should I stay or go?

[ilovethebeach08]

I'm a brand new nurse who got hired directly into the ER (I have a basic EMT background). I'm feeling super overwhelmed and make myself physically ill with worry before going to work and while I'm there. I can't sleep at night even on my days off. The manager who hired me said it would be no problem that she'd hired brand new RNs into the ER before...but she quit three days after I started, so it really isn't her problem to deal with, and now there is no manager, so besides my preceptor, I have no one there to go to and talk to. Even my preceptor doesn't think I'll be ready to go solo once I'm done with my 3 month orientation, and also said it's an unsafe practice environment due to serious staffing issues as well as the lack of a supportive environment. They have agency nurses working every night, we have no tech or clerk the last half of the shift, and I've already made a med error (no bad effects luckily but I don't want to worry about that happening again). They have 15 beds and only 2 nurses on for the last 6 hours of my shift. I don't want to put patients in danger (or put my license in jeopardy)...but I feel I might if I continue in the ER with so little experience. Who do I talk to and what do I do? Go to HR and say it's not such a great fit anywhere else I can work? There is a great teaching hospital down the road and my preceptor (who also works there) suggested I try to get hired on there, said it's more supportive and structured for a new nurse.

So what are your thoughts? Should I stay or go? I'm feeling so overwhelmed, I'm ready to quit nursing all together...ER was always my dream job and it's nothing like I thought it would be. I'm at a loss...I have no idea what I really want to do, but I have lots of student loans to pay off therefore quitting isn't really an option. Also, failed to mention I work at a for-profit hospital, don't know if people have opinions about for profit versus not for profit, or a teaching hospital versus non teaching. Please give me advice! I don't know who to talk to.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Go. The job you're in now sounds like a nightmare. Ask your preceptor for specific names to contact at the other hospital.