anyone quit after orientation? an new grads thinking of leaving nursing

pie123 · Mar 21, 2006

I worked in a unit where 10 new grads were hired at the same time, only 5 made it out of orientation. One even left a message, over the weekend, on the manager's voicemail saying she was never coming back.

Geez. That person must have really hated it.

pie123 · Mar 21, 2006

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences with me... Hearing your stories makes me feel better about my own situation and makes me feel like I am not alone.
However, it seems like even though we don't enjoy nursing, we are all "sticking" with it for as long as we can ... why is that? I guess it seems like all the time and pain spent in nursing school will go to waste. I know in my head that I should try to stay another couple months in this position but I don't think I can physically and psychologically.
To mtngirl and pie123, where are you working now? Are you still working in a hospital (med/surg) or were you able to switch into a different area of nursing even with the limited med/surg experience? Mtngirl, do you think you will get out of nursing soon or are you trying to stay in as long as you possibly can.
Also, I just got accepted to grad school to get my masters in community health nursing... however, I am afraid that the degree will be useless unless I get acute care experience (which I really don't want to get). My other option is to go for my masters in public health which will completely distance me from nursing altogether... any advice?

I am still working in the hospital setting, on a Critical Care step-down unit. You asked why we're sticking it out. Well, for a couple of reasons: I have a 2 year contract, that I would at least like to get down to one year before I make any kind of a move, and I guess the other reason has to do with the whole getting acute care experience thing. When I was in school though, I had an instructor ask me, "Why would you subject yourself to doing something that you hate? So that you can be miserable and end up quitting altogether?" I ask myself this question about my current job. I'm not to the hate phase...yet. I try to tell myself that this is just part of what I need to get me where I want to be eventually (that is, if I don't end up making a total career change).

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Mar 21, 2006

CELLE507-

Right now I am not working much....but that is all I can stand lol! I do contract work..basically I do "med passes". 2-3 hours for each one, a few times a week. I pick when I want to work. I would love to do something else but I really don't know what. I really don't want to go to school again. If my husband gets the job he is waiting to hear on then maybe we could afford for me to leave nursing. Then I could get any ol job. I just don't like nursing much because there is too much pressure and stress. I know I would NEVER EVER work in a hospital ever again.

reek · Mar 21, 2006

I am so relieved to hear that I am not alone! I graduated in Dec 04 and am still questioning if I am in the right field of work. I worked on a horrible Med/Surg unit after graduation & lasted there for 6 months. I left only after a dirty needle stick, managment turnover twice, and a weight loss of 20 lbs. on my 120 lbs frame! My stress level was through the roof & I just wasnt given the proper orientation & support staff that I needed as a new nurse. On top of that, the experienced nurse who was suppose to be orienting me, was abusing & stealing narcotics! I literally DREADED work, hated every minute of it. After 6 months with the concern of my parents & husband, I decided to leave the hospital. I then found a job in a clinic, a very busy one, which was MUCH BETTER for me. The doctors were wonderful & the stress load was greatly decreased. I lucked out because the pay was good & the hours were wonderful (M-F 8-430). The only down fall was that in the clinic I did need hospital experience due the need to answer triage calls, labs, staple removals, ordering test for doctors, etc. I was given great support with this second job & found that it was much more enjoyable. However, I still question if nursing is for me because I don't "love" it like I hear many of my friends saying. I guess you don't have to love your job, but it sure does make life easier! My advise to you is DONT be miserable; life is too short. Maybe you could ask your manager for a possible dept switch & see if another unit would be better for you. Hang in there, you'll figure it out over time. God Bless.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2006

If you can't handle the pace and stress of acute care, you are going to have difficulty with being in public health, home health and case management. Each of these jobs are under a lot of stress and require a knowledge of what goes on in the acute care system. You could try nursing homes. This is where those who drop out of the hospital often go for work. Alternatively, look for part time nursing work in either a hospital or a nursing home.

However, I think that until you get a handle on how to deal with your stress, no matter what profession you attempt, you are going to have difficulty dealing with it. You will end up being a jack of all trades and a master of none if you keep changing professions. At some point you have to plant your feet and make a stand. You will probably be more content and able to handle the stress better if you work part time while you build your confidence as an nurse. It just takes some people longer to get that confidence. You must have loved nursing as a student. I'm guessing you love it still. Look for a professional who can help you learn to deal with your stress and look for a less stressful nursing position.

LauraF, RN, ASN, CNA, LPN, RN · Mar 21, 2006

I agree with the above poster. Everywhere you go you are going to have stress. There are just different kinds of stress. I did clinicals in hospitals and I knew right away I didn't want hospital work. I worked in LTC and was bored but hung in there because we needed the money. I like to be mentally challenged. I have done about 15 years of work in Pediatrician offices. I enjoyed it the best. Although I worked the patient but the same but from there on each one had a different ending. I enjoyed discussing diagnosis with the doctor and which were classic, and which were really vague. I hope I am able to find a similar job now that I have my RN, and after I have the baby. But that is the fun of nursing. There are so many different things you can do as an RN. You are never tied down. But please please please learn to handle your stress first.

MarySunshine · Mar 21, 2006

I don't understand how LTC facilities would possibily be less stressful that the hospital, considering how wildly understaffed they are. I would look into working at a clinic, though.

jjjoy, LPN · Mar 21, 2006

Just remember that anyone's advice is based upon their own experience and situations. You need to decide for yourself what is best for you. Sometimes it will work out and other times you'll find yourself faced with more challenges. Such is life.

I was tempted to quit during orientation. I hated it. The juggling act of everything needing to be done 20 minutes ago. Having to prioritize important meds, important phone calls to/from docs, important patient assessments... they're ALL important! I mean, sure, sometimes everything happens at once and you just have to deal with it, but when that's the status quo...!!! Yes, every job has it's stresses but just because someone is struggling with the consistent stresses of tightly staffed acute care nursing doesn't mean they can't handle any stressful situation. Anyway, back to my story...

I took the challenge that, as much as I hated it, I wasn't going to quit. I was going to give it my best shot. It was miserable and I felt like I was floundering terribly, but I also felt I was making great progress - not anywhere near good enough, but there's so much to learn! I learned a lot that can only be learned through experience. But it wasn't enough. At the end of orientation, they took the decision out of my hands and exercised their option to let me go. In spite of all the talk of nursing shortages, they didn't offer me more orientation or another position in the hospital. I'm proud of myself for trying. The experience also let me realize that my skills and temperament are better suited to another area. I think I could be a good enough nurse in an ideal world with great ratios and resources. But I'm not good enough in the less than ideal world of short staffing. So shoot me for admitting my limitations instead of working somewhere willing to overlook inferior care (not that I could personally live with delivering inferior care).

Nursing school only gave a glimpse of day to day nursing. In school, we had time to look up the patient's condition and look through their records and get the "whole" picture. We had time to familiarize ourselves with each of their medications and treatments and test results. We had time to do a comprehensive patient assessment, physical, psychosocial, etc. We were able to ask questions and get assistance without making someone else get behind in their work. We could get to know our patients and support them psychologically while taking care of their physical needs. We would discuss our patients after clinicals and be able to learn from each other as well as from our experience. It was stimulating and challenging and rewarding.

In the "real world," all of that good stuff became relegated to the "it would be nice if..." realm. Trying to get all the meds out on time, even while an IV bag is running dry in one room, a doctor is calling back on another patient, and, oh, look, a new post-op patient to be assessed ASAP... I could barely remember who each patient was and what their issues were because I'd be running from one thing to another all shift. Well, I was new and it takes time to get a system that works for oneself. Fine. But even the experienced nurses seemed to be running just barely able to get everything done. They didn't have time to talk to their patients. They didn't have time to share about an interesting case with their colleagues. It looked like even once I got it all down, I'd still be running around putting out fires until my shift ended.

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of nursing school and clinicals... but the time crunch on most nursing units is not something I can handle. I can't feel good about my work. Apparently my supervisors agreed. I don't want to "waste" my nursing education. I've managed to find work in a health care related area where I'm working more with information. I can go back and check my work and make corrections. I can plan my work day ahead of time. If I have questions, I can put them aside and get to them later. There are days that more hectic than others and I have to "make do" but it's nothing compared to the average hospital floor or LTC facility, where it seems like nurses have to "make do" every day.

I'm not encouraging anyone to quit. But I don't like to hear the attitude that quitting is always the wrong choice. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. And we don't know the exact situation they are dealing with. I certainly do wish the OP the best and hope that she can find a way to make the best choice for herself.

cindyjean · Mar 21, 2006

I know what you are feeling. My first job was in 1969 in Texas...I was given one week orientation and then placed in charge 3-11 of a 60 bed pediatric unit. I was terrified..as back then there was no PCIU and all accidents etc..came to our floor for care...including ventilators. I actually learned on the job from the doctors i worked with..they were patient and very helpful as instructors. I stayed for two years but dreaded what would come in each time I went to work as we were located centrally to three other states and got all trauma victims in to our unit if they were kids....a nightmare I will never forget. After two years, I really felt confident though and was able to handle this so much easier...those first weeks..just remembering all the 40 pediatricians names was an ordeal for me! when I left ( husband transferred in the military, I took with me what would be the best resume one could ever have...yes...those first couple years are so very hard...but you need them if you want to be a great nurse...consider it a learning opportunity..an internship..and soak in all you can..If after 1 year you don't like it then,,,then move on. that is my best advice..stick with it...none of us like that first year..you are not alone.

NurseEcho · Mar 21, 2006

There are many days I consider my options. Orientation is so stressful. But as others have said, without a year or two under our belts, there are few options to consider. I'm committed to two years of bedside nursing at my current facility. After that though, I'm gonna be "outta here" for something else in nursing... maybe a doctor's office or public health. Try to hang in there.

I'm in about the same place. If the conditions were ideal in terms of staffing and adequate orientation, I could see myself staying at the bedside for many years. In my heart I love being a nurse. But on my unit, staffing is so poor and turnover is so high that new nurses are often asked to take on far more than we are prepared to handle, simply because there is no one else to do it -- let alone train us to do it right!

From what I've heard it is no better, and in many cases much worse, on other units in the hospital. I am in critical care, so the ratios are better but still higher than they are supposed to be.

Most of the time I like my job; I am doing my best to suck up a year or two at least. But if the staffing crunch is not addressed, and we continue to lose more people than we hire, I am not about to take on a mentor/charge role before I'm ready (A couple of months out of orientation != ready), and I am already fairly high in seniority after a few months

I also have a BA in business and am a registered echosonographer. I would rather practice nursing, but if conditions don't improve, I'm open to other options. I'm already considering advanced practice, or working as an application specialist for medical equipment. With so many people going into nursing with other degrees and skills in their background, I think turnover may become even more of an issue as other options become available.

I want to be there for my patients, but I don't want to risk my license (or a life!) in the process. It's very sad that the Powers That Be still don't seem to have figured out that what is going on in many places is simply dangerous. But I know that several people in my nursing class (2004) have already given up bedside nursing, and I can't see things getting anything but worse the way it is now.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

to be fair, and so you'll not feel that i'm totally an old witch about this situation, i do understand what the op is going through. i do understand how prevalent her circumstance is. i pulled some articles on stress and changing jobs. i've been trying to find some articles with more helpful advice in them.

thought that reading this article about knowing when to change jobs might be helpful. it was written specifically with nurses in mind.

http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=326

http://community.nursingspectrum.com/magazinearticles/article.cfm?aid=19616

http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=352 - "no time for the pain: how nurses can deal with job stress"

http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=217 - "dealing with workplace stress"

gcja · Mar 22, 2006

I, too, am a new grad. I was hired in NY by one of the few hospitals in the area that hires new grads. I was hired to a med surge unit. I lasted two months. Within 3 weeks of work I have a full patient load of 8. I was doing bedbaths, meals, administering meds, taking dr's orders and entering them into computer system and medex, initiating IV's, urine samples, catheters, and charting. you name it I did it. My preceptor thought she was on vacation because after three weeks she was no where to be found. All the women there hated their jobs. You got mandated on the average of 1 every 3 weeks. Then, I went onto my assigned shift. I was responsible for 16 patients on a night shift with 1 pca. Meds on the average every two hours. I don't know about your patients but mine didn't sleep. Majority were geriatric up screaming all night. The younger ones were demanding pain meds. The only thing I didn't have to do was take dr.'s orders and enter them. However, I now had to verify all the orders from both day and evening shift and ensure that they were picked up and entered both on medex and computer. Well, once I got off orientation and my LICENSE was a stake, I QUIT. I didn't have a job lined up. I didn't care. The way I looked at it was if I lose my license, I won't be able to get a job. Now I know why this hospital hires new grads. Anyway, here in NY & NJ area I have no problem getting a job. I already have two jobs lined up in a beautiful psych unit. Don't listen to people. Do what you feel you have to. Life is too short to be miserable. Follow your heart