave my house - I would probably be there around 3:40 and that I would stay as long as they needed me........The reply? "It's probably better if you just don't come in". I said, "are you letting me go?" She said, "no, it's not that, it's just that we will need to sit down on Monday to discuss the "tardiness" issue." I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I really don't know how I could have avoided these two incidents, other than taking a later orientation - but hey, they said they would work with me. As for my daughter's emergency - I had no control over that either. These are not usual circumstances in my life, believe me. You know how they say WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS?? That seems to be what's happening these past two weeks - and I have to ask myself if I want to continue at all in this job..............I am a conscientous, caring, loyal nurse, and my self esteem is in the toilet at the moment. ANY advice or feedback from anyone would be greatly appreciated......thanks.

wow. rough week. if it was my child i would have just called in, so i think it shows tremendous dedication that you offered to come at all. i mean "the tardiness issue" after being late twice, once when it didn't matter anyway, and another time when you gave at least 2 hours notice?

i mean not that i advocate lateness, but your employer should be understanding in this instance. and if not? then whatever. Nursing Jobs are a dime a dozen. go somewhere better staffed.

good luck!

nursemanon · Apr 1, 2008

I applied at a long term care facility as a medication nurse (4-8PM). Two months later, the DON interviewed me and after seeing that I have acute care experience (i stopped for 3 years), she offered me a Per Diem RN Charge position. She told me wonderful things about how the orientation was effective, that only 1 out of 10 didn't continue on with the job.

The first day of classroom orientation was all about HR stuff. On the second day, our Director for Staff Devt was absent; so we were ushered to the medical records section who literally read to us the numerous forms with comments like, "I'm not sure how this is done. The nurses do this."

After lunch, I was asked to shadow an RN Charge who showed symptoms of BURN OUT (I don't know why this is so hard. There's just too much to do. Can you do the CBGs?). In short, I didn't learn anything new, I know how to do the CBGs already. One incident that struck me during this duty was a CNA reported to this RN that resident XX fell. She went to the CNA and as I was about to follow her, she told me to wait at the station. As soon as she left, I followed and saw her and the CNA assisting a resident to her wheelchair (she said, "You didn't have to walk to the bathroom. You have a catheter already.")

When she got back, I asked her what happened (pretended I didn't follow). She told me, "She's fine. I wouldn't report it because she's fine. You just keep quiet.") I was stunned.

On my next duty, I shadowed a pretty excellent RN (bilingual, compassionate to patients and taught me the ideal way to do things). Unfortunately, she couldn't cover everything-- forms, protocols, procedures-- in one duty. Because during the AM shift (the shift with the most meds) the facility doesn't have a Med nurse.

I was then oriented to the Med nurse position, and on my first 4hr duty with the preceptor, she left after 2.5hrs, a fact that wasn't reflected on the master schedule. She has been doing 2.5hrs medpass for a while now because she has another job. Guess what, I was told to finish the passing of meds and I went home an hour late.

I then talked to my DON and told her about the fall incident and gave her the name of the nurse. I told her about my frustration because I felt like I was always being taught to do the easy-wrong-way {"I'll show you later what we do when the State (surveyor/inspector) is here. But since they are not here, we do this (clean vs. sterile a.k.a. wrong vs. right)" }

She cut me off and told me to tell my concerns to the aDON. I talked to the aDON and requested that I shadow the excellent RN for 2 more days and an orientation with the Treatment Nurse. She agreed, but after my 1st duty with the excellent RN, she told me to just talk to my DON.

By the way, when the Director for Staff Development reported for work she didn't even ask us how we are. As I understand, it is her job to make sure our orientation is effective. I didn't ask her for anything anymore because she's always in a meeting and.. AND.. when I was scheduled for a physical exam, she had the nerve to FAKE my Vital Signs in my face! SHe even instructed my batchmate not to tell anyone that she's letting her go to work without a CXR (we both have a positive PPD result, I refused to go to work without a CXR). SO much for resident safety, huh?

And so one crappy duties after another (the "preceptors" don't teach anything, and when asked, they give answers that they can't validate.. they can't tell me the source of the information).

So, after my first night (first duty alone, no more shadowing, i have half of the patients) wherein my partner didn't help me chart (told me to do all, even her wkly!!) nor give meds. SHe slept because she's always on overtime-- because, they don't have enough RNs, and they have so many sick calls.

I told my DON that I'm quitting. She persuaded me not to give up, encouraged me and all. I expressed all my concerns. She seemed very symphatetic. She said she knows the culture in the area and she's just desperate for RNs. I felt bad for not being able to help her, and told her that I will do duties for April and if she could find a replacement for me.

So, I reported for work only to be slapped in the face by remarks from RNs (outgoing and incoming). When I told my DON abt my concerns, I never mentioned names (except for that RN who didn't report the fall). During my duty, I heard comments like, "Why did u sleep again Nurse X? Hah, your orientee will tell on you again that you are not helping her."

Oh my!

I talked to my batchmate and she told me there were talks in the breakroom and station, and RNs are angry and they said, "Why are we being rotated to other wings? When we know our patients already in our respective areas? Just because of what the NEW RN said?!"

At first she considered that it was me, or her, but when they said, "She's like that because she wants another position."

It was scary! Because during my last duty, I was told by an RN that, "You want the MDS? Don't worry, if you can't handle patient care you can ask them to train you in the MDS." I said, "MDS? What's that?" I didn't know that I WANT THAT!

These RNs before me, have been signing the treatment record WITHOUT doing the treatment (I know because on the last hour of my PM shift, they told me to JUST SIGN IT-- when I told them, I don't know these residents and I didn't do the TX.)

ALL these shortcuts, they do it because of low nurse:patient ratio. They do it because nobody had the guts to tell management that they can't finish all those assigned tasks in a shift. They do it because "the state doesn't care if you do it or not, what they care about is that you document it." GOODNESS! LTC is not safe for me.

Now, to end this narrative.. I told my aDON that I won't continue with my orientation anymore. And I'm set to submit a resignation letter tomorrow. Can you please help me regarding what to say? Should I write to the aDON or the DON?

Thank you for your time..