- I have an upcoming interview at a different unit within the same hospital. I am a new grad with only a few months of clinical experience. I was hired in an ICU and fired at the end of orientation because I have anxiety issues at work (they worded it differently) which leads to 1) poor thinking, autonomy, and slow reaction/action time during emergencies 2) incompetencies of some foundational nursing skills including setting up IV tubing, generally slower at skills than is required during an emergency 3) general nervousness and lack of autonomy. If I knew what to do I would be doing it, it's mainly feeling the need to ask before I do an action to confirm it's right.
- I have several strengths, including patient assessment, willingness to learn, determination and honesty, and empathy. This post is more about my weaknesses though. I was generally competent in clinical knowledge, just not the hands on skills which don't come as naturally to me.
- So knowing these things, one of the career recruiters told me to be honest. I know I can't handle high acuity patients right now or a fast-paced environment. I need a slower environment where I can develop my skills, have time to think and prepare, and build my confidence, organizationl skills, prioritizing, communication, time management, everything a new nurse struggles with. So med-surg or rehab are more units that could be a good fit, but not just any: not a unit with high patient admission turnover rates, complicated surgical patients, etc, you get the idea. Honestly I'm wondering if I can survive in a hospital setting at all, but being a brand new nurse I want to give myself a second chance before giving up so that I can build a foundation of skills before going straight to outpatient or giving up on a hospital job.
- Knowing the strengths and weaknesses I mentioned above, I was told to be honest with the manager in my interview. I intend to be honest, and word travels between managers so they may already know my weaknesses. But do you have any advice on how to word my weaknesses in a professional and honest way without putting myself down, or looking completely incompetent and non-confident? I struggle with how to phrase these things. Thank you so much for any of your help.