Got terminated from first job cant find new one, still a newgrad

cyoucapri · Feb 12, 2012

Hi, I can relate to your post on many levels. Definitely went through all the stages of Kubler Ross grief model. DABDA!!! Now I know this happened to me, I am not the only one and definitely won't be the last. All this free time has allowed me to reflect on my experiences as a new nurse struggling in a stressful work environment. I need to figure out what to do next. I did the same thing on my job applications. I put down terminated for not satisfying probationary requirements. Like you said, I'd rather not sugarcoat it and say it as it is. How long did it take you to land an interview?

RecentGradRN · Feb 17, 2012

Help! I graduated in May 2011 and took the NCLEX/passed in Oct. 2011. Now I'm licensed in NY and NJ, but I want to work as a nurses aide first before working as an RN. I graduated from a 2 year program and we only had clinical once a week and I don't feel ready to tackle the whole RN responsibility. I feel that at this point I would be amply challenged as a nurses aide . I want to get "get my feet wet" (and my hands dirty, and then wash them well of course) on a daily basis for awhile.

Additionally, no one is interested in hiring new grads without experience. Not hospitals, agencies, hospices or nursing homes. At one of the open houses I went to (where experienced nurses were looking for work), they suggested I initially take a job as a Nurse's aide, but a woman I know who has been a nurse for decades in a very senior position at a very respected institution said absolutely don't do that. Also i've been reading posts from new grads stressing out in their 1st year and I can imagine that I'd be right there stressing out, being a burden to my coworkers and a danger to the patients and easily manage to get fired too. I get the feeling that many hospitals say you'll be precepted but it ends up being for a shorter period of time than promised, or a shoddy/ vicious experience. i haven't looked for that many jobs yet, i am absolutely paralyzed with fear. I hear the public hospitals in NYC hire new grads, but I haven't applied there because my mother is elderly and I need to move to N.J. to be near her and over see her care. I think if they take me on and train me and I leave before 2 years it will be a big blot on my career.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2012

Even if you accepted a job as an aide, you are always held to the highest standard of practice, which is as an RN. This is why many facilities do not hire RN's to work as aides. The only way you are going to become more confident is to start working as an RN. I would keep applying for RN positions, since you need the experience.

allnurses Guide · Feb 24, 2012

Help! I graduated in May 2011 and took the NCLEX/passed in Oct. 2011. Now I'm licensed in NY and NJ, but I want to work as a nurses aide first before working as an RN. I graduated from a 2 year program and we only had clinical once a week and I don't feel ready to tackle the whole RN responsibility. I feel that at this point I would be amply challenged as a nurses aide . I want to get "get my feet wet" (and my hands dirty, and then wash them well of course) on a daily basis for awhile.
Additionally, no one is interested in hiring new grads without experience. Not hospitals, agencies, hospices or nursing homes. At one of the open houses I went to (where experienced nurses were looking for work), they suggested I initially take a job as a Nurse's aide, but a woman I know who has been a nurse for decades in a very senior position at a very respected institution said absolutely don't do that. Also i've been reading posts from new grads stressing out in their 1st year and I can imagine that I'd be right there stressing out, being a burden to my coworkers and a danger to the patients and easily manage to get fired too. I get the feeling that many hospitals say you'll be precepted but it ends up being for a shorter period of time than promised, or a shoddy/ vicious experience. i haven't looked for that many jobs yet, i am absolutely paralyzed with fear. I hear the public hospitals in NYC hire new grads, but I haven't applied there because my mother is elderly and I need to move to N.J. to be near her and over see her care. I think if they take me on and train me and I leave before 2 years it will be a big blot on my career.

You are letting panicked thinking get the best of you and perhaps reading on this site a little too much. Not every internship/preceptorship is going to screw you. Are there places that do that? Sure there are. Are there plenty of ones who do a good job? YES! The difference is those new nurses are busy in their new careers and have no reason to come to a bulletin board. The vast majority of happy people don't feel a need to post about it online. However, many unhappy people who are struggling come online to find support. You have to use your critical thinking here

Get yourself into a new grad RN position ASAP. Let go of the idea of being a nurse aid. That won't do you any favors and honestly you will be hurting your career if you do it. As mentioned above, now that you are licensed, you will be held to that license. Meaning if a patient is in need of intervention and you fail to provide it as a nurse aid, you are liable. Even if you have not be "trained" to be a nurse. You will be better off being in an orientation or internship where someone is recognizing your green status and helping you along. And any job you apply for after working as an aid after being a licensed RN is going to wonder what is wrong with you that you have not been using your license appropriately.

Don't let fear dominate you this way. Move on. You earned it.