This is actually my second year as a nurse. I was working at a LTC/SNF for a year. The whole time I dreamed and pray of a job at the hospital figuring I need that 1 year of med-surgical experience. I finally got called for a job in a big hospital here. I felt really excited at first. However, I finally know now why they say nurses eat their young.
I got a really awesome preceptor during day shift. However, I was schedule for night shift so I had to get a preceptor at night. this preceptor is fairly young around my age and has been a nurse the same amount of years as I. However, she has been working in the hospital the whole time.
I really feel stress out and overwhelmed. My old job was a lot of physical work but less mental stress. This job is a little less physical work but 2x the mental stress.
My preceptor told me that my charting is falling behind. She told me that I should be done charting around 10pm and that each assessment should only take around 5 to 10 minutes. Last night I had 6 patients. I literally was on my feet from 7pm (beginning shift) to 2 am passing meds. Then I got a small break ( I didn't want to because I wanted to get everything done but she insisted I have one. She told me that orientees should get 30 minute break so the hospital wouldn't have to pay). Anyways she said I should only focus assessing on the reason why the patient came to the hospital. In my head I figure how can you assess a person in 5 minutes without taking your stethoscope out and listening to their heart, breath sounds, and bowel sounds. You should check them from head to toe. There is no way she could assess those patients in 5 minutes. I never see here pulling her stethoscope out or even checking the patient feet. She told me I miss two medications for a male patient so she pulled the medication out. I was so tired that I didn't even check the name on the box. Luckily the computer caught it and pop up a warning sign saying this medications wasn't in the patient MAR. I went back and told my preceptor. She made me look like a total fool. She said well first of all its the wrong name. Well she should of looked at it before pulling it out and at least tell me it was for the right patient.
Most of the nurses at night pulls their computer to the nursing station to talk to each other and chart. I mean how could you possibly chart on the patient if you are not using the bed side computer. Then they drink their coffee and sleep. I literally saw one nurse slept throughout the whole shift. I was basically on my feet from 7pm to 2 am. Then got a 30 minute break and walked around till 9 am (Stayed over almost 2 hours to get things done). I had to hold my pee in until I got most of the medication and charting done at 2 am. I also heard my preceptor telling other nurses at the nursing station that I'm not up to par. I walk really fast and quiet so they don't know I'm coming up and I could hear them. Then they get quiet. I also talked to other 2 orientees and they also heard their preceptor talking about them. One of the orientees told me he overheard a preceptor for another orientee stating, "Oh gee, I have this person today (not mentioning any names), I'm going to be here till 9 at least." My friend heard his preceptor telling other nurses (Man this guy is too slow). Luckily the charge nurse is very cool and nice. I just don't know how they find that much time to sit down and chatter while I'm on my feet giving meds. I do my assessment while giving medications and at the patient bedside.
I don't think I'm meant to work in this environment. The turnover rate is extremely high. The longest one orientee work there was for 2 years. I'm just really stress out basically walking from beginning to end of shift and still hearing from my preceptor how I miss this and that. She basically sits and text on her phone then call me on the hospital phone to come check on a patient pump or that she need me to do something.
The sitters and CNA gather in one room and use the patient bedside computer. I had to chart and scan a patient. However, I was new and I didn't want to bother them so I just pull my computer in and even have to navigate through them to scan the patient and medication and do my charting while they look up houses and see if they could look up their background online.
I'm ready to quit. Its almost 2 months, and I don't think if I will be happy in the long run. I was happy at my old job and love my patients and want to go work. However, this new job almost made me cry and I'm a guy. I'm just afraid that I will lose my license at this job. I don't know if it would affect me finding another job. i was able to go to school fulltime and worked at my old job. I got my BSN this December. My old manager is also at a new LTC facility and told me to come work for her so I will probably do that. Any advice guys? Sorry for the grammar and mispelling. I have been up for 15 hours.
She wanted me to come in an extra day next week. I already was schedule for 4 days next week. Coming in an extra day will make it 5 days on 12 hour shifts.
That's ridiculous. You may need more time on orientation, but if so, they should just extend it a week or two. Expecting five 12s in one week is unhealthy.
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
What you describe sounds a lot like my first job as a nurse. Working my butt off while others seem to coast through their shift. Some preceptors better than others.
Like others have said, your preceptor and orientation are only temporary. I had a hellish preceptor in ambulatory care, and it would've been to her advantage if I left. But I dug in, persevered and had a good experience there once I got through that. You did well with your first preceptor right? Then this is something you should be able to conquer.
You might want to consider being more proactive in advocating for yourself. Instead of just letting your preceptor go to the manager and putting you on for extra shifts, you need to express to the manager what you need, as well as discuss how you are doing. If you are feeling exhausted, tell your manager that you need to stretch it out vs squeezing more into a shorter period of time.
Think of this in someways as boot camp. A grueling experience at times, but a temporary experience to be endured before moving on to bigger and better things. If you go back to LTC, that's fine, but what if you want to go back to acute care 10 or 20 years from now? Even a year or two of acute care makes you a more desirable candidate in the future. It's nice to have choices.
Finally, have you contacted your EAP program? They are free, confidential, and can help you sort out your feelings and your options in a 1:1 setting.
I have six months of probation, which is after my two months of orientation, which is after my five months of internship. So by the time I'm off probation I will have been an employee for a year. Seems excessive, no? To make matters worse, a lot of hospitals in my area are now requiring two years instead of one. I cannot imagine I will make it two years in this job without having some sort of health related meltdown.
I guess I'll be the one to disagree (since I'm currently also miserable in my awful med-surg job and considering leaving before the end of probation) - if you don't see yourself in med surg and like SNF, go to the place that makes you happy. Life is too short to be stuck somewhere miserable just to show everyone you can do it. I think there's a bit of survivor bias that sometimes comes with some of these jobs, but one year from now - I know I'm not going to feel any different about the many things that make this job so awful (almost none of them are about patient care - they're all administrative) so why torture myself spinning my wheels, making myself stressed out and miserable for a year working in a department that I know I don't see myself in with any real longevity? Hope you find the solution that feels right for you.
I want to be proactive but this manager is just so intimidating. I remember my third week of orientation when I pull a brand new insulin pen out. It is a pixys system so it was totally new to me about pulling meds out. I didn't know that another nurse has already pull an insulin pen out and put it in the bin. It wasn't gray out so I just pull another pin out. A few days later the pharmacy person came up and told her that. She basically raise her voice as almost screaming asking me and my first preceptor did I pull another insulin pen out within 4 hours. I didn't give the person insulin again within 4 hours. Every one at the nursing station turned to me and my preceptor. I was so embarrassed. Then a few hours later she saw my preceptor and I back at the nursing station and she asked really loudly again "have you guys found out what happen to the pen." The thing was I actually did return the new pen to the bin. I took a patient label out and put it on the pen and my preceptor and I remember me returning it. I think another nurse might of took the pen out again and not put it back in the bin. To make the story short another nurse happen to pull another new pen out so it wasn't just me.
The thing is I don't know why they switch me to a new preceptor after a month of orientation with the first one. I felt as if the first one was much more nice and helpful. She has been working there for over 15 years. This new preceptor is about a year in a half. When she and I went down to pharmacy to return a narcatic because it was over 30 minutes before I return it she try to just pull me under the bus by telling the pharmacist that I was so careless and that I should of told her so she could return it within 30 minutes. Turns out the pharmacist told my preceptor that she needs to stop cancelling her meds all the time and the pyxis couldn't pick it up once the person clicks cancel all the time because it doesn't know if the person returns a med or taking it out. Then later on my preceptor gets in trouble again for sending labs down to the laboratory without the proper tube. Laboratory called up but I told them it was change of shift report. Laboratory people came right up and talked to my preceptor about the problem. When we were changing the patient central line she didn't put on a mask. The patient made a hand signal to put a mask on but my preceptor didn't know what he was doing until he finally ask her where was her masked. She said that is for the patient only and if the nurse happen to be coughing and that everyone has their own way of doing it. The patient said he don't know about that because other nurses usually put a mask on when they are changing his PICC line dressing. I happen to just take a central line removal class the previous day and the instructor at the hospital stated that a nurse must put a mask on and that the patient must put a mask on if they couldn't turn their head of if they happen to be sneezing or coughing, but it is safer to just put on a mask unless they refuse it. This all happen in one night. I feel as though my preceptor after 1 1/2 doesn't get the policy or proper procedures either and that they should of put me with a more experience nurse such as my first preceptor.
Im afraid that I might do something or ask something and this preceptor might give me the wrong information.
I already decided to quit. I want a job that I can actually rest after work. This job has left my heart pounding every morning after I get home and usually sleep for only 5 hours then repeat again.
What you describe sounds a lot like my first job as a nurse. Working my butt off while others seem to coast through their shift. Some preceptors better than others.
Like others have said, your preceptor and orientation are only temporary. I had a hellish preceptor in ambulatory care, and it would've been to her advantage if I left. But I dug in, persevered and had a good experience there once I got through that. You did well with your first preceptor right? Then this is something you should be able to conquer.
You might want to consider being more proactive in advocating for yourself. Instead of just letting your preceptor go to the manager and putting you on for extra shifts, you need to express to the manager what you need, as well as discuss how you are doing. If you are feeling exhausted, tell your manager that you need to stretch it out vs squeezing more into a shorter period of time.
Think of this in someways as boot camp. A grueling experience at times, but a temporary experience to be endured before moving on to bigger and better things. If you go back to LTC, that's fine, but what if you want to go back to acute care 10 or 20 years from now? Even a year or two of acute care makes you a more desirable candidate in the future. It's nice to have choices.
Finally, have you contacted your EAP program? They are free, confidential, and can help you sort out your feelings and your options in a 1:1 setting.
From my own personal experience, I advice you to quit. Why? Because it is toxic and unhealthy environment. And your mental and physical health is number one priority. I have worked over 10 years in many areas of nursing, and I am telling you it is not worth it. You are responsible for your health and you. The only condition for not quitting will be:
1. You talk to your manager and tell her the truth about your preceptor, so maybe you can get new one
2. Change the floor, pick something else
If it is not possible quit, give a 2 weeks notice.
How do I go about quitting though? I know a 2 week notice resignation letter is the professional way. However, this is the first time at the hospital. Do I turn it in to the director of nursing or my nurse manager? My first job I turn it in to the DON at my rehab. I'm just intimidated and scare of this nurse manager. Do I write an email first notifying them? Then bring the letter in on Monday? I don't think they work on the weekends.
Call HR and ask them the policy for orienty resigning. You should not be scared of yr manager clearly lateral violence and I would get out of it. This does not sound safe to me. My preceptor also says Im behind but that normal for every new nurse, maybe its similar to my hospital they trying to rush my orientation so I could be out on the floor. Hospitals are scrambling because they had hiring holds and now that economy is getting better the experienced nurses are leaving in drones for better pay and conditions. At least this is where i currently work but I going to leave also and i only 4 weeks in orientation. I got another hospital job lined up which has a better patient ratio, it will be hard but at least i wont have 6 and 7 patients.
I had a talk with my coworkers. They told me to try to stick it out for at least 6 months. I just went to see a chiropractor today because my back was hurting so bad. I basically walk like an old lady hump over 4 days after getting out of the hospital. I never felt as much pain as tonight. It felt like muscle spasms or some sort. When he put a little pressure on it I felt like the pain spread and pull the muscle in almost as if it was a glove pulling my right side back in. I want to try to stick it out but the pain is just too much. I have to bend over when I'm sitting from a chair. Hopefully it feels a little better in a few days.
The op used the nety phrase in her very first post!
What is Nety??? The OP is a dude/guy if I read correctly...oh the sexist nature of nursing:sarcastic:...I'm just kidding :) I'm a dude too by the way...lol
Withorwithoutyou, I think one of the worse things to do is involve co-workers in your decision. there is always someone who is buddies with management and will rat on you so I guarantee they already know, or will know. I just dont see the sense in dragging things out a place you do not like. Yes anywhere you work will have its "growing pains" and there will be problems no matter where you go, patients are enough to deal with than having to worry about all the other stuff you got on your plate. Anyways good luck with your decision. Sometimes sticking it out does help because once you do get on your own you can follow your own way of doing things, as long as no policies are broken...Good luck man.
Thanks man. I'm not going to drag anyone into why I resign. I'm just so scared to talk to my manager about it after she yell at me before and other nurses. I finally build the courage up today to finally call them to let them know. My recruiter told me to talk to my manager and my preceptor. My heart was just pounding and a friend finally told me to take some deep breaths and call. I called but it went to voicemail. I don't know what to do. I know I have to give a two week notice. However, I'm afraid the manager would make a big scene out of it and I will be humiliated or embarrass. I talked to my friend and she try to comfort me. I felt as if I was having a panic attack when I was about to call her. I feel like a total let down and failure for not trying to toughen it out for a year.
Follow up the call and just write them a letter and turn it in. I did mine via email to the manager which is totally fine as most HR department require written notice and then as a courtesy went into the manager office to confirm they got it. Just to ease your fears you are not required to tell your manager why you are leaving so don't feel like you owe anyone an explanation. My resignation was LITERALLY 2 sentences long. In most States its actually illegal for them to even ask. Line up another job as quickly as possible. Good luck
Red Kryptonite
2,212 Posts
That's ridiculous. You may need more time on orientation, but if so, they should just extend it a week or two. Expecting five 12s in one week is unhealthy.