Failing miserably at Nursing

[garysfb]

Is there any hope for someone who was fired from thier first nursing job? After 6 mos. as a new grad I lost my job on an acute care med surge unit. It was the night shift and this then 56 year old man simply could not sleep in the daytime. Hence, not very alert for my preceptor.

Since then, now 60 yrs old, I've been working psych for the past 2.5 yrs. I really dislike this job. No real nursing going on here, just a lot of paperwork. And I'll probably never feel like a nurse until I get medical experience and skills.

Is there such a thing as a second preceptorship for a worse than new grad? Whatever skills I had have been lost (never really learned them well at the start) and much of what I learned in school as well. Where does someone like me go from here? Many have advised to bluff through the interview and fake it till you make it. I don't seem to be able to do that.

Any advice would be appreciated

Sincerely,

desperate to nurse(not giving up yet)

[KaringOne]

Well, I would guess you would fair better with a job on days, one that is pretty busy. There are lots of nurses who have fallen asleep on night duty (shoot, there are nurses that fall asleep on days & evenings too). Everyone can't do nights. But u need to be sure to have a go-getter attitude & apply yourself more. Find out what type of nursing u really like & go for that, just don't give up. Maybe u could get some refresher courses somewhere. I guess it would depend on how much you really want to do nursing. You say that u are 60 yrs or so, are u @ that point where u are just tired? (And yes,I know that there are many 60yr & older spry chickens-energetic individuals). You just really come across as tired in your post. If not, well then keep your head up. You'll get through this. Just look for some refresher courses, maybe see if u can get a job on med surg or in a doctor's office or clinic, to help sharpen your skills. Oh and make sure it's on days! That's all I have.

[scottlgarrett]

OK desparate dude, I have been an LPN for 6 years and am now a new grad RN. My advice is for you to consider working a clinic job day shift etc, or look in to home care or a Gov't job like the VA.

It is very difficult to fail at nursing but it is equally difficult to find what one is passionate about. I was very passionate about hospice for the last four years right up until I had a heart attack at the ripe old age of 38, since then for me hospice has lost much of its appeal and I find myself dreading my job. The next thing you should considder is what shift you want to work, day, evening, or night, and 8, 10, or 12 hour shifts, and finally find something you really like. It sounds like you need something laid back, look into home care, hospice, day surgery centers and so on. There are so many areas in nursing that one can choose from that you are are sure to find your niche. The nice thing about working for the VA is a person your stated age could put in five years and retire with a small pension and healthcare at the employee cost for life and a few other percs too.

Good luck

Scott

[Belle Epoque]

Why are you crediting your 2.5 years at psych nursing as failing miserably? If I were a psych nurse, I might be offended by that suggestion.

So you don't have a lot of acute care experience. So what? If this is what you want, build up to it. You may want to start off in LTC or SNF, maybe take a refresher course if you feel so inept and bulk up your experience level. But I'm certain that you still know far more than you think, it's hard to believe you would lose all your bedside skills in just 3 years.

I've seen people get away from nursing altogether for 10+ years and come back as brilliant and exceptional nurses. You just have to want it bad enough.

And quit being so hard on yourself. Chin up! All is not lost as long as you have the motivation to succeed.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

psych nursing is nursing. if you'd like to change specialties, then go for it. you will get an orientation on your new job. you've already learned a lot of what nursing is all about -- how do talk to doctors, visitors, patients. how to walk into the room and immediately assess how things are going. how to look up stuff. you may have to work nights if you switch to an acute care specialty -- but there are lots of threads here on how to survive the night shift! go for it.

[indigonurse]

There are nurse refresher-reentry programs that can help you get those skills. A teaching hospital in my area for about $2,000 dollars gives a clinical class and supplies you with a preceptor in areas from NICU to med surg with a very high chance of getting employed afterward. BAD news is most hospitals have a plethora of openings almost exclusively on the night shift.

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

I think part of your problem is the loss of self esteem that goes with being fired. I don't know if it is possible to completely get over the experience because it happened to me once and I will never feel the same about myself. I no longer feel like the confident person I once was. I live in fear of making a mistake.

Home health requires a lot of independent judgement and strong skills. You never had a chance to really develop those skills. I would not recommend home health yet for you. LTC can be extremely busy with tons of meds, but unless you are on a unit with high turnover the meds don't change much from day to day. You get to know the patients well enough that you can recognize changes sooner, practice your assessment skills, and really grow and develop as a nurse. Then again, it needs to be in a place where you are not alone because sometimes you are the ONLY nurse- a huge responsibility starting out.

Another great area to step up a bit in your skills is MR. Some of the MR facilities have trachs, G tubes, lots of meds, lots of treatments. It is not as stressful of an atmosphere either. And again you have the benefit of getting to know the patients. These facilities are usually a very positive environment to work in- at least for nurses, maybe not for the personal care staff.

Once you feel more adept at assessment and other hands-on skills you could always go back to the hospital if you want, though if you try something new you might like it enough to stay.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

Try an agency, they may be able to accommodate u a bit better, ie: u could maybe stipulate no night duty.

Just a quick thought.