I need advice. I'm done with this unit as a new grad.

[Imgettingthere]

I have posted several times with great responses regarding my situation as a new hire/new grad neuro ICU nurse. I have given it my all, worked extremely hard to meet expectations, but bottom line, after 4 months,is that the majority of the time I am told I am not providing "good patient care" or that I do not "see the big picture".

I meet with my DON today. I will request a transfer, but will prepare for the worst (termination or resignation). Any tips on what to say/not say in this meeting? At this point, it seems that the specifics don't even matter. I have been in an environment of anticipated failure from the beginning. No matter how far I have come, how much I have learned, and how willing I am to do it, it has never been enough. (see previous posts).

Also would appreciate your advice regarding what to ask of my DON. A referral? Advice? Or should I just say thank you very much for everything and best of luck?

I never thought it would come to this, but it has. I have never worked so hard only to be viewed as unsuccessful.

[Just,another,RN]

Let me start by saying I'm saddened to hear about your difficulties especially so early on in your career, but please don't give up on it so quickly. I'm sure you'll find a place in this field, NICU may still be for you. Nursing may not be for everyone, but just about anyone can do it. Fact of the matter is your apparent failure on this unit was not yours alone. It has to be shared with the unit as a whole and your preceptor. You probably would have had considerably more success with a better structured orientation. That's not to take all of the responsibility off your shoulders though. Probably the best advice I received for this kind of situation was from a former professor of mine in nursing school. He said you should periodically request feedback regarding your performance. With bench marks in place for you to be at a certain performance level within a certain time frame, it is critical for you to know exactly what that performance level is, what level you're at and what has to be done to make adequate progress. If you don't ask for feed back or if you don't receive the right kind of feed back, achieving this goal will be like searching for a needle in a hay stack. Regardless of what unit you land on, this is a key factor to success. Beware of the sharks; they're out there & their diet goes well beyond the young. The best way I've found to deal with them is to learn your role, know your role and always fulfill your role in a professional manner on the unit. Good luck!