Confused on whether to quit or not

[flowingoan]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to this website but since there are so many fellow nursing students and nurses, thought it would be best to get some advice. I'm a 2nd year nursing student, about to graduate in 3 months!!

I have been working at UTMB as Student Care Partner/PSNE for 9 months and I loved my preceptor. Pretty much every skill I have learned in nursing school, I have got to practice in this job- several times.

Recently, I applied for a PSNE position at another hospital and got placed in GI/GU and lets just say it has been one miserable job for me. I wanted pediatrics but our director said that there were no spots open there. The preceptors I get placed with act as if they either dont want students or I get ignored all day long( I actually got a door slammed in my face when I was following a preceptor in to her patient's room) I am not learning anything and it is really getting to me...

I dont want to quit because if I do want to work there in 3 months (pediatrics if I can get in there), would this look bad on my resume? Maybe the recruiter will think I cant handle change or something, but I am dying to go back to my old job at UTMB.

so what to do??

[llg, PhD, RN]

If you are applying for a job at MD Anderson, then you need to stay there and work through your problems. It won't look good if you run as soon as you encounter a few problems. And besides, it won't look good to anyone to see that you jerked your old employer around like that -- leaving, then coming back, then leaving again as soon as you graduate.

If you think you will be wanting to work for your old employer as a new grad, then definitely go back. But if you want to work for your current employer after graduation, you need to stay with them. Show them that you can handle it and work through your concerns and make a good impression on them -- keeping in mind that your current situation is VERY temporary. Think long term.

[Newandconfused]

One thing I have learned in the hospital I work for is not to expect kindness from my fellow nurses. If they are kind to my face, I watch my back. I am not suprised a preceptor slammed a door in your face. I agree with the other post--stick it out if this is the place you want to work. Whats the turn over in Peds? If this will help you land your dream job, don't let moody people run you off. But at the same time you don't need to take the abuse of someone who obviously has issues that have nothing to do with you. I am seriously so over 'hard to deal with' nurses. I did not want to work in a hostile environment, but that is where I am at for now. Snap Back-it helps. I will have my year in soon and I will hit the door running. Is there another pediatric hospital close you can apply for?

[flowingoan]

I dont really know what the turn over rate is in peds or for md anderson... Im applying to texas childrens (but they accept like 18 graduates out of 200 so my odds are slim!), methodist (not a children's hospital, but still an excellent hospital to start off- I know a lot of seniors that went there and liked it), and possible memorial hermans- childrens. But I've heard the turn over rate for memorial herman in the med center is high, and a lot of negative stuff from a nurse who left there so I guess I"m a bit biased.

I"m going to try to stick it out another 2 months- I only have to do 2 X12' hour shifts each month. I'm going to call the nurse manager and see if I can just stick with one preceptor- He's an LVN, an excellent preceptor except he's leaving pretty soon to go to the clinic scene.. so I'll be stuck after he leaves.

Thanks for all the advice :)