First Nursing Job "Epic Fail"

[Hotfornursing, RN]

I am a 2011 grad. My first nursing job just end today. Its evident i was not made for floor

nursing, as a new grad i was required to handle a full load of 7/8 first week on my night shift with 150 hrs left of my orientation time to go. Needless to say...MY TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS SUCK!!! I busted my butt on this job and am mentally and physically exhausted. I am feeling like a major failure and am doubting my career choice. Anyone experience this type of failure as a new grad...any advice would be appreciated

[Max&Luc's RN Mama]

I am so sorry for your experience. I would chock it up to a failure not on your part but on the part of the people that were supposed be training you. There is absolutely no way that the expectation should be that you can handle a full patient load during your first week of work. Time management is a learned skill. It sounds like you are ready to give up, please don't. I too had a less than stellar first experience as a nurse. I am still dealing with some of the trauma of it. I questioned myself and my ability to work in the ER. But I now realize that it was the situation and the specific unit and culture in which I was working. I am now happily still an ER nurse and am in a very healthy environment. People actually support each other and want you to succeed. I know it is hard but try not to internalize "the failure." As a nurse there are always new things to learn and improvements to be made, but the important thing is if you are in it to take care of people then you did not make the wrong career choice. I hope you find a better situation. Maybe floor nursing is for you and it was just the particular floor. Luckily there are many types of nursing. Good luck as you move forward in your career.

[Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN]

Keep your chin up and look for a job that better suits you... When interviewing, make sure to ask about orientation and it's specifics- its impossible to be great after a week .

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

i know it's frustrating to be fired. i think your facility took advantage of you, and you paid for it. you had 150 hours left on orientation? then where was your preceptor to help you. most new grads take at least 3 months to feel comfortable with a full load of that many. i worked ortho/neuro as a new grad, and i was at 6/7 regularly. usually with a admit coming up as i hit the floor, and another one in 3-4 hours.

i switched to tele after 2 years in that place, and i feel like a happier nurse. i have time to spend with patients now, and i can talk with them. find a job that suits you, and a big hug. you aren't the failure, your workplace is. and be a great nurse and make them regret letting you go.

[gollybabbler]

Hug from me too. Good advice above. Please know that you will likely feel overwhelmed and underprepared again in your nursing career, because it's a given that management will try to take advantage, especially of new nurses. I'm not saying there are no perfect units, with adequate orientation, I'm just saying be aware & be smart- you have to use your resources and always cover your butt. For a shift like you had, before you accept the assignment, you should tell the super that you are still on orientation, etc, where is your preceptor, etc, and then write it up saying you informed the powers that be, etc.

After many years in nursing I was taken advantage of too, in a new job, having learned new skills & then put on call so I'd be working by myself, at night, when I knew I wasn't ready, because staffing was low. I emailed my boss ahead of time with my objections and explanations, and even though it did not change my on call start date, at least i had it in writing.

And your time management skills do not suck- you just need more practice, okay?

Good luck!