Got a coaching write up and being eye balled

[clarinets, CNA]

Hi everyone. I’m in a bit of a pickle. I recently left the va hospital after 4.5 years as a nurse assistant to go part time as a nurse assistant at el Camino hospital. I was doing this to take classes. After a month at el Camino hospital I got written up or coached as they called it for not taking initiative. Now I’m a good helper but why didn’t these people come to me and tell me personally. Anyway I feel like I’m also being eyeballed from people to make sure I’m perfect! I’m thinking about going back to VA hospital or somewhere else! Any suggestions or ideas or thoughts? Sure could use some help! I seem unwelcome at el Camino .

[TriciaJ, RN]

Did they give you any specific examples of what they mean by "not taking initiative"? Did you get any type of orientation at El Camino?

Try to have a meeting with your charge nurse or manager. Tell that person that you are always receptive to feedback and felt blindsided by the write-up. Ask for specific examples of what you did wrong and what they need from you going forward. If you are given specific examples that will be a good learning experience. Thank the person and remind him/her "I'm always approachable and receptive to feedback. If I'm causing someone a problem I want to know asap so I can correct it."

If they refuse to meet with you, give you a vague or blow-off answer then someone with influence took a non-shine to you. You can try to tough it out and keep working on impressing them with your reliability, initiative and work ethic. If you can't please them nohow, then time to dust off your resume.

[clarinets, CNA]

They did by saying time management. What I don’t understand is why the nurses could not approach me but rather tell the manager. It seems like they are also eyeballing me.

[TriciaJ, RN]

"Not taking initiative" means you'd rather sit around than look for things that need to be done. "Time management" means you spend too long getting things done and don't get to everything. They're not exactly the same thing, but it seems they're saying you're not doing enough.

The first way you can "take initiative" is by thinking about exactly what they seem to need from you. Can you figure out ways to shore up your work and give them what they want? Is there something you need from them that would make it doable? Do they have a system for assigning work to you or do they all just get to randomly dump on you?

What are the time suckers that keep you from getting everything done? Do you have trouble extricating yourself from patients who like to chat? Do you have a system for planning what you need to take into a room and not have to keep running for forgotten supplies? Do you have unhelpful habits like needing to check your phone or taking smoke breaks? Do you use a work sheet to keep track of needed tasks and constantly-changing priorities?

I hope you can salvage this job. Good luck.

[Missingyou, CNA]

If you worked 4.5 years at a hospital without complaints of your work, & now you suddenly have issues tells me that your new co-workers are probably pretty stressed out & taking it out on you. They are not being supportive of you getting used to a new routine at a new facility.

It will be very difficult for you to change their minds. No matter how hard you try, they will always find fault with you. If you fix the "not taking initiative" problem, there will be something else, too long of a break, not communicating,....etc.

It happens sometimes. I'd go else where or try to go back to original hospital, maybe as contingent or different unit so you can get your classes done.