Advice needed for integrating with a new job

hollykate · Jan 2, 2006

Well, the feedback you are getting is that you are not coming off as an open and honest person, so you may need to work on this one a bit. You may need to ask some people who you trust to discuss how you interact with them, etc.

That said, there are some things to do to help adjust to a new unit

I just finished my first travel contract. As a traveler it is pretty important to be able to "fit" with the unit quickly.

What I did was to bring coffee and some food to a few shifts, and I also joined in to assist in the Unit's charity party for Christmas. I was very surprised that the people in the Unit really liked me, as I have always been sort of average on popularity before.

Perhaps joining one of the floors committees could expose youto the staff in a different way, giving them time to get to know you.

Finding a good fit can be quite hard. However, it shouldn;t be impossible. You might also ask the Managers of the floors about specific incidents of not meshing well, just to get an idea of what that means, really.

ColdFusion · Jan 2, 2006

Unfortunately, people make judgements very quickly, especially about new grads.

You will need to rethink how you are presenting yourself.

The suggestion about bringing goodies to work is a good one. Go the extra mile to show that you WANT to fit in. It takes a bit more effort on your part (when you're a new grad.) May not be "right" but that's how it is.

You probably feel like you are friendly enough now but you really have to put it out there when you first become a nurse.

Good luck to you.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2006

Surely, managers must have cited some specific incidents where you had problems with co-workers. To just say someone has problems with co-workers is not specific enough for the paperwork required to fire someone. I wonder that you are being totally forthcoming in your post. I'm not asking you to reveal what it is you actually did. However, I have been a manager and supervisor for a long time and no one gets fired without being told more specific information than you have revealed.

You need to work on improving those things that you were told you were specifically doing wrong that was causing distrust and inability to mesh with co-workers. Do you agree with what you were criticized on, or do you disagree? It's unlikely that two employers are both wrong in their assessment of you in so short a time. Change has to start with you. Only you can make it slow or painful by the way you approach it.

newrn05 · Jan 5, 2006

I did have some medication errors such as missing a med for 1 and noticing at 330 when giving shift report and going and giving it. I had a pt that was discharged 10 min after i got there and he was dressed and ready to go the preciptor told me to do the educaitn teaching and chart off I did not see that the other shift nurse did not take out the IV site. THe pt called when he got home and noticed and since he had left some stuff up there he came back with a smiel and jokes "i cant believe i didnt feel it still in. These are the only things told to me by one employer. The last employer I begged for specific events that led to the staff not trusting me. I went further to state if they did not trust my judgement then why were they leaving me alone to tend to laboring pts. sure they could watch the moms and FHR from the monitors at the desk but they had no clue what i was doing in that room. She gave me no specifics. I am the first person to ask for feedback..what am i doing wrong, what do i need to work on. its the only way i am going to learn. I think that my personality was not a good fit. I was starting to feel that and that is fine. But be honest with me and tell me the truth. I would love to know exaclty what I did so that i can improve on it. Oh i did tell them I had adhd one night when they asked me waht i was taking when i took my pills. I figure i work with these ladies night after night....they need to know....i was honest and told them...its not like i was talking about my breat reduction someone got last year. That was not pertinant to the care of my patients but my adhd could be if i ever forgot my meds.....Dawn

clee1 · Jan 5, 2006

Oh i did tell them I had adhd one night when they asked me waht i was taking when i took my pills. ....but my adhd could be if i ever forgot my meds.....Dawn

I think you just hit on it.

I am a type-A hard charger myself, and while I am not yet a graduate nurse, I have noticed in other jobs that such a go-go-go type of personality rubs others the wrong way sometimes. Many people, ESPECIALLY those approaching job burnout, resent someone with drive and energy for their job: it makes THEM look bad :imbar- or so they think. A possible way around this is to do your job the best way you can, always with a smile, and don't "toot your own horn". Your supervisors will notice your work ethic (if they are worth a darn as managers) and will appreciate it, whilst your coworkers won't feel threatened.

You'll really have to watch the "attention deficit" part of ADHD - in nursing, attention to detail is a critical part of the job. Forgeting to give meds is a no-no:nono:, but I fail to see how missing an IV d/c is your fault if the patient is dressed for discharge and you couldn't see it.:uhoh21:

What is your Rx for ADHD? Is it signifigantly mood-altering? However, in this case, it was probably more on the order of "the straw that broke the camel's back". Already your coworkers had it "in" for you: ADHD was just the excuse used.

Good luck to you!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2006

Giving a medication 2 hours after it's due and accidentally discharging someone with a saline lock in his arm is not something I see a major problem. Certainly, not to be firing someone over.

I agree with the previous poster. You have to not reveal too much about yourself to people. It's really none of their business what your health concerns are. I think it's just good enough to say that you can't sit still instead of telling them you have ADHD. Joke around and tell them you have a tapeworm! I would also NEVER let other staff see me taking any kinds of pills. It gives them too much room to speculate and start the gossip mill going. If your behavior seems a little odd to them to begin with then knowing you are taking pills is going to set off all kinds of speculation on their part.

Outside of that, I can't tell you what was in your manager's minds. It's usually a good idea for anyone who is new to a job to kind of stay toward the meek, mild mouse side and not speak up aggressively. After 6 months or so when you get well-established with a work group you can kind of assert yourself a little more. In general, work groups do not like new employees who come in acting like they've been a part of the group forever. Many work groups take offense to someone who they might perceive as trying to horn in their territory. You are an outsider for quite a few months until the group has had time to study and evaluate you. I am in no way saying anything about being pushed around and abused, but you need to tend to hang back for awhile until you are assimilated into the group. And, always, always watch out for and be aware of your tone of voice and say things tactfully so as not to hurt feelings or come across as being harsh. Make the physical effort to make sure you are facing them as you speak and that they are not looking at your back walking away from them when you are telling them things--people take that as a rebuff.

For the life of me I don't know why they would say they can't trust you. The only thing that possibly comes to my mind is when someone is kind of a loner, does their work, but doesn't keep whoever is in charge informed of what you have done and gotten accomplished. Trust, to me, also carries an element of truth about it. If you've gotten caught in a lie one time or consistently fail to live up to promises or to do the things you say you are going to do, trust is usually broken.

That aside, remember that just like you check a med at least three times before giving it to make sure you have the right medication, you should also be double checking your med sheets to make sure you gave the patients all the medications they were due. Also, if you are working in an acute hospital you have to think about the fact that just about every patient has an IV access of some sort these days. So, when you are discharging patients remember to ask them if their IV has been taken out, and have them show you their arms just to make sure. That also applies to the first assessment you do when you come on shift--check the arms and ask about IV accesses. The flip side of the IV thing is that sometimes IVs are left in people for a week and been forgotten about until the patient holds up his arm and says "this hurts".

newrn05 · Jan 6, 2006

Daytonite, I thank you for your time in such a lengthy reply. I have tried very hard to pull back on my happy, go lucky attitude and be a bystander in the social settings. I am obviously not holding back enough. I am the type of person to jump in with both feet first. I started testing the water first. I know that this is the biggest thing I need to work on. Thanks for the advice on the not letting anyone see me taking meds at all. Aboutt he trust issue. I was always letting my precpt know what was going on with my patients. So the trust issue has me baffled as well. Thanks again for your time. Dawn