I Put In My Notice!!!...Now what???

MQ Edna · Aug 26, 2006

I would think maryshome8 is probably ready to have second thoughts about going into nursing after being chewed alive on this post. Let's cut her a break . . .she gave the best advice she could from a corporate view . . let it be already!!

Otherwise, to msmel 321, I'm 45 and have just decided to leave my first RN job after 10 months (for different reasons than yourself). I wondered how important the 1 year experience would be also. Went to an RN open house last week and have been offered a job no problem. My sister, who has been a nurse for 18 years, gave me a few good pieces of advice I thought I would pass along:

Don't badmouth the job you are leaving. Come from the angle of loving your current job and being torn about leaving, but staffing issues are a concern.

Dress very professional and conservative at interviews and bring a resume with you. My sister swears by the "power suit". Some of you may disagree and with the job market the way it is I'm sure employers will hire RN's in jeans/t-shirt, but why not put your very best foot forward and give yourself every advantage for the best job offer possible?

Play the "cheerleader". When getting a tour of the floor make sure you express a lot of ooh's and ahh's about whatever you can. " I love the way this floor is set-up", "Your computer charting program is impressive" etc., etc.

Be careful of coming off as if you are just "shopping around" for a job. A lot of managers are offended by this. Make it seem that this is the job you really want to have (even if in your mind you are thinking . . .no way!).

These tips have worked great for me, I had 3 simultaneous job offers right out of school. Yeah, I was way overdressed at the RN open house in my power suit, pumps and leather portfolio. Every other attendee I saw had on khaki's and casual tops, but the HR rep. told me in a phone call yesterday that the nurse manager was "all over her back" to get an offer in the works . . .as soon as I walked out the door!!

I'm sure it can work out the same for you too . . . good luck!!!!

maryshome8 · Oct 1, 2006

Nursing school is a WORLD away from reality nursing. Just wait.
I stuck it out for two years on a busy med-surg floor. I wish I'd just admitted that it wasn't for me sooner and looked for something else. As a result, I stayed out of nursing for many years. I'm taking a refresher course to return soon.
Nursing is the one career where changing jobs is completely acceptable, although I think staying a year is probably preferable. However, I won't put myself or my patients in an unsafe situation just to finish out a year.
Althought medicine is definitely a business, there's no comparision to a job in nursing and a job in the "corporate" world. I know because I've done both.
Hang on to your hat, Maryshome

All I was trying to say is that the reason her employment situation is so bad , and she is overloaded, is because some hospitals are making decisions based on business and profit and they are forgetting that there are real people sitting in those beds that are in pain, uncomfortable, may need immediate attention, monitoring, etc. 1/8 doesn't quite get them the care they deserve...and pay for.

I wasn't in any way trying to compare NURSING to a corporate job, just that some hospital administrations treat it too much like one, and that is where the problem lies and why so many good nurses are leaving hospitals. Administration sometimes forgets exactly what it's "commodity" is...the comfort and safety of patients. Patients are people..not a number on an insurance card.

There is obviously, no substitution for being responsible for someone'e life.

I apologize if I wasn't more clear.

I don't mind being corrected or disagreed with...I just wished some folks (not you) would keep it professional because some of the comments that were made were 100% uncalled for and just plain nasty. i totally respect everyone has "hot button" issues...but I think we can disagree and still be civil.

PANurseRN1 · Oct 1, 2006

I'm a pre-nursing student...but I have over 20 years of Corporate working experience, and hospitals are a business like any other, complete with their corporate and administrative headaches.
I'll be brutally honest here, I think you pulled the plug too soon.
As a new graduate, even though your current situation is very difficult, future hospitals may look at it as you 'can't handle' the stress of nursing.
It is always, always better to look for a job when you already have one. This is no matter what profession you are working in.
I don't think your license is in jeapardy because 8/1 ratio in post-op is ridiculous, and it's the hospital that is responsible for staffing, not you. Let's say you had two life-threatening situations to occur with your patients in two different rooms at once...do you feel a license review board would think you could be at two places at the same time, or would they take a good hard look at the staffing?
The hospital is CLEARLY cutting the staffing cord too short with only 2 RN's for 16 patients.
There is a serious difference between not being adequately staffed (for comfort) and being critically short staffed (before patient care starts to suffer).
I feel sorry for the patients at this hospital, because they are not getting the care they deserve, and with post-op, I think their lives are at risk.

You have a lot to learn. Big difference between corporate v. health care: No one dies from a mistake on a budget, but people can die from mistakes a nurse makes. And when a nurse is overwhelmed and the unit is understaffed, mistakes happen.

You're entitled to have an opinion, even if it is an uninformed one, however.

I hope the OP can find a job where she can feel safe in her practice and get her confidence built up. This was a crummy way to start a nursing career, and an excellent example of why we lose new nurses.

mamason · Oct 1, 2006

All I was trying to say is that the reason her employment situation is so bad , and she is overloaded, is because some hospitals are making decisions based on business and profit and they are forgetting that there are real people sitting in those beds that are in pain, uncomfortable, may need immediate attention, monitoring, etc. 1/8 doesn't quite get them the care they deserve...and pay for.
I wasn't in any way trying to compare NURSING to a corporate job, just that some hospital administrations treat it too much like one, and that is where the problem lies and why so many good nurses are leaving hospitals. Administration sometimes forgets exactly what it's "commodity" is...the comfort and safety of patients. Patients are people..not a number on an insurance card.
There is obviously, no substitution for being responsible for someone'e life.
I apologize if I wasn't more clear.
I don't mind being corrected or disagreed with...I just wished some folks (not you) would keep it professional because some of the comments that were made were 100% uncalled for and just plain nasty. i totally respect everyone has "hot button" issues...but I think we can disagree and still be civil.

I'm glad that you clarified. I read your original post and was starting to get fired up. LOL. Being short staffed with a high pt load with high acuity is a real "hot button" issue for me. Very dangerous situation to work in. Which is why I left my last job. I feel that no job is worth losing my license over, let alone injuring a pt because I'm way overloaded with my pt assignment. I just hope that you won't have to encounter similar situations when you begin to start you career. Maybe by then, things will have changed for the better? And maybe someone in our government will step up to the plate and state that this is unacceptable. Good luck in your studies and I wish you the best.