How many jobs, in what amount of time after nursing school?

[kstec, LPN]

I'm just curious as to how many jobs you had after graduating school before you found your fit and was it because nursing was not what you thought it would be? I graduated LPN school 2 yrs and 1 month ago. I've worked Family Practice and Internal Med, Hospice, and have been to 3 different LTC facilities. I know LPN are more limited in there options, at least her in Illinois, but have any of you experienced this, or am I just not meant for nursing? I don't get fired, I quit, professionally of course, because of numerous reasons. In the clinic I worked prn for 18 months, I quit because the pay was a joke. My first ltc facility couldn't keep an Administrator or DON if it's life depended on it (to wishy washy for me), the next ltc facility put me on a unit with 30-32 residents (almost all assist and incontinent) with 2 CNA's, Hospice didn't have enough work to keep me working, and last but not least my present job. I'm still there but don't know for how long. It's ltc but pretty high tech. They actually have computerized charting. There nurse/CNA ratio is almost tolerable when we are full staffed, but the cliches (sp) are unreal. This place needs the help, but they don't work together as a team. They have way to many chiefs and not enough Indians, if you know what I mean. I know I'll never find that eutopic job, but why is it that I worked at my last job as a registered pharmacy technician for 15 years? Any advice or input? I guess I invisioned nursing as patient care, not way to much paperwork, not taking orders from other floor nurses, not being afraid to ask a CNA for any type of help, and actually being able to give the type of care that when you go home you feel good about. In ltc care I've found out that administration won't stir up any trouble with the employees that are worthless, just because somebody is better than nobody. Oh and for the ones that say if I went back and got my RN I wouldn't have to work ltc, thats not even the point. I work side by side with numerous RN,BSN's, and even a RN, MSN who's working on her doctorate, they work there because they want to, not because they have too. My first job in high school was as an Activity Aide in a ltc facility. Geriatrics is where I fit, but not with all the b/s that goes along with it. I love the patient care of nursing but the other stuff is for the birds. Any kind replies will be openly excepted, any negatives, I don't want to hear.

[ladylikeRN]

Well, no you are not the only one. I graduated May 2007 as a RN and have worked at the hospital doing cardiac step-down, cath lab, neurolgy at one place (changing floors). I thought that maybe I should step into med-surg and went to another hospital closer to my home and hated it even more, as it was a mixture of bariatrics and med-surg. The staff in the hospital setting seemed to clique to me and never helpled unless you were rude and mean like them, by talking down about patients. I ahted IVs and all the beeping, and inability to bond with patients,etc. Needless to say, after many sleepless nights, I have now left the hospital and have a newfound love for LTC. I worked at one LTC for three months, but the place did very unethical things (removing charting, lying, covering up mistakes) , so I left for contingent work and more pay per hour. Now, I work at 3 nursing homes contingent and also work agency doing flu shots and clinics. I love my life now. In nursing school I was never exposed to LTC and always heard such bad things about them. I have learned that every place is different and a good fit for me was more autonomy and more pay. I even make more than some nurses who graduated before me as I top over $30 an hour after shift differential. I feel with LTC, I actually have time to do TX's, skin care, and nursing....not "get em in and get em out." I am even considering home health care. I learned to get my feet wet and not be afraid to leave when my intuition told me it was not right. Many told me that it would look bad on the resume for not sticking it out for a year, but I tell those people, it does not pay to suffer!

Keep searching!

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

Although I've had my current job for 10 years, I've had years where I had 5 nursing jobs. I used to feel bad about it but I no longer do. I learned to trust that "deal breaker" feeling that I was just not going to be compatible with a given facility.

Best of everything to you!

[medsurgrnco, BSN, RN]

Such problems as the OP listed are rampant and IMO are much of the cause of the nursing shortage. Keep looking for a decent job till you find it - they seem hard to find and managers will lie to your face to get you to fill an opening. There's such a nursing shortage, that it doesn't seem to matter that you have a lot of short-term jobs as long as you can come up with reasonable explanations for leaving so soon. Good luck to you!