Afraid to apply places after bad job experience

[TinaNewRN]

I had a bad job experience recently. It involved several encounters that I was uncomfortable with, a boss that made her distaste for me plainly evident, and wrongful termination.

It was only a fill in position and I had a full time home-care job at the time so luckily I had a fall back, but it's really made me wary of applying to new places.

The people that work at my current job are very nice, but I don't get health benefits, it's very hard on my back, I commute an hour each way without mileage reimbursement, I earn a very low wage for an RN, and I work overnights. I'm getting nervous about the commuting in winter time. I've been on a list for a different client closer to home at my current job for 6 months and nothing has come up and so now I think it's time to start applying to other facilities.

I tried this new fill-in job as I was told it would be a way to get my foot in the door at this new place and the entire experience was really discouraging. I'm nervous about leaving the stability of the job I have, even though it's not ideal, and risking going through the same experience. I'm a hard worker and I do my job properly, but there's no guarantee that the people that hire me are going to be nice, like me, or be professional. I live alone and I can't afford to be out of a job with no fallback options if something similar were to happen.

The only jobs available in my area are Med-surg, which I've never worked. I'm a relatively new nurse that's worked in a nursing home and in home care. How does the stress level compare in the two jobs? If I've worked in a nursing home with 18-30 residents. Med surg has more critical clients, but a lot smaller case-load as well. If you've never worked in that are do they give you a lot of training before they leave you on your own or do they just assume you know what you're doing and throw you out there? Is it generally a professional environment or do you see a lot of catty behavior between nurses?

Has anyone else had bad experiences with bosses and other nurses making your job difficult? I was talking to another nurse I work with and she was treated poorly at the same facility that I had worked in, and eventually wrongfully terminated. Is this just a really bad facility or is this common? I know that a nurse at the nursing home I worked with felt that her boss made things really difficult for the people that she didn't like and some other nurses confirmed it.

Sorry for the long post, I jammed a lot in to it.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

You've got a better shot at getting into a hospital the sooner you can- BUT, after working LTC the first 6 months I was out of school back in the mid 80s, I found the time management of LTC was helpful.

They're both stressful, just in different ways, so it's hard to really pinpoint the differences that you didn't already mention. You do have the docs around (especially on days, and to some degree after office hours), and a lot of the ancillary staff (PT/OT/ST/RT). And the skill set is somewhat different- but still is built on the stuff you do in LTC. If you're in a SNF, you see people come in who are the stable hospital patients ready for d/c to another level of care.

If you want to go to an acute setting, all you can do is try. If the other job comes up (and if you're including the home care job during that time, you could mention it, but just say it didn't work out- and you don't care to use them as a reference....you have a reference for the time period).

jmo :)

And yes- everyone deals with bosses who just are not on the same wavelength (and sometimes planet :uhoh21:). It's not all the time, but you will have them

[Davey Do]

If you've never worked in that are do they give you a lot of training before they leave you on your own or do they just assume you know what you're doing and throw you out there?

Is it generally a professional environment or do you see a lot of catty behavior between nurses?

Has anyone else had bad experiences with bosses and other nurses making your job difficult?

Is this just a really bad facility or is this common?

Usually, orientation periods vary from 2 weeks to 3 months. Each Facility can be different as to the length of time and quality of orientation.

Med/Surg is uaually a high stress environment, so Individuals' personalities and coping methods often manifest themselves.

Bad experiences with bosses and other nurses was been my stock in trade until I had a frontal lobotomy. Just kidding. About the frontal lobotomy. I had to learn techniques and grow as an Individual before I found consistent harmony in the workplace.

Whether you had an unusual experience with a bad facility or this sort of thing is commonplace will be told with time. Live and learn.

The best to you, Tina.

Dave

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

I had to learn techniques and grow as an Individual before I found consistent harmony in the workplace.

Yeah, being able to dig that 6 foot long hole deeper than 2 feet in the lawn, without being observed, takes specialized technique and personal development...

Seriously, bad bosses are everywhere- but so are good ones. Personally, I would pursue the hospital job, simply on the basis of better benefits/compensation. Money=freedom. If you save your pennies, even if the hospital isn't quite what you're looking for, you'll have more padding for the next job search. If it works out, you're better off all around.

If you get an interview, see if you can visit with the other RNs, and aides. Good aides make med-surg soooo much easier. I say that having been one.