Help! I quit a job I hated. Was I just naive? How do I explain in interviews?

[JillOfAllTrades]

I need your advice! After I graduated from nursing school, I was hired to work in the pediatric ICU of a very large, Magnet children's hospital. After 4 months, during the orientation period, I decided to move to another unit. I struggle with confidence and I was worried I was too inexperienced for ICU so I moved to the Pulmonary Acute Unit where I worked for almost 2 years. I really enjoyed that unit, but I moved out of state for my husband's job and took a job at a new hospital.

Well, I didn't know how good I had it at the previous hospital! The new position I took was in a Surgical Inpatient unit at a small, adult, community hospital. But, I soon realized I made a mistake with the new job: 1) the hand-washing compliance was terrible and no other nurses followed droplet/contact precautions, 2) they were using paper charts and guessing at what the doctors wrote, 3) the RNs didn't have another nurse watch them draw up narcotics/insulin and would sign each other off based on "trust.

Maybe I'm just a newer nurse with OCD tendencies who is naive, but the culture of the hospital I came from would not have tolerated any of these. (As a new nurse, I worry that I will make a mistake and WANT another nurse to watch me draw up medication to avoid hurting a patient or losing my license.) I was so upset. I learned that retention is a problem on the unit and so RNs were tired of training new nurses who just quit.

I decided to try to make it work but constantly was running into problems. My 2nd week I asked another RN to borrow their stethoscope and she said she hadn't used one to work in over a year. And, then I received a patient from the PACU and they didn't notice the patient's pupils were 2 different sizes and patient was not able to feel one hand. The next day, I was getting report during shift change and the patient had sats in the low 80s with cap refill of 4 seconds. The RN said she hadn't been in there in 4 hours and turned off the O2 monitor "cause it kept beeping". The patient had history of CHF and was on IV fluid all night and lung sounds were terrible... Then, I got yelled at by a nurse for getting new tubing when there was old tubing in the room. I told her it was unlabeled so "when in doubt, throw it out, right?" and she said I was wasting good money/supplied. The nurses would roll their eyes and sigh in the med room when I requested they watch me draw up morphine for a PCA pump or insulin, etc. It made me feel like a OCD weirdo--when it was the norm in my previous hospital and even applauded!

I'm not saying I'm a super awesome nurse and better than them, but I got really scared and don't want to lose my RN license by making mistakes. Even with 2 years of solid RN experience, I know I can make mistakes.

My husband thought I was being complain-y and said I can be the kind of nurse I want to be and not worry about others. After only 72 days there I quit. Because we were in a new state and in the process of buying a house, I just stayed not working for a year (with my husband's new job, we could afford to). I felt so guilty for quitting and didn't know how to explain to employers so never looked for a new job.... I felt like I failed and was too "soft."

Now, 1 year later, we have relocated AGAIN to another state and my husband's income is lower so I HAVE to work. How do I explain it to the new employers (1) why I quit that job after 2.5 months and (2) why I haven't worked in a year.

I know that when you complain about your old job in an interview, they look at you suspiciously... (is this what she's going to do if we hire her? i don't want to hire someone who's going to quit, etc....)

How do I explain this? Am I just naive for thinking that the unit was so terrible and I should have only worried about my own nursing skills/compliance/etc.

Please help me! THank you for reading this post!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

It may not be meaningful to you, but I'd work with you in a heartbeat!!!! Are you in Tx by any chance? If so, I'd love to hook you up with a job .

The 'bad place' examples you provided would certainly not be tolerable to any nurse who is committed to safety & quality.

As far as explaining your temporary absence from the workforce... Go with the standard "not a good fit" reason for leaving Horrible Hospital. Then you could explain that you found out that your stay in that location would be limited, so rather than take another job, you took the opportunity to focus on personal goals until after you relocated. No one is going to pry into anything you label as "personal".

[firstinfamily, RN]

JOAT: NO, I truly feel you did the right thing to quit the job that was putting your license at risk. Your license follows you no matter where you go and it is your means of income, so whenever you feel that it is being threatened, it is time to leave. Now, how do you explain that to a new employer? When my husband's career caused my relocating that is what I listed as a reason for leaving the prior position. I don't know how you can explain not being employed for a year and most likely that is going to hurt you more than leaving the place that was so risky. Even when my husband made good money I stayed gainfully employed, even if it was just 2 shifts a week, that way I did keep my skills and knowledge current. The medical field changes so rapidly, and nursing changes with what is currently being practiced so it is important to keep your skills and knowledge base current. I moved around a little bit in the early part of my career, I don't think it necessarily hurt you to be in more than one unit. You most likely will need to re=boot your career and start at the basic nursing level. That may sound insulting but, that way you are given credit for your experience and still able to grow in a more confident fashion. It may be a rough go at first. Keep your chin up, put your brave face on. You have a good chance of getting a position and growing from there. If you keep moving, it will be hard to get a grasp on your career. My career did suffer a little whenever we moved, it seemed I always had to start at the bottom all over again. You were very insightful to notice how the out-dated practices were placing their nurses at risk and it sounds like the nurses had gotten so use to it that they didn't even care any more. That type of place is dangerous and you should avoid places like that at all costs. IF the nurses were so very concerned about replacing a simple thing such as suction tubing due to costs, then most likely the facility was not very financially sound, or was getting bought up by a larger health organization. You did the right thing by leaving that facility. Trust your gut!!! Good luck with the search. Update your resume and have a professional resume resource look at it. Practice your interview skills and take any interviews you can so to apply your skills in "real time." Get your game on!!!

[caliotter3]

You have a good reason in telling them you decided to wait it out until the move and the other job was not a good fit. Have a nondescript example available in case the interviewer wants to press the "not a good fit" cliche. Good luck.

[toomuchbaloney]

I agree, come up with a generic "bad fit" description with an example. Do not criticize the previous employer, rather, describe the separation in amicable terms. Most prospective employers will not push this issue, in my experience.

[JillOfAllTrades]

Thank you all so much for these answers. You all have given me some great strategies that I can use to approach this in interviews. Also, you all made me realize that this "hiccup" in my career is not the end of the world and that there's bound to be an employer who will take a chance on me. I am a hard worker and ready and willing to work from the bottom up.

And something really good came out of this: I learned that I DO need a workplace that is following best practices and supportive of safety and quality care. Also, when I find a job at such a place, I will not take it for granted! :)

Thank you all so much.

P.S.: HouTx, your answer made me smile and your sentiment was, in fact, really meaningful. (Unfortunately, I'm not in Texas but I am in Kentucky!)

[RunBabyRN]

Thank you all so much for these answers. You all have given me some great strategies that I can use to approach this in interviews. Also, you all made me realize that this "hiccup" in my career is not the end of the world and that there's bound to be an employer who will take a chance on me. I am a hard worker and ready and willing to work from the bottom up.

And something really good came out of this: I learned that I DO need a workplace that is following best practices and supportive of safety and quality care. Also, when I find a job at such a place, I will not take it for granted! :)

Thank you all so much.

P.S.: HouTx, your answer made me smile and your sentiment was, in fact, really meaningful. (Unfortunately, I'm not in Texas but I am in Kentucky!)

I would make sure that you mention this in interviews. That can be such a positive thing! Safety is #1, and MOST managers appreciate nurses who see it that way. You can't go wrong emphasizing the importance of safety and EBP!! I swear, I've had interviewers starry-eyed at the mention of EBP.