I want to quit during orientation?

[Roesty10]

Hi fellow nurses.

I have been a LPN for a year. My first job was at a SNF, and I was there for about 9 months until my school schedule interfered with work schedule and I had to let it go. Last month, I got hired at a memory care and assisted living facility. But here is the problem:

1) I've only shadowed 2 mornings and 1 pm on assisted living side and 1 pm on memory care side. The schedule coordinator was told by the hiring manager that I could pick up shifts next week and even nocs. In my interview, I specified that I couldn't work nocs, layed out my school schedule, and told her that I wasn't comfortable with just one day of training on each shift. Yet when they try to throw me on shifts and I say I can't work them, I get sour attitude from the managers.

2) On all my days of shadowing, I have seen nothing but work drama left and right. Gossip, talking badly about other nurses, rumors, fakeness. But the worst was when the resident assistant were talking about their personal lives (with a lot of TMI) in front of the dementia residents! I suggested that they respect the residents and talk during their break and I'm already on their bad side. Then they spend all shift on their phones and had 2 resident falls in one shift.

Now I know there will be work drama anywhere, but many workers here are uncooperative, immature, and unprofessional. I never talk badly about anyone, but I've also never experienced anything like this in all my work years. And all the negativity between the nurses and no support from any department whatsoever. Then trying to pick up as many shifts as I can but being the bad guy when I can't. I honestly don't want to be in an environment like this. Again, I've only worked 4 days and thinking of quitting already. Do I even need 2 weeks notice? Wouldn't make sense training me for another 2 weeks. And I feel like a failure, like I let everyone down (since I was hired for a reason) if I quit. I feel like they put all this time into me and I can't even finish orientation. What do you guys think?

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

Do you have another position lined up? LTC/AL/SNF can be a really challenging work environment. The PCAs are paid far too low and the nurses, like many healthcare settings, are burnt out.

The orientation time your describing is fairly standard for any LPN who has working in LTC 6+ months and I doubt you will receive much more orientation anywhere else. Are they scheduling you on nights? If they are and you already said you cannot work them then you need to kindly point out the fact you mentioned that in your interview.

Work drama is everywhere, trust me. I am a former LPN for 8 years, now a new RN in a hospital. They have the same drama among staff at the hospital that they do in LTC. Personally, I stay out of it. If I need to vent about a co-worker, I vent to my husband. I don't get too personal at work, am friendly to everyone, and I don't take things personally because hell it most likely has little to do with me. It's worked pretty good for me in my working life to things this way.

Are you PRN? If so, don't feel bad when you have to say no, your PRN and that's your right.

No one will be able to tell you if you should quit or not, you just need to do what feels right for you but always consider the consequences of every action before you take it.

[Dafabb, LPN]

If you already know you can not do it them just inform them you can not work there and thank you for the opportunity. Get out and forget it. Find something that will work for your schedule. If you are having trouble now then you will have trouble later and then it will really count. Someone somewhere will work with you. Have you tried just weekends somewhere. And I would not put them down as employed or a reference. I had to do this about 3 yrs ago. Nursing home,bad knees and it was not going to work in this one... Nursing home usually do not bother me physically but this one did. After a week I sat with the DON and told her I would not be able to do this physically. It was amicable and I was taken off the schedule. I do not use them as it is pointless.