I graduated in May and started my first job as an RN in July on a busy surgical floor at a local hospital minutes from my home. It was a perfect set up. The nurses I worked with were awesome, the supervisors were supportive and helpful, and as mentioned before, it was minutes from my house. The problem was I was about to be off orientation and I was terrified! I am definitely not cut out to be a floor nurse. The thought of taking care of 5-8 patients all by myself scared me to death!! I felt overwhelmed and worried that I was going to miss something when I no longer had my preceptor to catch me when I fall. The type of fear I was feeling wasn't normal new grad fear. It was clearly my personality and I can't change that. Anyone who has been a floor nurse should know what I mean. You either can do it or you can't. And it's not safe to "wing it." I recognized this was not where I belong as a nurse. I was always running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. So, needless to say, I decided to leave my job. Now I am unemployed and truly worried I have wasted the past 4 years of my life going to school for a career that I am not going to be able to do. My husband and parents think I'm a failure. I'm beginning to believe it also.
I love patient care and would work a lot better in an environment where I could spend more one-on-one time with my patient, but where are jobs like that when you don't have experience? And now I'm worried it will look bad that I quit a job after 3 months, but I truly felt like something bad was going to happen if I didn't get out now. I have applied at 2 dialysis centers, ECT, and considering correctional nursing. But again, all of those positions state experience required. I applied anyway, but not feeling too confident.
If anyone has any sound advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Sometimes a particular job is just not right for you. I agree that the amount of stress you had is unusual, often a sign that something is not a great fit.
While there are not nursing shortages in the cities I have worked (NYC, LA and San Francisco), there are still always options for a nurse to find his or her niche. It just may take a little exploration. I do not think home care would be the best idea just yet, as one goes out on their own and experience does help with that. Some areas that may be great to start in are a clinic, pre admission nursing (which while there can be emergencies, there is much routine work, allowing a nurse to get comfortable - plus there is usually a team of colleagues around), a physician practice, endoscopy labs, an intake area in a hospital (can be routine, with many other staff members around - good learning environment). I would sit down and list what made you feel stressed: coordinating all the different tasks, combined with completing things on a timeline, combined with anxiety over unknown situations popping up? Maybe you like medicine better than surgery? Really break down what gave you the feeling of things not being right! My gut tells me you might need a place where there is a routine to the day, a rhythm so to speak, with time to get used to deviations (being a new nurse), and support when emergencies, etc., arise.
A final word word about nurse residencies... 99% of the time they come with an agreement to stay on for two or three years or pay back a sum of money ($20K-30K), so if you leave, you are on the hook for some cash. I would hesitate before signing in the dotted line!
What exactly would be so offensive if you DID have anxiety? It's not the end of the world, especially when facing the pressure of learning the responsibility that a nurse carries. What is so horrifying about needing - GASP - psychiatric care? Whats the big offense?
I'm a new nurse on a step-down floor with about 6mo of experience, and I absolutely HATE it. It's disappointing that I went through years of nursing school and hard work to get to this point. So yes, I understand how you feel. I want to quit my job everyday, but don't because I made a commitment to my unit, and I have an awesome manager, charge nurses, and coworkers. I don't have the personality for nursing. I feel apprehensive and anxious all the time at work, not ONLY because I'm new, but because I hate patient/family interaction. I feel like I'm playing the role of a nurse, acting like I actually care when I don't. I hate small talk, I'd rather be working by myself in a corner office somewhere. I honestly want to just leave nursing because I hate my role as a nurse. I'm tired of being everyone's punching bag, getting blamed if the lunch trays are late, the doctor hasn't seen the patient or properly explained things to the family, rehab is running late, respiratory wakes up the patient, the CNA gave the patient too much ice. And of course, I have to apologize, because patient satisfaction. I think I might like working in a doctor's office or maybe doing chart reviews for insurance companies. I'm going to hang on for one year (half way there!), then look for a new job. Eventually, I plan to get out of nursing all together to pursue something with more science/anatomy, for introverted people with no public interaction.
You might do well in a less fast paced environment, maybe extended private duty (taking care of one patient), a clinic, or some type of doctor's office. I definitely think that nursing isn't for everyone though, I know it's not for me. Best of luck.
You might do well in a more corporate role where you work as an individual contributor (insurance, quality, statistics, revenue, IT). There are many office based roles out there!
Hello I agreed with your thought am a new grad working in the nursing home for 3 month. I become stress and become prn I tried to go every other weekend but am still having difficulties. So I decided to stop going I am currently workingg in home care for about a month now. And am loving it compare to nursing home. I know I need to be in nursing home or hospital setting where I can have more skills but I don't feel too competent. Any advised will be great. I know with adequate training I can be a great nurse but I don't why I feell that am not too competent.
I spent a year and a half on a hospital floor. I hated every minute of it. It's not for everyone and that doesn't make you a bad person OR a bad nurse. I tried my best to transfer to other floors to no avail. My floor had the reputation (and still does) of being horrific. They have a very high turnover rate. I can honestly say there were some awesome veteran nurses there who did their best to aid and mentor me. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did had they not. After applying for transfer several times I finally applied for and got a position at the Health Department. I have been there for over a year now and I am very happy. I didn't even take a cut in pay either. In fact I just got a promotion with raise. So, there is definitely something out there for you. Don't give up.
There is NO way I could be a floor nurse either (or teach middle school). Consider being an Operating Room nurse! Just one patient and a full team of doctors, scrubs, residents, anesthesia. Large percentage of men, mature nurses, second career nurses. Look for a hospital offering a "Peri-Op 101" course by AORN (Association of Operating Room Nurses) or contact the association. It takes 6 or so months.
I'm the room mother, patient advocate, equipment manager, and much more. Stressful, but in a totally different way from having a half dozen patients to myself. OR nurses have different abilities and couldn't/wouldn't want to do what other nurses do.
Someone recommended going into home care. This is not an area I would suggest or recommend for an inexperienced nurse. You are in the home alone, and assessing all types of patients, some more acute than others. As a new nurse, I wouldn't want to care for someone in the home with continuous milrinone or dobutamine drips. I think that some people think a visiting nurse doesn't need to know much or exhibit excellent assessment skills.... but that is far from the truth. I was an ICU nurse, hemodialysis, hospice, before becoming a home care manager, I know home care may not be as technical than those other areas, however, it is a specialty and not as "simple" as people think.
Specializes in Emergency, home health, urgent care.
You may be able to find work in home health or LTC. If you can afford to, you may want to apply for work at casual or per diem positions. That way you may be able to ease into the nursing field more comfortably. Most hospital jobs are high stress/heavy workload jobs, but usually that's where the bulk of new jobs will be. It seems almost everywhere wants experience in that particular specialty to be considered.
Also be sure to refine your resume and keep applying. I like indeed or monster websites. Look for hiring events. Be willing to consider a night shift position. These are often viewed as less desirable and you will see more of these positions open. One more piece of advice is to read some books by Anthony Robbins. This can help a lot with confidence issues. An important part of nursing is both having and projecting confidence. This is applied to both the interview process and the job itself. Good luck!
I found myself spending WAY too much time in my patients room causing me to become behind. I was even told that from time to time by other nurses. I became a nurse because I TRULY care about people. I know, I know, eyeroll... But it's really why I wanted to be a nurse. In reality, you can't spend that quality time with a patient while working on a floor. So if they start talking to you about something that may take more than 30 seconds, you literally have to walk toward the door hoping they will get the hint and let you leave. I hated that! It made me feel so bad. Just really hope I can find a position where I can give more attention and quality care. It would be an environment more conducive to learning for me.
I am curious to hear back from the OP. Lots of advice here.
Only thing I will add is this. A lot of our opinions on the job market are formed by our own experience; we are products of our place and time.
Some of us entered nursing at a time when full-page ads were being put out in the paper, sign-on bonuses were offered to new grads and lots of specialties opened their doors to new grads. My hospital did this in the mid-2000s. This was a lucky time to be a new grad. I suspect that nurses who started during those times have a rosy view of new grads and first jobs.
Many of us entered nursing in a recession when any nursing job was hard to get, especially since hosptial budgets were being cut and new grads took anything offered. Often those jobs were the burnout jobs that hired any warm body with a license. We knew that if we stuck with the hateful job, a chance at a transfer to a better department was our best option. Quitting without another job lined up was a risky move.
It all depends on your local job market to see who hires new grads.
i wish you had not quit after orientation. In all facilities that I have worked, we paired new grads with a preceptor/mentor for a full year after orientation. This gave a new nurse, the support they needed to really learn the flow of hospital patient care. Yes, it is difficult at first, learning the time management skills that one needs. It is scary and frightening, but we found that pairing a new grad with a more experienced nurse and having them tag team was a win win situation. You could try agency nursing, or home care, but most companies require a year of acute care experience. Also, try clinic or outpatient nursing, nursing home or long term care, and public health nursing. You are not a failure, you just have not found your fit. It happens to all of us. For the record, my first year of nursing on a busy med-surge floor and a nationally known clinic hospital, was my most frightening. But, there did come a point when I felt comfortable when I left at the end of my shift. I knew I had given the best care possible. I have since worked as a Physician assistant, radiology nurse, home care nurse, vascular nurse, and pediatric home care nurse. Each position gave me experience that helped in furthering my career. Don't give up. You will find your nitch.
Thank you to all that have taken the time to post. I have read some negativity, but for the most part, everyone has been helpful in trying to give their advice based on the experiences they have had in nursing. I appreciate that! I want to clarify why I quit my job without a job lined up. I quit because I was still on orientation and knew I wasn't going to stay. It made me feel guilty knowing how that works. They don't only pay me, they pay two nurses for the same job. My conscious got in the way. I agree with those who posted that home health is not a good option. My assessment skills are not on that level. I also feel that LTC may not be the place for me because of the one-on-one care I strive to be able to give to my patients. ICU on the other hand, I have considered. I have also considered hospice. I have a few interviews over the next week. Hopefully God will place me where I need to be. Thank you to those who have been supportive!
Carabella
72 Posts
Sometimes a particular job is just not right for you. I agree that the amount of stress you had is unusual, often a sign that something is not a great fit.
While there are not nursing shortages in the cities I have worked (NYC, LA and San Francisco), there are still always options for a nurse to find his or her niche. It just may take a little exploration. I do not think home care would be the best idea just yet, as one goes out on their own and experience does help with that. Some areas that may be great to start in are a clinic, pre admission nursing (which while there can be emergencies, there is much routine work, allowing a nurse to get comfortable - plus there is usually a team of colleagues around), a physician practice, endoscopy labs, an intake area in a hospital (can be routine, with many other staff members around - good learning environment). I would sit down and list what made you feel stressed: coordinating all the different tasks, combined with completing things on a timeline, combined with anxiety over unknown situations popping up? Maybe you like medicine better than surgery? Really break down what gave you the feeling of things not being right! My gut tells me you might need a place where there is a routine to the day, a rhythm so to speak, with time to get used to deviations (being a new nurse), and support when emergencies, etc., arise.
A final word word about nurse residencies... 99% of the time they come with an agreement to stay on for two or three years or pay back a sum of money ($20K-30K), so if you leave, you are on the hook for some cash. I would hesitate before signing in the dotted line!