Help!! I have fallen and cannot get up.

Jolie, BSN · Aug 18, 2008

It's difficult to answer your question based on such general information, but I'll give it a try.

First of all, I am not a proponent of the 1-2 years of med/surg theory. I believe that nursing is such an overwhelmingly difficult profession that it is imperative that nurses work in areas that are of interest to them. If a new grad has an interest and strong desire to do med-surg, great! If not, there are opportunities to learn basic skills such as time management, organization, prioritization, politics, etc. in virtually any area of nursing. What is important IMO is a thorough orientation with a consistent preceptor and a unit that is supportive and mentoring of the new nurse.

Now that we have that out of the way, I have some questions about your 3 years of experience. What types of jobs did you have? What type of employee were you? Why did you leave each position? What did you take away from each position and apply to the next job? Why did you leave your most recent job without having a new one lined up?

My not-so-subtle questions would include: Did you apply yourself to learning the skills and gaining the experience necessary to each job? Did you stay in your positions long enough to establish a reputation as a good worker, or did you job hop? If you were a "hopper", why? Were you unsatisfied with working conditions? Found that the unit(s) were not of interest to you? Looking for better pay or hours elsewhere? Did you leave on good terms by giving notice according to the employer's policy? Did you ever "badmouth" a previous employer? (Doesn't matter whether or not it was justified, it looks bad, and makes potential employers leery of you.)

If you will make an honest evaluation of your previous performance and the manner in which you present yourself professionally, you will probably find your answers. Perhaps a trusted friend or former co-worker could be of help in determining your strengths and how best to present yourself to a new employer.

Good luck!

amyb2684 · Aug 18, 2008

Although you are correct in assuming that employers would rather have a well rounded nurse, they also want to hire somebody who is going to be around for a while. Your work history shows that you often move from job to job for whatever reason. These reasons could be ligit and honorable; however, they are going to hire somebody that is in there best interest to hire. They will hire somebody with not experience in nursing that has held a job for many years, because they expect them to stay with them. They are not going to hire you for 'your' interests; to learn a new style of nursing. Also, having experience in an area takes years in that particular area before they look at it as good experience. It may seem like a long time now, but speaking as somebody who has held jobs for 4, 2, & 2 years, 2 years in one job is just now settling in. My best advice is go back to a hospital where you know they will hire no matter what your work history is like and work there for a couple of years and build up your dependability. Hope this helps!! Good luck!!

callrn172 · Aug 19, 2008

Jolie, looking at my resume one would get the impression that I am a “job hopper” and I can fully understand. However, I had a goal, which was to get a good feel of various area in the healthcare field; until I find that place that was right for me. Jolie, I have been in healthcare since I was 19 years of age; and have had the pleasure of working with many nurses whom I had and still have a great admiration for, i.e. their knowledge and quality of patient care. Unfortunately, I was also expose to nurses that was not very happy, whether it was through burnout , some other internal or external stimulus. Jolie, my past experiences was the driving force for my decision to find the right area of nursing that will enhance my knowledge and proficiency as a care giver and not become that unhappy nurse, ( I enjoy happiness).

You ask what was my experience and how did I translate it to the different areas that I have worked? Well; brief employment overview, in the past three years I have about 3-4 months short term care experience from which I resigned (long story) however, I was with that institution for a total of 5 years, prior to nursing I worked as a patient care technician and an operating room technician; the decision to leave still pains me . I really enjoyed my time there along with most of my coworkers. After leaving that institution I worked in a nursing home it was ok for a short time, I left because I felt that it was too early in my career to become so stagnant. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of working with a seasoned nurse whom help me with time management, proper wound assessment and care. From there I moved on to community health where I have been until recently, I left due to personal and economical reasons.

These experiences has contributed greatly to the type of nurse that I am today, which is compassionate about my patients and nursing in a whole. My nursing experiences has taught me time management, determination, self reliance, team work, improved communication skills, the ability to understand the correlation of various disease process to psychological, psychosocial and environmental causes and what plan of care is needed to rescue, stabilize or eliminate the offensive agent. I enjoyed being a community health nurse however, there are things that I miss working in short term care which includes, structure, quick access to necessary resources and the peace of mind one gets when work and home are separate. I miss that.

Lastly, Jolie, I am an intelligent, efficient and effective nurse, with strong work ethics, who is empathetic to my patient and their families/caregiver, one who understands the importance of self evaluation in delivering uncompromised and culturally competent care. I am also open to learning and loves to teach (I am a talker).

I did not mean for this to be a book, so hopefully, you are someone can enlighten me on how to get past the “short time spent in acute care” and get my career back on track.

callrn172 · Aug 19, 2008

I am trying my best to find a hospital that will give me that chance, unfortunately, out of about 15 that I have applied to one two have responded with an interview. i went on one interview bu as per that HR personnel, " she will forward the resume to a nurse manager, if she is interested she will call back" it's going on two weeks now, no responce. Hopefully the next will work in my favor, which is schedule for this week.

Jolie, BSN · Aug 19, 2008

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I don't think the "problem" is the short time you spent in acute care, per se. I think the "problem" is the short time you have spent anywhere. As the previous poster points out, it is admirable to want to gain vast experience in nursing, and employers are glad to find a nurse who meets that description. However, no institution wants to be the one that provides you with that experience, only to have you take it elsewhere. One way to overcome this problem is to take a job in a reputable hospital, develop a reputation as a good worker, then after a year or two, apply for other open positions within the institution. That enables you the best of both worlds: to learn many areas of care while establishing a reputation as a reliable employee, and enabling your employer to benefit from your experience.

As a former nurse manager, I would have questions about hiring you. Your 6 months or so of experience in each area (acute care, LTC and HH) is not enough to make you an "expert" in any of those areas, and you have not established a long-term relationship with any employer, so you have 2 strikes against you, from a hiring point of view.

I would suggest that you do some soul searching to determine what type of work you want to do, because whatever job you take next, you need to stay with, for at least a few years. I would also suggest that you prepare a cover letter to send with your resume that emphasizes your strengths and discusses your desire to make a long-term commitment to an employer. And be prepared to discuss the same issues in an interview, because they will come up.

I once interviewed a very capable candidate whom I wanted to hire. She was not eligible for rehire from her previous employer due to excesive absences. I called her when I learned this, and asked how she planned to avoid the same problems if she came to work in our unit. Instead of owning up to her attendance issues, she badmouthed her previous employer. Needless to say, I did not hire her since she refused to accept responsibility for her choices.

There are ways to "repair" a resume with shortcomings, and employers who are willing to hire such candidates. I would recommend that you plan to stay at your next job for at least 2 years, and therefore choose that job accordingly. Be candid with the interviewer about your past employment history, and emphasize your desire for long-term employment that will benefit both you and the employer.

callrn172 · Aug 19, 2008

Thank you Jolie,

I understand fully. Wish me luck on Thursday.:wink2:

CHATSDALE · Aug 19, 2008

perhaps you should take an assessment of what you really want to do..what are you looking for right now..are you looking for long term employment?? you need to be honest with employers and with yourself

no one expects an emmpoyee to be tied to a job forever but if you leave just when you are pulling your own weight the employer will be left with hiring and training yet another nurse

callrn172 · Aug 19, 2008

yes , chatsdale;

I am loking for permanent empolyment. as stated in my post, I wanted to find the right fit and my experiences has brought me to where I stand today. Short term care is the right fit. I am always honest with recruiters about my work history and my intentions.

Thank you for responding.

Jolie, BSN · Aug 19, 2008

Good luck! Let us know where your search leads you.