Are any of you loyal?

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I am a 26 year old nursing student about to graduate with my AD in May. A nurse recruiter from a large hospital I'm interested in (Peds) just talked to my clinical group. The point that she kept stressing over and over and over was that things were not looking the best for new grads right now and we would have a much better shot at getting hired if we got experience somewhere else (even other than peds) then applied. I'm sorry but I see a serious problem with this. I am a very loyal person and I do not get frustrated with easily. I do no not plan on job hopping. I do not plan on staying with the job same forever, but I would love to see myself grow and build a relationship with the staff in one place over many years. Yes I want to work to kids but more importantly, I just want to work with people. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Specializes in Med Surg.

I agree with the other posters. I used to believe in company loyalty, then I got burned by my last (non-nursing) job. I was at a company for 10 years, worked my butt off, and it was made very clear to me that I was completely disposable. This was a company that preached loyalty and family and all that jazz and I was the naive 22 year old that bought into it.

Now I'm 34 and cynical. :) I'm a new grad; I've worked for my hospital for 3 months. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I don't see myself leaving any time soon. My husband and I are going to be in this area for a long time, if not the rest of our lives. So, I'll be loyal and stay as long as things are going well for me. I'll work hard and give what I owe to my employer, but I always know that they will replace me at any time if they see fit. Not because of anything that's been said or done to me at work, but because of my past experiences.

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

Hospital management will throw you under the bus if it will save them from getting sued. Even if was not your fault.

How can there be loyalty with that known fact?

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You may love your job, but your job doesn't love you back...Always keep an open mind to new things.

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Hospital management will throw you under the bus if it will save them from getting sued. Even if was not your fault.

How can there be loyalty with that known fact?

Not all facilities are like that- personal experience :)

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

Loyalty is great when it doesn't interfere with getting walked on. If an employer sniffs out someone who shouts their loyalty from the rooftops, they OWN you. You need to be loyal to yourself- and do the best job you can no matter where you work. But don't tell any employer how "loyal" you are- you will be on the top of that call-list before you can take your next breath. :o

True dat, true dat...........

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Specializes in Home Health.

I am as loyal to the company I might work for as they are to me and the patients I care for. It usually isn't much in the way of loyalty.

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I was loyal until that proved to be foolish. Then I had no trouble going elsewhere. I told one administrator (LTC) that as an employee I felt it was my job to support those I worked for and if I felt I couldn't do that, I needed to leave....then handed her my resignation.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Be loyal to no-one but yourself.

A friend of mine told me this, after she was 'sacked' from her job - for no reason - and marched out of our hospital, by security guards on each side (as per hospital protocol). She was gotten rid of because she was old and a bit crusty & the new, young hospital CEO wanted to cull the oldies. It eventually happened to me and I wasn't even old at the time. I stood up re my friend & was gotten rid of quick smart (along with others I knew).

Before my friend was 'escorted' off the premises, she looked me in the eye and said: 'Be loyal to no-one but yourself Carol', then she was marched out in humiliating circumstances. I have never forgotten it and we lost touch later on.

This is only one sad story I could tell you. I have seen & heard of friends who got horrific cancers & who died shortly afterwards, I firmly believe at least in part, to loyalty to stressful jobs, and not being loyal to themselves.

So now, I am only true to myself now. I don't give a flying fig if the wall in the hospital I'm working at falls down, or 5 patients are arresting all at once. If my work is finished, it's finished. I leave with a completely clear conscience. And I don't care if management or my agency call me 10 times a day, begging for me to 'save their butts' as they have no qualified staff. I have done my years of working long, stressful hours in hospitals/health facilities, and not being paid for it, just to keep up with the work, and it's got me absolutely nowhere. And as most of them were in my youth, I feel I have lost that too by being loyal and you hardly get any thanks in the end, or even a present when you leave. Many times I've finished up contracts & left with no thank yous, or even one glass of wine, or a celebratory pat on the back.

I've decided after a long think tonight to finish up my grad dip (as I'm half way through this), work till maybe the middle of next year to pay off existing debts, then move to a warmer climate to start a new career, & to settle once & for all.

And I tell you something: I will always, ALWAYS regret wasting my youth being totally loyal to institutions and to people who forgot about me, even before I'd walked out the door for the last time.

Am I bitter? You bet I am! I was a complete young fool.

Being loyal? Believe me, it's such a waste of your oh so precious and limited time on this earth.

Always be loyal and true to yourself throughout your life & you should be fine.

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Specializes in Government.

My definition of loyalty has changed over my work life. I now define it in personal rather than corporate terms. There are people in my work life who have gone to bat for me; I am devoted to their friendships and their support as colleagues. They have a blank check with me for references, job opening tips and good will.

However, there are employers...private sector, not for profit and government...that have treated me like chattel, cut hours, forced me to float to areas I have no business working, scheduled me for doubles, refused me vacation times and laid me off without warning. I've lost a sense of loyalty to any employer who would treat me in a less than respectful, professional manner.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I'm loyal to my friends and people I care about. As for an employer....I try my best to follow the policies and do my job. That's where my loyalty ends. My time outside of work is my time. If the reverse were true...if employers truly cared about their employees, we wouldn't all be working short staffed.

They do what's best for them, I do what's best for me. That's how far my loyalty goes.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Talk to me about loyalty when your orientation is ended early after less than a month, and you are given a 5 patient load by yourself when you are supposed to be taking 3-4 patients WITH your preceptor, your unit is chronically understaffed and each shift you arrive praying you will not kill anyone and will not jeopardize your license.

This was what happended to me as a new grad. Loyalty schmoyalty. I was outta there.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I will add that I do feel loyal to my current employers. They have been good to me and are appreciative of my efforts. That said, if I could make things better for myself and my family somewhere else, I would finish out the year (I am a school nurse on an annual contract) and move on without guilt.

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