Confuse

I hated my first job too. It took 6 months for me to feel comfortable. It will get better! The first year is definetly the hardest! You will get through it!!

Try to stay on that floor for 6 months to see if you actually like that unit. If not you can see if you can transfer to a different unit!

What about it do you not like?

The last time I transitioned units, I had the hardest time because the unit wasn't what I thought it would be. I had come from a level one, beautiful trauma centre to a smaller regional hospital. Things were done differently, I had a huge learning curve and I was working with staff that I felt weren't welcoming. It took a good few months to feel comfortable with the unit culture, staff, and I'm still alway learning something new. I had experienced culture shock and had to change my expectations and learn to just go with it.

Almost all my classmates, when we were new RNs, felt the same as you do now. It's hard going from the classroom to caring for sick human beings on their own. It's a huge learning curve. School teaches you the basics, the background knowledge, but working is so much different. I found this gap in my knowledge to where I thought I needed to be -knowing everything, having good time management, confidence speaking to Drs etc- disheartening. I hate not knowing things, and made me feel like a was a terrible nurse for having to ask questions about everything. I was fortunate to have excellent charge nurses who reassured me that they weren't expecting me to be there yet, and that I would get there eventually.

Don't give up yet. It gets easier as you gain more experience. Staff warms up to you and you'll find friends. You can do this.

Many of us feel unsure of what we have gotten ourselves into when we first start off working as a nurse. One thing that I think is great about hospitals is that they allow for a longer orientation than most other fields of nursing. Also, you will always be working with other nurses with experience so if you have a question or do not know how to do something, they can help as a resource.

I get the idea of a contract can be disheartening as you can feel "stuck" with a position and that you don't have the freedom to leave. It's one of the reasons why I have never signed one myself. I get that as a new grad the market is not what it was years ago, so many companies have the power to demand a contract to protect the time that they invest in training a new nurse. It takes a year, sometimes two to be marketable as experienced to other employers so while there is a contract binding you to this employer, it is also helping you get the time in that you need for better opportunities down the road.

I'll never forget the short period of time that I worked for an assisted living facility. I got 3 days of orientation. I was a nurse for a long time so it seemed like a lot of information to learn to cross over, but I could do it. Now, I was given a new grad that would be working the evening shift to orient. She would be the only licensed staff member for over 100 residents. She got two evenings shadowing a medication tech and then one 12 hour day shift on the weekend with me. The poor girl was being fed to the wolves by this employer. Now, she didn't have to sign a contract, but yikes, I would never want that as my first job!

Nursing is a very vast field. After your contract is over you will know if acute care is right for you. If you absolutely hate the atmosphere of the unit that you are on, is there a way to transfer to a different specialty within the facility? It may be that med/surg isn't for you but another specialty may be right. A degree in nursing offers many different opportunities and is not limited to acute care, or even patient care. It's just that a lot of these opportunities require prior experience at the bedside first.

It does depend on the reasons OP doesn't like this job or nursing in general. Not everyone who is a new grad or on orientation dislikes the job because he/she is struggling. Consider your reasons for not liking nursing or the job, then try something else. Many nurses hate med-surg...so you're not alone.

It does depend on the reasons OP doesn't like this job or nursing in general. Not everyone who is a new grad or on orientation dislikes the job because he/she is struggling. Consider your reasons for not liking nursing or the job, then try something else. Many nurses hate med-surg...so you're not alone.

And many nurses end up hating working in the hospital. It's so glamorized on tv and hyped up in nursing school that in the real world, it ends up being a let down. Just give it a few more months to see if you feel better about it and if not, move on. There are fields of nursing that don't actually suck...