Career doom or new age of nursing?

[Nurse8080]

Hi All,

I'm a new nurse in my late 30s. I graduated from a 1 year accelerated BSN nursing program, after a corporate career in another field. Before school it was a goal to get into outpatient preventative or private practice medicine.

I did well in school and enjoyed my clinical rotations in a resp stepdown unit and the MICU in capstone. Never had a true med surge experience with 5 plus patients. After school I applied to ER and ICU positions/fellowships which I couldn't get with so many applicants, even though good grades, good resume.

At this point, like all new grads I needed a job especially after a year of not working and only studying/doing clinicals in the 1 year program. Throughout my last semester I was given different advice: In today's field you DON'T have to start in med surge, etc....or do med surge for 1 year and you can go anywhere, it's the foundation of nursing, etc. I also had a strong interest in OR but many told me DON'T do that as you will lose skills and even: it's not real nursing which I never agreed with.

Fast forward to today. I accepted a med surge job with acute patients on an oncology neuro and ortho floor with occasional tele patients (many nurses said hardest fl in hospital). Great place to learn and great opportunity and I certainly learned a great deal in orientation and was grateful. However I disliked med surge so much and realized it very early. I may have miscalculated what I was in store for. I was running from room to room for 12.5 to 14 hours with no time to really plan, think or take a break. No time to spend with patients, just mow down meds, prioritize fires to put out. I feel like I settled for an environment I truly never wanted. We also were using a new mobile phone system that was being tested. My phone getting texts and calls virtually every minute from many stakeholders/staff, making my focus on pt care, careful med administration, new orders, and learning scattered. Many new and experienced nurses even felt it detrimental rather than helping. Also was told the floor was harder than when they started.

I'm aware that the 1st year of nursing is overwhelming, with the honeymoon, shock, periods etc but this floor was crazy and one I chose not to continue on. Could I suffer and do it, yes, I simply chose that I did not want to. Mentally, I was anxious and dreaded each shift (on off days) with no desire to want to be on this unit. I would never have accepted this position if I knew what it entailed. With great contemplation, and gut feeling, I resigned from the position after orientation which I know is a HUGE no no in the world of nursing. Am I quitter? Did I miscalculate bedside medsurge nursing? Maybe. But I know the types of units I liked and where I wanted to be. And how can one know if not having tried it? I know most nurses on this website will have went thru similar experiences made it thru and have no sympathy for this post which is totally fair. I'm just moving forward no matter what and seeking solutions so not trying to dwell and live in the past.

I'm just a bit bummed and annoyed that since I mistakenly accepted this position, and it simply wasnt the right fit and I resigned that I'm now a pariah and will be ostracized from getting another inpatient hospital job where I can build skills and learn. I've rarely come across an industry where you have to stay with a job at all costs or risk ruining your career. So on a way, I feel like after all this work, I've doomed my career before its even started. I'm a hard worker, hustle and was told I was doing a good job and possess a great bedside manner on this unit too. I also have had challenging jobs in the past that I stuck out and fought thru. I just did not want this. The turnover on this floor also very high.

I'm currently interviewing for some outpatient ambulatory surgery jobs thru an agency. I'm also submitting resumes to inpatient ORs, and occupational health jobs. I've also been separately taking phlebotemy/IV therapy/nutrition courses to get really good at those skills. I'm planning to keep learning and take other certs. no matter what I do. Staffing agencies also have been more receptive and are willing to help you get in somewhere without the obligatory 1 year med surge. I'm also looking at per diems if they will take me so I can keep skills up and keep learning. I'm also looking at non traditional RN jobs too.

-Anyone have a similar experience where they left first job early?

-Are inpatient opportunities now not possible after resigning a little over 3 months?

-Anyone ever get oriented in a position then get oriented again elsewhere?

-Have people built skills outpatient then backed back into inpatient elsewhere?

-Any other environments to volunteer and keep building skills?

Thanks for reading this. I know I'll land in a good spot but wanted to see what others thought. Grateful for any feedback.

Thank you! ?

[Sour Lemon]

For liability reasons, volunteers don't typically perform tasks that licensed staff do. I'd axe that option.

As far as your other questions, the biggest variable is location. If the area is saturated, employers are likely to go for the "clean slate" employee. If jobs for newer graduates are plentiful, you'll find new opportunities with little effort.

[RNperdiem, RN]

The advice you got as a student was probably on the optimistic side. Job markets change. I remember full page ads and nursing fairs with sign on bonuses for new grads who could start work in almost any department. Then after the downturn on 2008, it was back to new grads starting in med-surg or SNF or any job available.

Med-surg, often have high turnover and are often the department willing to hire new grads. I struggled in my med-surg year as well, so I know the stress you worked under. Keep applying and see what offers you get. Are you willing to move to get a job?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

4 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

I'm currently interviewing for some outpatient ambulatory surgery jobs thru an agency.

I would be careful with this- agency staff are expected to be up and running with just a few days of orientation.

[LovingLife123]

OP, you are 3 months in. You are going to feel overwhelmed and crazy after 3 months as a brand new nurse on any floor. It honestly takes a year or more to feel comfortable.

I started in ICU. I was still in orientation at 3 months as that is how long it takes. My first shifts after. I felt I was barely hanging on some days.

I think you need to adjust your expectations. What kind of school had a 1 year accelerated program. I’ve never heard of anything less than 16 months which is still incredibly short.

[brownbook]

21 minutes ago, Rose_Queen said:

I would be careful with this- agency staff are expected to be up and running with just a few days of orientation.

Be real careful. Agency nurses can be hired to fill in one shift. You'll be given a 1-2 hour orientation then expected to be up and running.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

5 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

Anyone have a similar experience where they left first job early?

`been there, done that. More than once.

5 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

Are inpatient opportunities now not possible after resigning a little over 3 months?

They are possible, but getting them may be difficult and take a lot of time. Really depends on the place you are at, your willingness to accept less desirable shifts or units, to commute or move, if your area healthcare is monopolized by a single corporation or not.

5 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

Anyone ever get oriented in a position then get oriented again elsewhere?

Yes.

5 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

Have people built skills outpatient then backed back into inpatient elsewhere?

Depends on what you mean by "outpatient". If you work in acute rehab, long-term acute or some (although these are few and far between) SNFs, you can build up skills used in inpatient nursing. If you work in doctor's office, you won't get skills needed in acute care.

5 hours ago, Nurse8080 said:

Any other environments to volunteer and keep building skills?

I cannot imagine a volunteering position nowadays which will help you to develop skills used in real acute care nursing, primarily critical thinking and time management.

Please sit down and take a breath. You got into a unit you were not a good fit into (that's should be a complete explanation from now on if someone asks you "why did you leave your first job". No further details is needed). It happens with many nurses, new and experienced. It happened with me twice. You're not the first or last one.

Think about your strengths (you have them) and weaknesses (no, you're not a total failure). Decide what you want to do, not where you picture yourself. Read specialty forums here, it is useful.

Keep out of the travel/agencies for now. You need at least some experience to survive even one shift with 15 min "orientation" and assignment nobody else wants to take and do jot go into sheer panic mode. On the other hand, if you have a well-run long term acute care hospital (frequency with which they place open positions is a good indicator), you very well may try water there. Many of them are less desirable but it is still as close to "inpatient acute" as it comes, it is a gold mine for learning skills and you'll see everything while caring for patients for weeks, not for days or hours. But get ready for very hard work there.

[caliotter3]

Don’t waste time worrying whether or not you ‘doomed’ your career. You have to keep seeking and applying for a new job until you get hired again any way you look at it.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I don't think you've doomed you career from the start but you might have to be patient and pound the pavement a little harder.

When I was young I walked out on a non-nursing job and had a hard time finding another job. I learned the hard way never to quit a job without a backup plan or another job lined up. As a nurse I realized I made a mistake taking an office job but lived up to my promise and found another job first.

Good luck. I think it depends on the market and timing. Many places have specific times in the year they hire new grads and some areas of the country are better than others. Here in Florida with a growing population, especially older retirees, the market is quite good.

All the best.

["nursy", RN]

Doomed, no. In for a hard job search...probably.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

I just wanted to let you know: I graduated from a 1-year program in 2018. I have only kept in touch with about 5-6 of my classmates. Of them, TWO quit their hospital jobs (which were highly ranked residency programs at well regarded hospitals) before they were off orientation. Professors were horrified: “You’ll never get another job! What will this do to the reputation of our BSN!?” Both of them are so happy now, in their new jobs. One works in L&D at a different hospital, and loves it. One works with me, at a FQHC. It is not unusual to quit your first position (and really, an orientation is a testing ground, isn’t it? For you and the hospital to be sure it’s a good fit?) Hang in there, you’ll be fine!

[carebear01, BSN, RN]

The first thing I would really do is sit down and write out what you want out of your nursing career. What population do you want to work with? Do you need flexible days and hours? Would you be willing to make less money working at a doctor’s office? Etc etc Keep in mind that this list is not something that is set in stone, rather it is a starting point to help you in your job search. For example, when I was a graduate nurse, I knew that I didn’t want to work in pediatrics, L&D, OR, ICU, or the ER. I also knew that I needed flexible hours and wanted to make good $$. So based on my job needs and interests, I decided that inpatient med surg was right for me. So my advice is not to just aimlessly apply for jobs because it’s only going to be another disappointment for you and your employer.

Also, I would definitely advise not to go into agency nursing until you have more experience under your belt. You are basically filling in the void during times where they are short-staffed, right? Our hospital hasn’t used agency nurses in a long time but I remember that they were always pretty experienced. The hospital gave them a quick two day hospital/unit orientation and that was it. Sometimes, especially on the midnight shift, the agency nurse was the most experienced nurse on that shift.