How long should one grieve after losing job?

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Last Friday, I made the very difficult decision to leave an awesome nursing position--my first nursing position--as a cardiac progressive care nurse, to both adult and peds patients, and return to my former role as an ECG Technician, as placement office at my current employer was not willing to recommend me to another floor/unit. I have been devastated ever since. Family and friends have encouraged me to look for new positions, but I don't feel that I'm ready. I'm feeling so negative and depressed that I do not feel I could make a new position work at this point. Yet, I don't want to give up on using my license and nursing degree that I worked so hard for, forever. How long should I give myself to grieve before I need to move on?

I know that's the nursing PC answer, and it's a good one. But the other response could be "seriously, get over it."

It's a job. No more meaningful than an object like a truck. It's not a child or a pet.

Get up tomorrow, forget the past and move on with the future.

It is hard to get over something that was basically your life for the past three months. I put a lot of hours and effort into something that just resulted in a failure. Maybe it is not a person or animal, but it was still significant, and something that I worked very hard for.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

While this may have been the perfect position it was not the perfect position for you. Returning to a role as a tech however does not sound like the best option. You need to keep moving forward, not back. If your current employer is not willing to place in you an actual nursing position somewhere you really should move on.

It's frustrating and sad to feel like you failed so don't consider it a failure. Look at it as an opportunity to explore something new and grow. Good luck!

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Move on. You may have thought you wanted to work in cardiac but that may not be the area for you. Find another job, in another area, and you might have more success. And don't go back to your previous position, because working below your scope will not work out for you.[/quote']

I'm not returning to my previous position permanently, but without it, right now, I'll be unemployed.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

Give yourself a few days. Do something that you enjoy or find relaxing. Take a deep breath. And get back into it. Waiting too long will only make you forget all the skills you picked up at this orientation and will raise questions on your resume.

Not every nurse is cut out for every unit. Were you given a checklist or document detailing the areas in which you needed practice? I would ask your former manager if it's possible to get one because that will let you know what you need to work on. You can study up on these while you hunt for jobs.

Good luck.

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Grieving is a time to recover from losses out of our control. You do not have time to "grieve" an unsuccessful orientation.

Find out exactly what your shortcomings were during the orientation.

Work on that and a new resume. This position did not work out. There are many opportunities available to you. If you give yourself to negativity and depression , those opportunities will be lost.

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It is hard to get over something that was basically your life for the past three months. I put a lot of hours and effort into something that just resulted in a failure. Maybe it is not a person or animal, but it was still significant, and something that I worked very hard for.

We must look at that stuff differently. I put 110% into jobs and leave after The challenge is over. Same with houses. I'm just not nostalgic about such stuff. To me it's just a job and there are many more like it out there. Good luck in your search/decision.

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It is hard to get over something that was basically your life for the past three months. I put a lot of hours and effort into something that just resulted in a failure. Maybe it is not a person or animal, but it was still significant, and something that I worked very hard for.

Three months is nothing in the big picture. Move on, figure out what your strong points are, and go for it. The longer you work in your old position, the the greater the odds that you never recover from this disappointment.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I say often, "Bloom where you are planted"

Decision has been made. Time to move on and make the best of your new position.

If not, you will remain miserable and grieving indefinitely. And that is a colossal waste of time and energy. Grieve briefly then move on.

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Public Health.

Maybe I am reading this wrong. 3 months on the unit and you were miserable. This does not sound like a niche to me. I busted my butt in nursing school to go to work everyday where I can be happy. I did just that. When th ings did not work out I moved on to the next job where I found what I was looking for. You will too. This was your first job, so chin up and go get something different, or try another specialty. You will be surprised at what you think you want and where you actually fit in.....And I'm speaking from experience.

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I may be completely wrong, but when I see an employer demote an employee back to a lesser job instead of moving them laterally into an equal job, I wonder if the employer is using constructive dismissal tactics in hopes that the employee will quit.

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I have grieved anywhere from about 25 minutes (a nursing home) to a week (great manufacturing job).

In the big picture, three months is three days. Move along.

Good luck to you.

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It sounds a bit to me like you are blaming yourself and perceive it is a total failure. Yes, it did not work out for you and for whatever reason they do not offer you another RN position. That is the sign to move on and look for a job outside of the place you are at now. It is normal to struggle with it for a bit, but it is not good to wait too long to move on. Perhaps it is good to set a limit and take for example the weekend to properly process what happened. I do not know if you have health benefits but perhaps you want to see a mental health professional/therapist to talk about it.

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