You can always tell when I've been hanging out on the Allnurses.com forums too much -- I get up on a soap box. I'm amazed, though, at how many new nurses are grasping at straws to find "reasons" to quit their first jobs because they're unhappy and they're just positive that things are going to be better elsewhere. Even if there is no elsewhere in the immediate future. It's not THEIR fault that they're miserable -- it's the job. Or their co-workers are all mean and out to get them. (Probably because of their incredible beauty.) Staffing is a nightmare, the CNAs are all hiding and they're afraid they're going to "loose" their license. They'd better quit RIGHT NOW, so they don't "loose" that license. (I wonder if that one is as transparent to spouses who are looking for a little help with the rent -- not to mention those school loans you've racked up -- as it is to some of the rest of us.) The job is ruining their lives and their mental health -- they're seriously worried for their mental health if they don't quit right now. Where did all of these fragile people come from?
Seriously, folks. The first year of nursing sucks. You have the internet and all of that -- how could you not know that the first year of nursing sucks? It does. We've all been through it. The only way to GET through it is to GO through it, but there's a big group of newbies every year who are SURE that doesn't apply to them. No one as ever been as miserable as they are. No one understands. They HATE going to work every day. Management is targeting them and they're sure they're going to be fired. They're concerned that their mental health might be permanently damaged by the trauma of staying in that job ONE MORE DAY. Given the inevitability of "loosing" that license and permanent damage to their mental health, it's all right to quit that job tomorrow, isn't it? Or maybe it's that their DREAAAAAAAAM job is opening up, and they've been offered the job. It's OK to quit this job to take their DREAAAAAAAAM job, isn't it?
How do they even know their dream job is hiring if they have every intention of making their first job work out? What are all those job applications doing out there, floating around if they're serious about this job? You DID intend to keep this job for one to two years when you took it, didn't you? If not, shame on you!
The first year of nursing sucks. You're going to hate going to work every day, and some of you are going to cry all the way to work and all the way home. You'll be exhausted, both mentally and physically and your normal hobbies and activities may take second seat to the job. You'll be constantly afraid of making a mistake, and you will MAKE mistakes. You'll feel incompetent. You may lose sleep because you're worrying about your job. Switching jobs isn't going to miraculously make you confident and competent. It's just going to delay you on your path through that first miserable year. It may even look bad on your resume, paint you as a job hopper. (I'm always shocked by how many new nurses are on their third or fourth job in less than two years who will assure me that they're not job hoppers. Honey, if you're on your third job in less than two years, you're a job hopper. Really.)
Don't people have bills to pay? Or is it that no one feels responsible for paying their own bills anymore? How is it that so many people feel free to just up and quit a paying job without another one in sight? I guess I'm getting old, because I really don't get it.
As a new nurse, I love my job and my co-workers are awesome and have been very helpful. However, after only a few months at this facility I am job hunting because I was led to believe it was full time. At 24 hrs a week I can barely make ends meet. Judge me if you want, but my DON was understanding and said I would be "stupid" if I turned down a full time job. Sometimes us "new nurses " have to job hunt to provide for our families.
Not all new nurses are "young" entitled and unable to handle he pressures of nursing! Ruby Vee may be an "experienced" nurse with great insight into the nursing profession. I am 51 years old. I graduated 8 years ago and have had a few jobs in that time period. I know that while in school there was a huge focus put on "losing" your license and working safely. There are many hospitals and facilities out there where the almighty dollar is put before patient care and working safely according to the nurse practice act... I will not risk myself or my patients life. I'll move on as many times as it takes..I worked like a dog to get my MSN and I intend to keep my license.. Ruby sounds very angry...
I agree regarding quitting without having a job lined up. That is unwise if you have financial obligation. But these days, I don't feel we owe our jobs any loyalty. Unless I signed a contract for 1-2 years, I do not feel any guilt for quitting just as they don't feel guilt when nurses are fired and laid off, poor staffing, crappy schedules etc.
Agreed.
I took my first job with the intent of staying at least two years. Once I felt on stable ground (not super-confident, but doing ok), I requested to switch shifts. Without going into details, verbal promises were made to me that still didn't happen FIVE months later, although new grads were getting the shift I wanted. Also, it was made clear that if any of us didn't like the way things were run, we could leave.
I did, quite a bit of time short of my own personal two-year commitment. And I've never been happier. Better job, better hours, much higher pay, work environment a better fit for me, a boss that's great. I definitely was nervous that the grass was NOT greener, but sometimes, it is.
The reason new nurses HATE their first year is because nurses in general are mean as hell to the newbies. Rather than supporting each other, (and especially the new grads) they beat them up so they can feel superior.
There are actually papers written about bullying in nursing (go ahead and research it).
It's unnecessary and there's no excuse for it. Why in the world should anyone be upset enough to cry while driving to or from work? Why should this ever be considered acceptable? Why does management allow it?
I used to be a critical care RN and when I left to be a physician assistant I was stressed and scared the first year or two as I learned to practice medicine. But my physician colleagues were generally kind and respectful, so I never felt demoralized to the extent that new nurses do. The issue of bullying in nursing is an old one and IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
I'm a chronic job hopper. I've worked for one hospital system for almost 2.5 years and have held three different positions (still there), and I have worked at another hospital system for almost two years in the same position, but I've been trying to leave for several months. Prior to these jobs, the other gigs I had lasted for no longer than 9 months...but I was ALWAYS advancing (I now make 65% more than what I did 4.5 years ago, and that isn't even including shift diff, weekend diff, holiday pay and potential OT).
There is definitely something to this that did not exist in any industry a generation ago. It used to be that loyalty was rewarded with better pay and benefits. Now, long-time employees are seen as stale and expensive. I've seen it time and again, the way to a bigger paycheck is to job hop in a lot of industries, so companies end up with expensive employees that don't have as much experience as the stale and expensive long-term employees they tried so hard to get rid of!
Oh dear. After six months there, make sure you go to CRNA school so you can have your DREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM job AND make the big bucks!
^ That might be intended as sarcasm, but it's actually good advice if you like OR. I've talked to three experienced CRNAs who said they are very glad that they went to CRNA school, even though it was difficult and expensive. They said they would not want to be a floor nurse nowadays.
^ That might be intended as sarcasm, but it's actually good advice if you like OR. I've talked to three experienced CRNAs who said they are very glad that they went to CRNA school, even though it was difficult and expensive. They said they would not want to be a floor nurse nowadays.
It's only sarcasm because I went to nursing school with about 20 people whose intention was to be in med surg for 10 seconds, get into critical care and get into NP or CRNA school as soon as possible for DA BIG DOLLAZZZZZ!!!! LOL yeah there's 20 of you here, 20 of you across town, 20 more of you the next county over, and so on and so forth. They'll be as in demand as a new grad nurse in five years.
I am a new nurse, with a little over a year of experience. But I'm also old fashioned in some sense, and want to be loyal to my employer. When I started my first job in the ER, I wanted to stay at that job for a long time, I was looking at the bare minimum, 2 years. Over time, as I found the ER to be challenging and felt like I would rather work somewhere else, I shortened that minimum commitment to 1 year. Unfortunately I didn't make it to a year. I was fired for something that was not covered in orientation. I didn't have any exposure to critical patients in the ER during orientation and I had someone who needed to be intubated. I didn't know that I was allowed to push RSI meds in an emergency. They kicked me out of the ER and sent me to a poorly staffed med surg floor.
Once there, I also wanted to give this med surg a fair shake and stay for at least a year. Shortly after starting this med surg job, I got another job on a cardiac floor at a different hospital. I liked having two jobs because if I got fired from one job for something that may not entirely be my fault, at least there was the other job. I also came to like the second job. Better staffing, better working conditions, more teamwork, and I could tell people enjoyed their jobs. It also pays more. Just this week the opportunity came up for a straight weekend option at the second job that would pay $5 more an hour in addition to my base rate for 6 months. I took that chance. I would get no such opportunity at the first job. They have no incentive pay, even though there is a need for people on nights and weekends. Their version of incentive pay is a flat fee, like $40 if one picks up a 4 hour shift, $80 if one picks up an 8 hour shift and $120 if one picks up a 12 hour shift. It's a joke, I know. I personally would pick up 4 hour shifts just to avoid getting mandatoried as much as possible. Extra shifts counted as mandatory stays. Better to pick a voluntary 4 hour shift than have to stay for 16 hours.
I want to do the right thing, honest I do. But it seems the only way to advance these days in pay and opportunities is by moving out. And I'm not alone in thinking that way. At the second hospital I just upgraded to full time, nearly every nurse that has been hired in the past few months used to work at the first hospital. It's hard to find a job at the second hospital because it's smaller but also because positions are quickly filled with ****** off nurses from the first hospital, and these nurses come with lots of experience. Some even with 20-30 years worth.
On my last shift, it will take every fiber of my being to not blast that old country song Take this Job and Shove It out my car speakers as I tear out of the parking ramp.
Okay, I did react to the original post quite emotionally; imagine if you really dislike where you are, and you see other people little by little finding their places, yet I am still stuck in a miserable job where I do not want to be, then someone accuses me and others of not sticking out long enough or having some patience. Okay, I did react emotionally, and I do regret the statement I made, but I am not lying when I said I want to find a job where I don't have to communicate with patients. I am not antisocial or anything, I am just tired of all the negativity and bitterness I am exposed to when patients are awake. Probably not all the non-bedside nurses moved to that job because they hate patient interaction, but I know and talk to quite a plenty of nurses who quit bedside partially (not all) to move away from negativity of interaction with patients.
I react friendly and politely to anyone with mutual respect and decency outside my job, whether that is in grocery store, cellphone shops, bank, etc etc. Is it that hard to understand many nurses want to make exodus out of environment where patients' negativity makes you bitter and ****** ***??? I don't know about you, but I am not that much of saint to be the happiest person in the world when I am constantly under other people's negativity.
Anyways, I didn't want to talk to Ruby that way, my apologies. Also didn't want to make it sound like I hate patients for no reasons and not talk to them. I just want to work where I don't have to deal with constant negativity. That's all, and I will find my place that fits me. I would rather do ICU than medsurg also. I admire ICU RNs. It's the environment in which unless an RN does something, the patient most likely will DIE; in that sense, ER or ICU is much more desired position.
I'm laughing out loud in a major way at your use of the word "loose". I've always wondered where a nurse can get his or her license tightened because it seems to be a huge problem...
We FT nurses spend a lot of time at work. I don't find it unreasonable for people to want some enjoyment from their job. I don't find it unreasonable to want to get along with coworkers.
Good working relationships can make up for some of the crap we deal with and make those hell nights a distant memory.
Jmira.BSN.RN
353 Posts
What I wouldn't give to land one of those given up jobs SMH