Unsuccessful at nursing and not sure what to do

Nurses Career Support

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I am kinda at a lost for what to do after my recent failures in nursing; so possibly I can get some advice from some of you all. I graduated with my BSN 2 years ago cum laude. I never had any problems in school. I began working at a hospital in a nurse residency program. I had a really bad start with my first preceptor,thus I never fully grasped the basic essentials I needed to thrive. I was asked to resign with the reasons being that I was extremely smart but I was not a critical thinker. I became extremely depressed and didn't work for 3 months, but I decided to give it another try at a different hospital. I didn't tell my new employer that I was asked to resign, just that I simple relocated. All was well until I changed preceptors and 2 weeks before I was to be on my own until I was told that there were concerns about my speed, skills, and how staff perceived me. I was asked to resign again, but this time I stayed away from the hospital to refocus and build up on some of the things they told me. I started working in home care and absolutely HATED IT, but it was the only good that has happened to me since I got my license. I had a hard time with the fact that I wasn't challenged like in the hospital by working with experienced nurses, in acute settings that change constantly, and doctors. I felt like I could not grow working away from the hospital. My goal is to go back to school to become a Nurse educator. I decided to give the hospital one more try after a year. This time I was honest about me being asked to be resigned. All seemed well until the last day of training. I had made a medication error, which didn't result in any patient harm. The med error was I was changing heparin rate and looked at the wrong number and changed the rate according the what I "saw". The ultimate blow to the situation is I was told that I didn't have to make an incident report or anything else. The next Time I worked, I was called in for the mistake and not following up and was told since I had trouble with my previous job this wasn't a good fit for me. I thought I was doing the right thing by being honest and following instructions from my preceptor but it all back fired. I am at a lost and I desperately need help. I am working at a nursing home but I am not happy, I am just trying to succeed in my career and love what I do.

Do any of you guys have any helpful tips that I can use?

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Sounds like you have had a very difficult couple of years. I can't offer much advice but wanted to give you my support and bump this up in case someone out there can be more encouraging. I just got home from a night shift and have no brain.

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Specializes in ICU.

I've done 'dumb errors' too. Once I was prepping a patient for heart surgery and turned the Heparin drip off at the ordered time. When I cleared my pumps at the end of my shift, I had to turn that pump on, clear the volume, but I FORGOT to turn it off again. Not 2 minutes later, anesthesia rolls through and sees the Heparin running! So I had to explain what happened "NO NO! I *HAD* it off!" :facepalm:

A quick, PTT draw and all was good.

Hang in there.

(get this, I had to quit my last position because I was falling asleep during my hour long commute home after working my 12 hour night shifts. A 14 year ICU veteran ... I CAN'T FIND A JOB! :confused: It's a tough world out there. )

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Sometimes it is hard to find a good fit. Pursue further education, maybe you are cut out to teach rather than being an acute care nurse. Take advantage of your strengths! Good luck!

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What about being a clinic nurse? I would think you could work that towards a goal of teaching someday.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Please, not again!!! STOP recommending "teach" as an alternative to anyone who is unable to become a proficient, competent clinical nurse or dislikes providing direct patient care. Teaching should not be a halfway-house. Instructors need to be role models who can enthusiastically articulate and demonstrate the role of a clinical nurse. Nursing school is tough enough without adding an additional burden of having to deal with "do as I say, not as I do" instructors. Our students deserve better.

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I said teach because she said she wanted to be a nurse educator. I may have used the wrong word.

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Biffbradford

I'm sorry to hear that, that must be very discouraging but hopefully after your time that you have invested you will have better luck. This might not sound like the right thing to say but I needed to hear some one else's story of a not so lovely side of nursing to help me not feel....so alone.

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Specializes in Psychiatric/ Mental Health.
I've done 'dumb errors' too. Once I was prepping a patient for heart surgery and turned the Heparin drip off at the ordered time. When I cleared my pumps at the end of my shift, I had to turn that pump on, clear the volume, but I FORGOT to turn it off again. Not 2 minutes later, anesthesia rolls through and sees the Heparin running! So I had to explain what happened "NO NO! I *HAD* it off!" :facepalm:

A quick, PTT draw and all was good.

Hang in there.

(get this, I had to quit my last position because I was falling asleep during my hour long commute home after working my 12 hour night shifts. A 14 year ICU veteran ... I CAN'T FIND A JOB! :confused: It's a tough world out there. )

Please look at nurse staffing agencies, atleast you could pick up a few shifts at various hospitals in your area and make some cash through an agency until you found fulltime employement.

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Specializes in Psychiatric/ Mental Health.
I am kinda at a lost for what to do after my recent failures in nursing; so possibly I can get some advice from some of you all. I graduated with my BSN 2 years ago cum laude. I never had any problems in school. I began working at a hospital in a nurse residency program. I had a really bad start with my first preceptor,thus I never fully grasped the basic essentials I needed to thrive. I was asked to resign with the reasons being that I was extremely smart but I was not a critical thinker. I became extremely depressed and didn't work for 3 months, but I decided to give it another try at a different hospital. I didn't tell my new employer that I was asked to resign, just that I simple relocated. All was well until I changed preceptors and 2 weeks before I was to be on my own until I was told that there were concerns about my speed, skills, and how staff perceived me. I was asked to resign again, but this time I stayed away from the hospital to refocus and build up on some of the things they told me. I started working in home care and absolutely HATED IT, but it was the only good that has happened to me since I got my license. I had a hard time with the fact that I wasn't challenged like in the hospital by working with experienced nurses, in acute settings that change constantly, and doctors. I felt like I could not grow working away from the hospital. My goal is to go back to school to become a Nurse educator. I decided to give the hospital one more try after a year. This time I was honest about me being asked to be resigned. All seemed well until the last day of training. I had made a medication error, which didn't result in any patient harm. The med error was I was changing heparin rate and looked at the wrong number and changed the rate according the what I "saw". The ultimate blow to the situation is I was told that I didn't have to make an incident report or anything else. The next Time I worked, I was called in for the mistake and not following up and was told since I had trouble with my previous job this wasn't a good fit for me. I thought I was doing the right thing by being honest and following instructions from my preceptor but it all back fired. I am at a lost and I desperately need help. I am working at a nursing home but I am not happy, I am just trying to succeed in my career and love what I do.

Do any of you guys have any helpful tips that I can use?

Perhaps you need to enter a different field of nursing because medsurg/ICU os too fast paced or complicates for you. Not to say other areas of nursing aren't complicated because all areas are tough in their own right really. Maybe try working in a clinic, public health nursing, maybe this would better suit you.

Maybe you're so nervous that you ovee think everything to the point that you mess up. Or maybe nursing isn't your niche, it's okay if that's the cause.

Try a different area of nursing before throwing in the towel :) Good luck.

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Specializes in public health.

Maybe hospital nursing is not for you. I know it's not for me and I never wanted to work on the floor. Try public health, clinical nursing, research, maybe you like teaching too? There are lots of options out there.

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