So I moved for a job 300 miles away from home...this was my first nursing job...I have no prior hospital experience,this was a big change for me but I was also quite excited (it took me nearly 6 months to find a job)...well the position I found was in a private teaching hospital on a telemetry floor...very nice unit,nice people I guess you can say a dream job...I was happy despite being far away from my hometown and my family,friends and a boyfriend..When I was first introduced my preceptor she appeared to be nice and pleasant but also had that look about her that told you "be aware of her she might smile but she looks tough" Well at first she was nice and enouraging,telling me when she first started working on this unit she felt overwhelmed and she didnt know a lots of meds etc..so I thought that she was humble and "cool".Then fast forward to a day when she asked me to give an IM injection in the arm (flu shoot) Ok so I graduated from a ADN program and we didnt get any experience in a flu clinics during our school so I asked her if she could demonstrate an IM injection on a patient just this one time for me (since I never had given an IM injection in the arm before) Mistake number one!! She got upset and was "shocked" that I never gave an IM injection in the arm...then she told me straight up to my face "that I must come from a lousy school" That day she went into manager office and told her that my school didnt prepare me well enough for the real world,strike number one....then she went ahead and told everyone on the floor that I dont know anything...oh and she also asked me "if I like it over here and if I ever though about transferring?" Mind you this was my second week on the floor!!! But despite being discouraged I kept going and showing up every day one hour earlier before my start time....It is worth to mention that my preceptor never discussed our patients with me,never asked my opinion,what was the plan for the day etc,during lunch never spoke about our patients,nothing....I often had a feeling that she "was bothered by questions and I was hesistant to ask questions and I often felt discourage to ask questions or even scared at that point! Well then came strike number two,patient had a low blood pressure and she asked me to take his bloood pressure manually,so I put on a cuff on the patient inflated the cuff but for the life of me I couldnt hear a thing....so anyway since the patient was unstable and she was in the room with me I told her if she could recheck for me since I couldnt hear anything....she did..Later I realized that my stethoscope somehow got turned off,but I guess it was too late cause she run to the manager office and told her that she doubts that I can handle unstable patient,so later that day my manager call me and her to the office for a meeting.....the manager voiced her concern to me with the preceptor backup,the manager told me that according my preceptor I'm not meeting my goals and she is giving me one week to improve (I should have known right there and then I was going to be terminated in the near future)..so I tried my best the following week,yes I did my share of mistakes (nothing major,nothing to do with a patient safety)...all of the sudden (that week) my preceptor started to take interest in me....asking me which patient I think I should go see first,what did I think the plan for the day was for each patient...asking me did I check my labs etc??? I swear to you she never bothered to ask me that before...I guess she got scared after the previous meeting with the manager...So like I was saying that week I made some mistakes but also I caugh a lot of things (like inflitrating IVs,patient pulling out IVs,pressure ulcers) my skills were getting better,I was gaining more and more confidence and started to feel that I can do it....still had some trouble with prioritizing but I think that is expected of a new grad,unfortunately not on this floor..well fastforward to yesterday (sunday)...very busy day,my preceptor was a charge nurse and one of the nurses overslept and she had to take care of her patients so she left me with 'our patients" well I handle my patients quite smoothly,finally felt like a real nurse and went home with a light heart and happy that things finally are coming together for...hah what a dillusionment of my part....today monday my manager calls me home in the morning to come in to see her ( I was suppose work a night shift today with my preceptor)..I have a feeling that something is wrong...so I go with a heavy heart...the human resource person is there,all of the sudden I know I'm getting fired...so the manager tells me that she doesnt think I'm a good fit for this floor,that she spoke with my preceptor friday and she still thinks I have trouble prioritizing...I'm crushed I'm trying to explain that I'm a new nurse and that comes with an experience and that there is always someone there to help...but my manager is set on her mind...she tells me that I should go into med surg first and then maybe after one year reapply if I want (is she ******* kiddding or what??)..I almost burst into tears,yep,signed the termination papers and left...yep so that is my story what do yo think?
i stated couple of times arleady that i know how to take a bp (my stethoscope somehow got turned off and i didnt realize that..anyway i wanted to be safe that is why i asked her to recheck the bp since i couldnt hear it...i actually witnessed on couple of occasions that nurses couldnt hear bp or techs and asked someone else to step in.i dont know how can i bre more clear on this particular issueand yes a matter of fact i strongly believe that she was a huge back stabber...and you mention professionalism,i saw a huge lack of it on her part,otherwise how would you explain her talking trash about me on the unit,i always kept my mouth shut even though she made her share of mistakes that i wont get into to deep,i havent said anything to the manager even though she treated me poorly because i'm not a backstabber, and most importantly i never lied,i think i did a safe thing even though this honesty most likely have caused me my job,when ever i didnt know how to perform something i spoke up,asked for help,did not make up numbers did not pretend i know something that i did.
i bet you she is smiling now on the tought of me being fired,i bet ya.
ps.prepare for the real world,what ever you learned in nursing school you will have to throw out of the window!! it is a totally different animal,believe me when i tell you.
i dont think that you throw out everything you have learned...that is redic to say.. esp things like doing/learning injections and vital signs ...for that matter.... ya... it is challanging....but thats why i am glad i am going to a really good school whose focus is on clinical experiences.... (i know nothing will prepare me for what it will really be like) but i do believe some people adapt better than others...and that knowledge going in is a huge factor to get you on the right foot!) thanks for the heads up! i cant wait for the challange!!!!! bring it :)
i dont think that you throw out everything you have learned...that is redic to say.. esp things like doing/learning injections and vital signs ...for that matter.... ya... it is challanging....but thats why i am glad i am going to a really good school whose focus is on clinical experiences.... (i know nothing will prepare me for what it will really be like) but i do believe some people adapt better than others...and that knowledge going in is a huge factor to get you on the right foot!) thanks for the heads up! i cant wait for the challange!!!!! bring it :)
yeah and you think you will be a fabulous nurse who knows everything and will never make a mistake,good luck to you!!! just dont be surprised when you come here to whine about your preceptor screaming at you for doing a head to toe assessment...but then again something tells me that you and my preceptor would get a long just perfectly.
yeah and you think you will be a fabulous nurse who knows everything and will never make a mistake,good luck to you!!! just dont be surprised when you come here to whine about your preceptor is screaming at you for doing a head to toe assessment...but then again something tells me that you and my preceptor would get a long just perfectly.
wow, if you wanna come on here just to hear things that you want to hear than thats your problem....
i never said i dont make mistakes.... i make mistakes all the time... but i dont point my finger at other people... i fix them and realize that i made that mistake because of something that i did wrong! ... i think everyone else on here can realize why you got fired... if you dont want the truth... dont ask for it! good luck to you!
wow, if you wanna come on here just to hear things that you want to hear than thats your problem....
i never said i dont make mistakes.... i make mistakes all the time... but i dont point my finger at other people... i fix them and realize that i made that mistake because of something that i did wrong! ... i think everyone else on here can realize why you got fired... if you dont want the truth... dont ask for it! good luck to you!
yep and your truth is everyone else truth...i really dont know what else to say. i want to hear everyone opinion but you either did not feel like reading my post throughly or misundurstood,you automatically assumed that i dont know how to take a blood pressure because this once i couldnt hear it,despite my numerous explanations that my stethoscope was turned off you still somehow assumed that my school is bad (yes it is so bad that i passed nclex on my first try with minimal preparation with 78 questions and it has a 100% pass rate overall). please avoid jumping to conclusions right away,or seek clarification...that is how eating of the young starts.i swear i have a feeling you will fit into a nursing culture well.
i really dont think that your preceptor was a "back stabber". (watch what you say, seems that you need to check your attitude..remember this is a "profession") you also have to remember that you are dealing with peoples lives... and that if you cant take a simple bp reading how would you react or handle a situation that actually required critical thinking and application of that skill?? i am only in my second semester of an adn program and from what you described i feel more advance than you?? so something is not right there? i hope dont dont take this the wrong way, but you need to remember to be a nurse takes alot of skill...(yes most comes with time) but you should still have a solid base line.... you are dealing with lives... not dummies like in school!! ekk... i hope you find your zin ... much love
well, well, well, you are in your great big 2nd semester of nursing school!!! isn't that grand. and you think that you might know more than the op? how insensitive of you to get into a p------g contest with her when she is feeling so down. she gave the entire story, admitting that she made mistakes, which is more than some others do. i will have you know that i was in my 4th semester of nursing school and had gotten a new stethoscope. i previously had a one sided littmann. this one was double sided and the first time i used it, i too could not hear anything. well guess what...i needed one of my clincal partners to show me that the bell actually turns. i didnt have a clue! so have some tolerance for those who may not realize something. and by the way, you may be super student of the year, but you need to learn how to spell. your posts are not only nasty and mean spirited, but are pitifully written. i hope you write better on your papers in school or you will never even get out of school to become the wonderful nurse you know you are going to be.
Well, well, well, you are in you great big 2nd semester of nursing school!!! Isn't that grand. And you think that you might know more than the OP? How insensitive of you to get into a p------g contest with her when she is feeling so down. She gave the entire story, admitting that she made mistakes, which is more than some others do. I will have you know that I was in my 4th semester of nursing school and had gotten a new stethoscope. I previously had a one sided Littmann. This one was double sided and the first time I used it, I too could not hear anything. Well guess what...I needed one of my clincal partners to show me that the bell actually turns. I didnt have a clue! So have some tolerance for those who may not realize something. And by the way, you may be super student of the year, but you need to learn how to spell. Your posts are not only nasty and mean spirited, but are pitifully written. I hope you write better on your papers in school or you will never even get out of school to become the wonderful nurse you know you are going to be.
Thank you,but I have a feeling that instead of becoming a super nurse this particular know it all student has a fair shot of turning into a dangerous nurse. Hopefully ladybugme you wont faint when your patient starts to bleed out.
Yeah, you are right, that is if she ever gets out of school!!!
Hey Girl, You need to clear your private message box. It's full and I could not send my PM to you.
I cleared it,please feel free to send me a private message,I must say I received a lot of great PMs,you guys are awsome really,I feel very lucky to receive such a great support. Thank you once more...even though I'm going through a lot of negative emotions,I feel better reading these posts.
Thank you,but I have a feeling that instead of becoming a super nurse this particular know it all student has a fair shot of turning into a dangerous nurse. Hopefully ladybugme you wont faint when your patient starts to bleed out.
You're being baited, darlin. I know you're eager to prove yourself, but it's not something you can do in text over the internet. No sense in exhausting yourself trying. Learning to ignore hecklers and check that urge to defend will get you one step closer to self confidence. Because it isn't about words. It's about actions. And most of us who are capable of taking an honest look at ourselves already have - so when it all boils down to it, the hecklers aren't going to do you any good anyway. Better to thank those who've given you the benefit of the doubt and keep on keeping on.
You're being baited, darlin. I know you're eager to prove yourself, but it's not something you can do in text over the internet. No sense in exhausting yourself trying. Learning to ignore hecklers and check that urge to defend will get you one step closer to self confidence. Because it isn't about words. It's about actions. And most of us who are capable of taking an honest look at ourselves already have - so when it all boils down to it, the hecklers aren't going to do you any good anyway. Better to thank those who've given you the benefit of the doubt and keep on keeping on.
Also my preceptor on numerous occasion told me that if I want I can go home early (on low census),one day she took of in the middle of the day cause it was a "slow" day,dont mind the new hire on orientation,then yesterday she told me I dont have to do a night shift if I dont want to.
It seems to me that this "preceptor" decided she didn't like you for whatever reason, and combined with a weak (lazy too) manager, you got unfairly thrown under the bus.
Before being fired you should have been verbally-counseled a few times about their concerns, NOT ambushed with a HR person and shown the door all at once. (A manager should never allow another staff nurse to be sole judge and jury on a hire/fire scenario, but your description seems to indicate this is what happened. At the very least, another preceptor should have been assigned and his/her opinion added to the mix too!)
If your preceptor had concerns, a slow day would have been the ideal time to sit down and cover some of the things she felt you were lacking (E.G. explaining how to interpret labs, "prioritizing" scenarios, etc.) -- not sending you home or taking off herself. Thats crap. Period.
Problem is, this is all too common. "Preceptors" are assigned often based on seniority. Many of them really do not WANT to teach new grads and it is a "perk" they resent because to do it properly requires genuine effort.
Even orienting a seasoned nurse to a new unit requires concern and class. In my personal experience, the trainer often sits at the desk and chats on the phone (or whatever) with an insincere "Let me know if you have any questions." This seems abusive to me, as the trainer seems to be taking an "in-house" vacation day - while everyone else runs their butts off.
My guess is you would have represented some actual work and thought to properly precept, perhaps more than she was willing (or capable) of.
My opinion is that Critical Care and Pediatric units have a preponderance of these vicious personalities, so I would avoid these type of units until you have a better resume behind you.
Also, nurse managers are very risk adverse these days, to the point of paranoia. (More so in an uncertain economy with droves of experienced nurses seeking jobs too.) Hiring a new grad who was fired in a month is a big risk for a manager who might have to explain that decision to higher-ups later on -- with no clear personal benefit to him/her. Easier to just say "no" and CYA. (Learn those initials well -- they define today's healthcare environment.)
Therefore, while not directly telling you to falsify your resume to cover this brief period of "negative" employment, you must consider the validity of the above paragraph before you make a final decision about "Plan B".
P.S. Consider prison nursing. I've worked some travel contracts in this field, and found it strangely relaxing versus hospital-based nursing. Not for everyone -- there is a forum on Correctional Nursing here on Allnurses.com (The inmates are much more polite and appreciative than patients in the Free World, and Hollywood has greatly exaggerated what prison is actually like.)
After reading all the posts I thought I would post again. You don't seem to be taking any responsibility over the reasons you were fired. You said that your manager let you go because she didn't think you could look after a patient that was turning critical. But you didn't understand why she came to this conclusion. However, in one your posts (replies) you said that you have a tendency to panic and not think clearly when under a lot of stress. Which is why you didn't understand about your stethoscope being turned off until after the event.
Patients on Tele have the ability to go bad quickly, a very stressful situation, you have to be able to function and think things though during this time. The problem was not that you couldn't do a manual BP, you could. it's that you couldn't do one during a time of stress because your brain shut down, and only afterwords could you work out the why (turned off).
Having the ability to think and function during a high stress situation is not something can be taught unlike how to do an IM injection. It takes a lot of time and repetition of the situations. Not something your manager could give you, if you were meant to come off orientation in the next few weeks.
Under your reasoning as to why is easier than med-surg, less patients more monitoring. Then presumably you think that the ICU is the easiest place to work, even less patients and more monitoring. Not something I would bring up at your next job. NOT putting down med-surg nurses, my hats off to you, but it does have a different type of stress level.
:lol2:
ladybugme!
119 Posts
i dont think that you throw out everything you have learned...that is redic to say.. esp things like doing/learning injections and vital signs ...for that matter.... ya... it is challanging....but thats why i am glad i am going to a really good school whose focus is on clinical experiences.... (i know nothing will prepare me for what it will really be like) but i do believe some people adapt better than others...and that knowledge going in is a huge factor to get you on the right foot!) thanks for the heads up! i cant wait for the challange!!!!! bring it :)