How many new nurses are seriously thinking about quiting?

Lorelai22RN, RN · May 24, 2007

I'm approaching one year on a med/tele floor and wouldn't switch for the world. I'm continuing to learn so much. The pace is very fast but I like it like that. This is probably the busiest unit in the hospital--lots of 'train wrecks'. They say if you can work there, you can work anywhere.

Well, more power to you! Everyone is different.........it is true if u can master the beast of med/tele you can work anywhere......I am choosing to go PRN because I need a job thats a better fit for me and my personal needs and thats safer for me to practice.

kimberjos · May 25, 2007

That's nice to here that you like it suzy. At this moment, I remain in a state of limbo about what to do. At the beginning of my shift last night, I thought, "hey, maybe I can do this". Then as the night went on, it got crazier, I got more behind, and then I had to call one of the Docs; now, after I leave this thread (just out of curiousity, and as I've done everyday this week) I will go online to see what kind of other nursing jobs there are. I do plan to stick with this as long as I can though, to try and get over that hump that some new grads seem to get over.

kimberjos · May 25, 2007

And what if you can't make it there? There's this common advice out there to start in med-surg to nail down your skills, but what's a new nurse to think if they're let go or have to quit (for health and sanity reasons) after several months? If they can't make it in med-surg, can they be a good nurse at all? It's hard to pick up and start again. How can you feel confident that next time will be better? Here you've got one facility that's already invested several months into you and decided it's not worth it to them to keep you (by extending orientation or finding another unit for you) and you're supposed to go out and convince another facility that it just wasn't a "good fit" and you'll do great there? It's a hard place to be in.

Maybe that job just wasn't for you; and this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe you could find another unit in another hospital that will train you; or maybe you could just find another non-hosptial job altogether. I wish you the best of luck in whatever choice you make.

Nur_1996 · May 25, 2007

Im not a new nurse.I have been a LPN for 11 years, I have several pre-req's for for RN, but some days I wonder, what for? I have changed specialties and jobs several times. I wish I could be happier. I love camp nursing and do it in the summer, although do to a recent job change, I will only get to go away to camp for 2 weeks this summer. I have been out of the hospital setting for 5 years, don't think I want that hassle again ever.

miasdrm · May 31, 2007

i wish i was a cna again.yesterday was my first day as an lvn,i already want to quit.where i work there is only one nurse for 50 patients.needless to say i had no time to eat iwas so nausated,and stressed,i came home from work and cried for hours.

icuwant2rn · May 31, 2007

FInished my 1st year as a nurse as of May 24. Working on a med/surg floor with mostly surgerical patients with a usual 10:1 ratio. That is the only bad thing about this job always too many patients. I would love to have a 5:1 ratio but I don't think it is ever going to happen. When I first started I was completly overwhelmed and wanted to quit most days, but it has gotten better. I really do think that it takes any new graduate at least a year to be comfortable as a nurse. Especially in med/surg where it can be crazy. To those who feel out of place, give it a little longer, it takes a while to get your routine set. Also, this is a fast paced area and it takes a while to get used to it. I mean I've actually seen seasoned ICU/ PACu nurses cry when they find out they have been pulled to work our floor.

jjjoy, LPN · May 31, 2007

I really do think that it takes any new graduate at least a year to be comfortable as a nurse. Especially in med/surg where it can be crazy. To those who feel out of place, give it a little longer, it takes a while to get your routine set. Also, this is a fast paced area and it takes a while to get used to it. I mean I've actually seen seasoned ICU/ PACu nurses cry when they find out they have been pulled to work our floor.

So, seasoned nurses cry when confronted with a day of med-surg and yet we recommend it as place to start out? Certainly, if you make it, you'll probably do fine anywhere else, but isnt' that increasing the odds of newbies not making it all and giving up on nursing altogether? If an otherwise good nurse can succeed in ICU/PACU but struggles with med-surg, then why not have newbies start somewhere with less chaos than the typical med-surg floor?

It is normal for a new employee to not be able to manage a full workload competently for several months. On a med-surg floor though, who suffers for your slowness? The new nurse must go in each day for several months knowing that they won't be able to fulfill all of the work expectations, that they'll burdening their already overworked colleagues to pick up their slack, and that their patients are at greater risk since even experienced nurses barely make it through their hectic day and newbies certainly won't do any better.

If you've got great colleagues who are very helpful, that can take some pressure off of the newbie. But in many locations, it seems that the experienced nurses can barely manage their own workload and simply don't have the time to help the struggling newbie.

WoWChick, BSN · Jun 4, 2007

So what is the count at?

#quitting?

#thinking about quitting?

#sticking with it?

I have a new name for nurses: masochists.

I do find satisfaction every morning at 7.30 as I leave...I look back on the night...think about the hell...and think about the fact that I (ME!!!) made it through the night.

I still wouldn't mind a M-F 8-5 job. No weekends/holidays/stress. Until something better comes along...that is realistic....I'm sticking with masochis...I mean nursing.

chuckc, BSN, RN · Jun 5, 2007

FInished my 1st year as a nurse as of May 24. Working on a med/surg floor with mostly surgerical patients with a usual 10:1 ratio. That is the only bad thing about this job always too many patients. I would love to have a 5:1 ratio but I don't think it is ever going to happen. When I first started I was completly overwhelmed and wanted to quit most days, but it has gotten better. I really do think that it takes any new graduate at least a year to be comfortable as a nurse. Especially in med/surg where it can be crazy. To those who feel out of place, give it a little longer, it takes a while to get your routine set. Also, this is a fast paced area and it takes a while to get used to it. I mean I've actually seen seasoned ICU/ PACu nurses cry when they find out they have been pulled to work our floor.

I am a new RN, been on orientation for almost 4 months on a surgical floor. I am in California so we have a max of 5 patients. Tell me how in the he%# do you take care of 10 patients? Do you have team nursing? I cannot imagine it. WIth all the computer charting, PCA's, Epidurals infusing,wound vacs, etc, I don't know how anyone could have 10. And yes, I always have a couple on Tele, :uhoh3:

icuwant2rn · Jun 5, 2007

I am a new RN, been on orientation for almost 4 months on a surgical floor. I am in California so we have a max of 5 patients. Tell me how in the he%# do you take care of 10 patients? Do you have team nursing? I cannot imagine it. WIth all the computer charting, PCA's, Epidurals infusing,wound vacs, etc, I don't know how anyone could have 10. And yes, I always have a couple on Tele,

We spend so much time running our a$#%s off that our charting (which we still do by hand btw) is horrible. JCAHO is in house right now (I went in last night to this great surprise) so its even more crazy. Our director was in at 0600 this morning pulling charts to make sure all care plans, education, fall assessments, etc. were filled out and had the nerve to ask me if I had the chance to go through them last night. I literally starting laughing at her. I was the only RN on the floor last night (there were 2 LPNs and 3 CNAs also but come on!) and there were 26 patients. I think she must be truly crazy.

I agree with WoWChick, we must be masochists. For some stupid reason I keep holding out hope that it will get better if I just stick it out a while longer.:trout:

miasdrm · Jun 5, 2007

i work in a snf i wish i only had 10 patients.i have 50,only one lvn on no rn on.i hate my job,ive been an lvn for a little over a week and wish i was a cna again.and there psych patients,theres falls and fights and the med pass alone takes so long.can i call labor board,what im asking is that legal to have such a patient load?the owner is a tight wad and refuses to have 2 lvns on.

MauraRN · Jun 6, 2007

I quit!! Been an LPN for 5 months. Was working 3-11 (more like 3-2a) on a mixed sub-acute, LTC unit with one other LPN with 5 months experience. Nurses from the other 3 units refused to work on our unit. Unit had 50 patients, new admits on weekend evenings, 3 trachs, 4 gtubes, 2 wound vacs, 3 detoxing ETOH and drugs, HEP c who knows what else, many alzheimers, one suicidal paraplegic, 12 diabetics, 4 hospice, 6 suctions with missing equipment, no supplies, whacked out CNA's, patients dying when they probably shouldn't have, etc, etc. I was suspended for yelling at an abusive and lazy CNA, I think. DON would not tell me, just said she would call me when she was ready and completed her "investigation" That was the proverbial straw. I quit on the spot via fax. I worked so hard for this license and refuse to put it in jeopardy for another minute. I am just starting Excelsior LPN to RN and will refuse to have 25 patients ever again!!!

Thanks for listening.