I can’t get past orientation and want to be an aid instead

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Look I’m just going to be honest and blunt here. I was given 3 months of orientation and I failed it. The hospital isn’t to blame, my preceptors aren’t to blame. I just could not do the patient load. I was ok with 4 patients, maybe 5, struggled with 6, and couldn’t do all 7. When I got to 7 my preceptor had to always do something for me, whether it was take care of a transfer or admission or help give medication or contact a physician about a problem etc.

so now I don’t know what to do. I thought about going back to being an aid because I loved it and was good at it. If I do that, I’ll have to revoke my nursing license. I hate all my hard work and money for nursing school to end with me revoking it.

People have told me what about a nursing home? But in a nursing home, you get an even higher patient load. And I’m too new to be a home health nurse.

Being asked to leave the hospital and turn in my badge felt so shameful and I feel like a failure. I wish I could have been successful. They even asked me if I really passed my nclex. Of course I have. I tried hard, the best I could.

Do you think I could take my chances to work as an aid without revoking my RN license? I just don’t want to do that. I know it’ll eventually be lost but I can’t bring myself to revoke it yet.

2 hours ago, sleepwalker said:

However, I would be interested in learning more about the statement "they even asked if I passed the NCLEX"...why, exactly, would they ask such a question?

Since there is zero reason anyone would actually need to ask the question, there is only one reasonable conclusion as to why they did.

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3 hours ago, Wlaurie said:

Instead of saying no to nursing, just say next.

❤️??

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

"when I get to 7 patients...." Excuse me? My unit has recently started taking stepdown patients, but when we were a strictly intermediate unit, no one ever 7 patients! You need to find an area where staffing is safer.

Occasionally, we might have one nurse with 6 pts at night but rare. 5 pts at night and 4-5 days. Now that we have stepdown capability, it is 3-4 days and 4-5 nights.

7 patients is a safety concern. I would not beat yourself up. They are setting you up to fail. Ugh. This makes me angry for you.

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Interesting. I'm a new grad from California and I'm freaking out about 5 med-surg on my own, 4 if tele. A classmate of mine is also in your situation. We have set ratios. Work at Kaiser and I think it might be lower still. I can't imagine 7. I feel for you.

I am the only person in my cohort without a job. Most took med-surg jobs at our main clinical hospital, which super-fast moving with a lot of very acute patients.

I say half in jest. Move? If you can. To a state with fixed ratios.

I have an interview for a long-term/sub-acute place where a classmate worked as an LVN. Slightly higher patient load, but the patients are less sick. I think it's a better place to start, for me at least. I want to get my feet wet(er) before taking on five really sick patients (and their families). Plus, here at least, once you've worked for anywhere between six months to two years, depending on the place, you can go to another speciality, that is less demanding, more easily.

My other plan is to apply to new grad residencies as a more structured, supported start. Many accept nurses who have worked for less than a year. The residencies in CA are super competitive, but CO and NM have pretty much told me to come on over.

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7?! I'm so sorry! This is not your fault! Hang in there, and move to a better hospital.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

I started out on days with 7 patients, 9 if I picked up a night shift. This “residency” program provided us little training and many new nurses didn’t “pass” because we were basically asked to immediately start caring for 7 sick patients.

I “made it” by working 14 hours with absolutely no breaks, staying 2 hours late to chart as I charted absolutely nothing during the shift. Everyone was miserable, no time to make friends and no one available to help. After 7 months I was so depressed I had to quit with no notice and call my family to get me help. Do NOT beat yourself up, from what I have seen no one can provide good care to 7 patients and it will also mean not taking care of yourself. It does not mean you are a bad nurse, I’m glad you got out and I hope you have nicer and more supportive coworkers in the future ?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Women's Health, LTC.

Don't give up. 7 patients 3 months into your career is a heavy load.

Try another facility, LTC or hospital. And remember to go into your next job with no lingering negative thoughts of your first experience. Take what you did learn and keep going.

Also, so you know, you don't have to "revoke" your license at all. Check your BON rules for an inactive status if that is really the direction you want to go.

Chin up and I am sorry you had a bad first experience.

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Wow. That’s so what I didn’t want to hear about a residency program. Fears come true. I have heard that some residency programs were “residency programs.” I suppose that means I’ll have to research research research before I dive into something.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
16 hours ago, hungrygirl said:

Move? If you can. To a state with fixed ratios.

That would only be California, and many areas are heavily oversaturated.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I’ve been a RN for 10 years and an LVN for 5 prior to that. I was I see you trained and couldn’t handle one shift on the telemetry floor with four patients. Just because you don’t succeed in one department doesn’t mean you aren’t meant for nursing. Ironically I could handle four patients in trauma ER just fine even if they were unstable.... did it for years. Floor patients aren’t easy. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

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Specializes in ICU.

dont give up. maybe you just need to try something non inpatient based.

IV infusion therapies

PACU is not bad, only 1-2 patients, but you do have to be on the ball watching for airway issues, ensure they are recovering well, but its less chaotic in the sense you dont have 7 people with 300 meds and 500 diagnosis to deal with.

Home health? Doctor office? Plastic surgeons office? You just maybe need something with less acuity but more paperwork ?

Dont give up. Theres plenty of places to try and you dont need to revoke your license.

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Specializes in ER.

don't quit girl, you got to look for a place where they will teach you and be nice to you.

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