Fired from my first RN job after only 2 weeks.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2017

I had a 5 day orientation, but that was in 1989. I don't think the schools are spending enough time on clinicals, nor skills, these days. When I was a new grad, we were able to hit the floor running. I was the only RN on a busy telemetry unit, with 3 LPN's. We didn't have the internet, couldn't look anything up without going to a medical library, or in one of our nursing school books. We have recently have had new grad nurses who didn't know anything about how to give blood products, and other basic skills. I agree that critical thinking comes with time. I also agree that many hospitals do not want to waste resources teaching nursing skills to new grads, who should have learned that in school. Anyway, good luck with your endeavors. Don't let one preceptor decide your future for you.

Semper_Gumby · Nov 7, 2017

Wow, really tough break. I 'm not surprised though. Schools, especially bsn programs, don't prepare gns for the real world. Like you I wanted to specialize in a particular field, my case L&D. I started in postpartum. On my first day my preceptor told me to "Forget what you learned in school. You need to learn the hospital's way. All the time I agonized about writing perfect care plans and nursing dx seemed a huge waste of time. All I needed to know was the appropriate preprinted care plan and dc plan to include in my charting. Now anyone who's worked postpartum knows everything moves very fast with adms and dcs happening throughout the shift. You have seven moms and seven babies, 14 pts total, and even if babies are with their moms, you're still responsible for them. Even though you're new, you're expected to keep up. No excuses. I'm including a link to an article I think applies to your situation. Bullying in Nursing: Why Nurses 'Eat their Young' and What to Do About It It's an unfair but common problem.
When I became a preceptor, I would meet with my manager every wk to update the progress on our gns. One of the biggest issues was how unprepared they were to work on a busy unit. A lot of our more experienced nurses didn't have much patience, because being short staffed, and what seems like endless adms, dcs. ect, they expected instant help. You want to be able to give the care you were taught and spend time, but it's not possible on high volume units.
I advise to work on a med/surg or internal med unit. Stay for at least a yr. It's not glamorous but you'll learn so much. If you're feeling overwhelmed, lost, speak up before you're to far behind. If you have a free moment, watch other nurses do procedures you're not comfortable doing. Learn the hoptial and unit's way of doing things. ASK questions. Hope this helped a little. Good Luckí ½í±

Holy cow, SEVEN couplets?! That's insane!

Semper_Gumby · Nov 7, 2017

The internet strikes again...

nursemike, ASN, RN · Nov 7, 2017

There has to be a correlation, there are lots of great, bright, and studious people in nursing school but most are not well-equipped to handle the first few months of being an actual licensed nurse and only a selected few will easily excell and acclimate instantly to the stressful environment but most will not

I don't mean to be contentious. I think we're more in agreement than not. I agree that nursing school doesn't entirely prepare new grads--the closest I've seen to a new nurse who hit the floor running was a Diploma program graduate, and even she had plenty to learn in her first year. But I do take exception to the idea that doing well in school is an inherent disadvantage. The reality of nursing seems to me that most of our training really starts after we graduate, and it sounds like the OP was in a place that wasn't prepared to deal with that reality So, yeah, she's better off out of there, but I still see the bulk of the failure, here, as the fault of the facility.

As for the "honor student" business, I do think the shock of not being excellent may be a little harder to some who've been used to doing well. I went through a similar shock while I was in nursing school. Before NS, I had an unlicensed job--orderly is probably the best fitting traditional title--and I had come to be very good at it. Patient interaction was my favorite part of it and my strongest suit, so when I found myself in my second semester making straight A s and failing clinicals, it was quite a blow to my ego. As unfair as it seemed, at the time, it may well have been the best lesson I learned, because I had to throw out everything I had expected and deal with what was actually happening. By spending less time on the easy classroom stuff and settling for a B here and there, I was able to focus on those godforsaken careplans and squeak through clinicals by the skin of my teeth. Sometimes the best thing about humiliation is that it teaches you to be humble.

historyfan · Nov 8, 2017

My orientation was 12 weeks long, and that was 25 years ago, so I don't think this has anything to do with today's nurses.

I feel badly for this new nurse as it sounds like she wasn't mentored or nurtured properly. Hopefully, he or she finds a better place where she will be supported and encouraged.

Nursing is a caring profession. Sometimes we forget to care for each other.

mushyrn, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2017

I think new grads are spoiled nowadays with such legnthy orientations and want their hand held and caudling the entire time. I know I sound mean, but I repeatedly see new grads like you, where your not prepared by the end of orientation, need to extend orientation etc. etc.

While I can appreciate your lack of grammar skills, I will have to disagree with your opinion that new graduates are "spoiled" these days. Why wouldn't you want new graduates to have a lengthy, well rounded orientation? They are ... new.

Especially in higher acuity areas, a longer orientation seems like a pretty important thing to me. It takes time for most new graduates to learn how to be a nurse - school doesn't really teach you all that you need to know, by far.

Be a little nicer sometimes. Or just keep looking arrogant on AN, I don't really care.

Edit: That being said, yeah OP, your employer basically sucked. They are probably cheap, broke, and are obviously inefficient at hiring new staff/keeping staffing ratios at a safe level. I work in critical care at a level 1 trauma center, and it really isn't for the faint of heart. New graduates on our unit get months, not 5 weeks. Find an actual new graduate program if you can and try to go that route.

Good luck.

Squidelle · Nov 8, 2017

I only had 2 weeks of training as a new grad. I think new grads are spoiled nowadays with such legnthy orientations and want their hand held and caudling the entire time. I know I sound mean, but I repeatedly see new grads like you, where your not prepared by the end of orientation, need to extend orientation etc. etc. Nursing is hard, especially acute care, some people just don't cut it. Some new grads don't ever catch on and are so slow about eveything, not just slow with tasks, but slow comprehending and prioririzing and want to take the long methodical way to do everything-ot look like a deer in the head lights when you explain the simplest things. That's great if you have 1 patient, but it will never work on a busy unit. You're not a nursing student anymore!!
And I don't believe you had 5 patients on your first day! Maybe the nurse had you take report on them and you helped, but no way she had you do all the assessments, med administration and care under her license without at least seeing you do an assessment first.

This was an opportunity to use your oh so superior skills to provide useful feedback or use your judgement and keep it moving.

You were ambivalent just last year about whether you would be prepared following orientation to a new specialty but OP and other new grads are spoiled because they expect a proper orientation to a completely new career? Why did you need orientation at all, Super Nurse?

I think what we're seeing from Wandrlust is an older nurse who is taking out her frustration on a baby nurse...we are now eating our young on the internet *sigh*

Leonardo Del Toro, RN · Nov 8, 2017

Your story is nothing unique, lots of nurses go through this. Nursing can be brutal, no only the job itself but other people you work with. Don't take it personally. These people probably didn't like you for whatever reason. When they don't like you, nothing you do is good enough. You just have to find a environment that you fit in and they like you. Once you find that everything is much, much easier.

Don't worry about it...nursing is filled with these kind of crappy things, you'll get tough and soon will know what's going on.

Columnist · Nov 9, 2017

I am starting to panic as I've been applying to jobs today that the one question if I have ever been asked terminate or resign from a job on job applications. I don't want this to haunt me for the rest of my career.

You can do this thing! Hang in there. It's been a rough start but learn whatever you can from what happened, fix anything you can see that you need to work on, and start over. Maybe find a smaller setting to start out and take it from there. All the best, Joy

rockyroad# · Nov 9, 2017

This is what I called nurses eating their young. It was very unfair fair for the preceptor to give you five patients the first day. I don't think some nurses remember been a new nurse. I did preceptorship and I always treat my new nurses better than how I was treated as a new nurse. I was bullied and talked down to by my preceptor , but I told myself I will not quit because of her. Hold your head up and ask God for direction. Don't loose hope! Good Luck!

MinneNurse, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2017

I agree with the others who have you said you dodged a bullet at this hospital. 8 patients is way too many, especially for a new grad, but even for an experienced nurse. I started my first RN job in a new-grad residency program, I had 8 weeks of orientation and started with 1 patient and built up to caring for 4 at a time. I was offered additional orientation if needed but by the end of 8 weeks I felt comfortable enough to be on my own. I also had education days after my orientation a few times a month to learn new things, which was helpful to have it spread out this way since there is so much new info and things to learn. I would really recommend applying at hospitals which have a new RN residency or something similar and ask about the length of the orientation as well as the nurse to patient ratio in your interview. Best of luck to you!!

BadAszFannyPak · Nov 11, 2017

Congratulations on being a badass. 2 weeks of orientation and swimming like a shark. Awesome. It's a shame so many institutions have adopted the BS notion that a lengthy orientation process for new grads provides a more qualified care provider and better retention.