Good Bye to Nursing for me...

Nurses General Nursing

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Well, the start of a new year and I'm kissing nursing

good bye after only 5 short months. I graduated in may and started at a hospital in august. My very first preceptor was a nightmare, on my 3rd day on the floor she said I was too slow and put me down in front of other

nurses or whoever was in distance of hearing her. At one

point she even said, "well, I have her she know's nothing I have to show her everything." So being enthusiastic I decided NOT to let it get to me and proceeded to take her C*ap for another couple of weeks. At which time I was moved to a different floor with a preceptor who was great and I learned alot from. PRoblem was at this hospital IF

I wanted to stay I'd have to take a evening position. SO I left a found a hosptial closer to home on days. Well, once again I have the preceptor from hell not only that but the managers In my opinion are nitpickers. ON my first day on the floor they wrote up a nurse who was in charge of making sure all the phones were back at the end of the day, for not having a phone returned. (someone took one home accidentally).. I found this ridiculous, it's a busy med/surg floor with an 8:1 patient ratio and they are worried about PHONES???? I could go on and on about the other horrors but it would be to long.

Long story short I've decide to quit. Luckily I don't NEED the job to support myself or I wouldn't be able to leave. my hubby makes a decent salary. I do feel bad placing all the financial burden on him but I'm planning on just picking up a admin position somewhere. I don't care if I'm making half the money I jsut want to be happy. I'm so SICK of being stressed going into work, stressed coming home, worrying about this, being stressed on the floor. To me its just not worth it. My hubby is worried that I'll change my mind and want to come back to nursing but won't be able to after leaving 2 prior positions. bUt seriously I can't imagine feeling this way.

I also just found out I'm expecting my first child and I really can't imagine the stress level as well as not eating/drinking/peeing an entire shift is good. So I'm gone. I give up, I give in, I just feel like I can't do it. I'm thinking I'm just not meant to be in nursing, or i woudn't have just kept inheriting bad circumstances and preceptors from hell.

Well, I'd love to hear if anyone else has left nursing? come back and any other thoughts you all might have.

Hope this is a good new year for all.

I honestly think any job is hard. Ok, get ready for tough, but kindly meant advice here:

I say this from experience, since 10 years ago I worked my way up to Manager (in a different field from nursing). Well, as a Manager I was working an 60 hour work week and it wasn't nearly as glamorous as folks say. Needless to say, I decided to lower myself down a few notches, become less serious and get an Admin job. Holy Cow! Admin's are busier than Managers --- not only are you the bottom of the ladder, and there is a loss of respect which I had as a Manager. In this new Admin job, I was expected to work the more hours for half the pay...

There's some meaning in nursing that gets lost in all these sad stories of politics, in which someone was too passive to speak up at the hospital, but has no problem complaining and deciding to quit an anonymous board like this. In any job, you need to hone the skill of finding and utilizing the chain of command for dealing with bullies. And you should go over their heads and complain to their boss, no matter how uncomfortable it is. Do you know how many other people have to deal with these preceptors because you didn't say anything? Know your chain of command.

I think it's best to keep trying to find a situation that works for you. Quitting is easy and gives these folks exactly what they wanted from you -- for you to quit. They are saying to themselves, "yes, I was right about her." Do you really want that?

And lastly, there are wonderful nursing homes and specialized hospitals that have a great staff to patient ratio, pay well with great benefits, that would love to have you and may fit you much better than a hospital environment.

However, if you really want out, then settle for an Admin, but don't think the politics will go away. Politics and nasty people are at every job :trout: , and life is learning how to best deal with those people. :idea:

Ok, stepping down from soapbox now

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What a great reply realkreativ!

I cannot agree with you more, vindictive, difficult, rude people are in all jobs, not just nursing. Part of our learning curve as humans is to learn how to deal with this behaviour in a assertive, positive manner that empowers us.

It's hard to learn this skill but worth the effort.

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Sorry to hear you got off on a wrong start. Most nurses do have a happy precepting time although its hard because you are putting the whole nursing process together, multi tasking.

You should of went to your director and complained about your preceptor and gotten another on. Some love to teach while others hate it.

Consider maybe a causal positional where you call the shots, you work when you want to, how much you want, the shift etc. Hopefully they will give you lighter assignments.

Is there anyone in school, a teacher you liked that you can talk to? You have invested a lot and you may regret in the future, nursing has many facets of positions.

Where on earth is the ratio 8:1? It's not like everywhere. Also if you can find a Unionized hospital that might a feather in your cap. Take care

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Sounds like you shouldn't be nursing.......good luck!

Liz

I think it is a bit quick to throw in the towel and say that the OP shouldn't be in nursing at this moment. I say this because this person is new and each person processes stress and certain situations differently. I am also a new nurse and while I have not personally had the same encounters, I certainly have witnessed them happen to other people and it was not pleasent for me to observe and I was only a bystander. There are many that walk away; that is for sure, and for legitimate reasons. But, maybe this person needs different surroundings. Yeah, it is hard, because I truly believe that this happens in varying degrees everywhere, but it is hard when you are new and are disillusioned early on.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
it strikes me that way, too. it amazes me, though, that someone who quit three jobs in six months seems to believe that her problems are everyone else's fault. (and that there are so many members willing to go along with that theory.) i'm not blaming the victim here, but surely she should at least take a look at her own contributions to the problems she was having!

i agree.

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Healer27,

You're pregnant and don't need the money? This is a no-brainer! Unlike every single one of my friends, I quit my job when I got pregnant and never looked back. Take a break enjoy your family. When it's time to work again, I bet you'll be a whole new person. This is a precious time in your life, and if you can afford it, why not enjoy it? Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Diahni

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I think it's sad for you to be leaving nursing so soon. I would encourage you to give it ample time because nursing can be a rewarding career. BUT, if you know deep down that nursing is not for you, then I would leave as well. Nursing is a constant pressure cooker and if you don't do it as a labor of love you won't be happy.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

Well, the start of a new year and I'm kissing nursing

good bye after only 5 short months.

*** What a shame you took up a spot in your nursing program and denied it to another person who could have had it.

I graduated in may and started at a hospital in august. My very first preceptor was a nightmare, on my 3rd day on the floor she said I was too slow and put me down in front of other

nurses or whoever was in distance of hearing her. At one

point she even said, "well, I have her she know's nothing I have to show her everything." So being enthusiastic I decided NOT to let it get to me and proceeded to take her C*ap for another couple of weeks.

*** WHY? WHY? WHY did you decide to allow her to treat you like that for any length of time? Why didn't you put an immediate stop to it?

At which time I was moved to a different floor with a preceptor who was great and I learned alot from. PRoblem was at this hospital IF

I wanted to stay I'd have to take a evening position.

*** But before you decided to take up a slot in nursing school you did a little research and knew that nurses very often work different shifts, especially at first, so what what was the big surprise?

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Well, the start of a new year and I'm kissing nursing

good bye after only 5 short months.

*** What a shame you took up a spot in your nursing program and denied it to another person who could have had it.

I graduated in may and started at a hospital in august. My very first preceptor was a nightmare, on my 3rd day on the floor she said I was too slow and put me down in front of other

nurses or whoever was in distance of hearing her. At one

point she even said, "well, I have her she know's nothing I have to show her everything." So being enthusiastic I decided NOT to let it get to me and proceeded to take her C*ap for another couple of weeks.

*** WHY? WHY? WHY did you decide to allow her to treat you like that for any length of time? Why didn't you put an immediate stop to it?

At which time I was moved to a different floor with a preceptor who was great and I learned alot from. PRoblem was at this hospital IF

I wanted to stay I'd have to take a evening position.

*** But before you decided to take up a slot in nursing school you did a little research and knew that nurses very often work different shifts, especially at first, so what what was the big surprise?

Kindly do not put the nursing guilt trip on the OP for

"taking up a space in nursing school" Please respect that everyones

personal needs are unique. She may at some point come back into

nursing. If she leaves the field that is her choice as an adult.

Individuals in the nursing profession have been short sighted at

times. We were laughed at when we asked to get a

dual degree in business and nursing years ago. We were told

we were not dedicated to nursing. Slowly the "head nurse"

titled changed to nurse manager.

Many business schools accepted nurses for MBA's without the

requirement that nurses receive a BS in Business first.

This is not the case for people with BS degrees in other fields who pursue nursing

(with the exception of some MSN programs).

Nursing will have a higher retention rate when all individuals are

respected for their education and individual choices.

It will grow as it welcomes new ideas and concepts, and

welcomes new individuals into the profession.

Degrading a new grad as a preceptor is not a role

model for any profession.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Degrading a new grad as a preceptor is not a role

model for any profession.

*** Of course not but nursing in particular seems to have this problem. I simply can not understand why some nurses think it's OK for a preceptor, manager, doctor, co-worker, ect to treat them less than professionally. The OP states that she chose to tolerate such behavior for a period of time. She should not have and neither should any of the rest of us.

If a nurse is treated badly these are the steps:

1. Confront the offender at the earliest possible appropriate moment. Inform them of what they are doing and insist that it stop immediately.

2.If that doesn't work go directly to the supervisor, nurse manager or other appropriate authority. If you get no results leave and get another job. I would strongly consider a lawsuit for hostile work environment.

Nurse will continue to be treated like crap as long as they choose to.

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If a nurse is treated badly these are the steps:

1. Confront the offender at the earliest possible appropriate moment. Inform them of what they are doing and insist that it stop immediately.

See, this is where I'm really afraid I'm not going to react well to someone treating me badly. I'm not used to it, and honestly, I don't take crap off of people too well. I'm seriously afraid I might say something really rude back and get into trouble -- CAN you get into trouble for being rude back to them? Or, what would a proper response be?

2.If that doesn't work go directly to the supervisor, nurse manager or other appropriate authority. If you get no results leave and get another job. I would strongly consider a lawsuit for hostile work environment.

Nurse will continue to be treated like crap as long as they choose to.

THIS is how it should be. If new nurses are treated badly, they should bring suit against the workplace. If this started, and a few units and their supervisors went to court over it, it would stop it quick.

Nurses aren't allowed to treat patients badly . .why should they be able to treat their new grads and fellow co-workers so badly?

The more I read about this, the more worried I get. I'm graduating this summer, and have already been treated badly by nurses even as a student in clinical. The disrespect shown sometimes is really discouraging. I don't get why it continues to happen in light of a nursing shortage.

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This discussion takes me back to the first year I practiced.

I was a new grad on a Surgical floor. There was a nurse

who was beyond awesome, what a role model. She had the respect

of patients, student nurses, collegues and doctors.

She was such an outstanding individual she was voted

Nurse of the Year by the State Nurse's Association.

Not a surprise, she was offered another position with

another hospital and accepted it.

Our nurse manager made her life a living **LL until her departure

to her new position. Additionally the NM told the nurse she would never

give her a reference.

It showed our unit the true definition of professionalism.

The nurse continued on our unit in her usual professional

way until her departure.

The nurse manager resigned shortly after much to the relief of the

staff. Her staff had no respect for her after the above and collectively

let her know.

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