Just quit my first nursing job.

grinnurse, RN · May 13, 2006

From reading these boards I can tell you that there are many others that have felt the same way that you do. Could this have been a result of the unit b/c Med Surge is very trying for a new grad.............this I can say with experience b/c I am just about to finish up my first year on this same floor. Was there discontent between you and your other co-workers or with the hospital itself? Did you have proper orientation to the floor and was support available to you? Maybe a different unit or hospital is what you need. I would hate to see you give up on nursing so soon b/f looking at other possibilities. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Even if nursing turns out not to be in your future.

weirdRN, RN · May 13, 2006

You could go back for RadTech. It would open up a lot of other options for you. Special procedures ect. You could become an UltraSonographer. Before you go and do all of that though... Consider what you would most like to do. The usual model for the Nursing carreer paths has previously been 1-2 years med/surg and then branch out into a specialty. That model is changing everyday. There are even threads about that here on this forum. Instead of just accepting that you need those two years of experience, apply for the positions that you want anyway. The worst thing they can say is NO right? So what do you have to loose?

I am sorry that you have come to so dislike your previosuly chosen career path. Maybe with the change in scenery you will find it not so bad.

beautifulb · May 13, 2006

I have felt like that numerous times. My first job was in a really nice nursing home where we actually had staff but I was still extremely stressed out.

Med-Surg is hard. The pace is fast, there are a million things going on. They say you need a year of experience in med-surg but it is not for everyone and I am sure that a lot of nurses out there did not have a year of med-surg, myself included.

Maybe you can get a slower pace somewhere else and then work up to where you want to be. What shift were you working? The day and eve shift are so busy that at times it is hard to catch up. Although nocs can be hard too (I know, I mostly do nocs) at least you don't have to deal with all the discharges, tests, MD orders, etc.

You worked hard for this. Hang in there. Give it a little more time before you give up on nursing all together.

Good luck.

Noryn · May 13, 2006

If you truly hate the hospitals and are in a position to go back and get another degree then I couldnt recommend that more. Please dont wait a few years down the road until you are married, have major bills/kids because then you will be stuck.

There is a definate reason for the shortage as you now know. Being a new grad is very hard because you have to get experience usually to move on to better jobs (if you can call them that).

Please dont look down upon yourself. I talk with my fellow nurses all the time and there is no way we would go back to working med surg floors now. The patients are great--BUT there isnt enough help, the work is back breaking, the hours are long, and nurses take blame for everything including the poor decisions by administrations or other departments.

Having said that you may want to try to get a job in a critical care setting--usually you can provide good care there. Definately shoot for a 1 RN to 2 patient ratio though unless the patients are extremely ill. I would at least try 1 or 2 more areas of nursing before calling it quits.

Education is never a bad thing and dual degrees give you that much more security later on in life.

HARRN2b · May 13, 2006

I am curious, how many patients were you responsible for. I have been reading like a maniac and most nurse/patient ratio's are far too high. Thus, the mandated (supposed) ratio's in California. Reading posts such as this concern me, as I have invested my $$ and emotions in going back to school to get into nursing. Is it possible that you could find a position with better ratio's (if that was the problem)?

Midwest4me · May 13, 2006

So sorry to hear of your frustration and misery so soon into the profession. I agree with one poster who stated that dual degrees will give you more security later, so look into something else that complements nursing. If you're still at home and don't plan to move soon, why WOULDN'T a physican's office be an option(you mentioned the obvious salary decrease)? I wish you the very best of luck!

PedsRNBSN · May 13, 2006

I quit my first nursing job after seven months for reasons stated above. Always working my butt off and stressed out, seeing little of my husband (and we just got married). So I switched to day surgery...LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT...and am not stressed out. I have a blast a work and have weekends and holidays off. Try something different!!!

Kelly

llg, PhD, RN · May 13, 2006

You probably need to take a little time to process all that has happened before you make any drastic decisions. Analyze what went wrong. How did you get yourself in that situation? What exactly about the job did you hate? Are there other nursing jobs that you might actually like?

While leaving nursing entirely might be the right decision for you, it would be a shame to throw it all away just because you didn't like 1 job. There are lots of possibilities out there -- and you owe it to yourself to consider the possibility that you might like some of those other nuring jobs.

What was it about nursing that appealed to you in the first place? What type of career did you envision as you were in school? Why have you lost that vision? Can you get it back? ... or perhaps develop a more realistic career vision based on what you have now learned about yourself.

Do you have anyone you can talk with who can give you some professinal advice? Did you have anyone like that in your first job? (e.g, preceptor, mentor, educator, etc.). Parents and social friends can provide great emotional support -- but if they aren't nursing experts, the help they can give while you struggle with your transition from student to professional is very limited.

If you didn't have such support in your first job, that might have been a big factor in why you had so much trouble with that job. Should you decide to try again, be sure that your next job provides a strong orientation program and support for new grads. Not every employer does.

Good luck,

llg

NurseEcho · May 13, 2006

As one who also just quit my job (albeit under well-deserved duress from my MD), I urge you to take some time; step back and plan your next step. If you are still living with your parents you at least have the luxury of being able to take some time. I'm sorry, unless your father is a med-surg nurse he has no business judging you.

If you are wishing harm on yourself, such as wishing to get in a car accident, I urge you to seek out your employers EAP. Even a session or two can have a profound effect on your outlook. Do NOT hurt yourself; if you feel you are in imminent danger of doing so get thee to an ER.

It is a job. It does not define your life or your identity. You are very young; you have not "wasted" your money on an education. Feel free to PM me and I will share some more thoughts. But just by being where you are at your age, you have a lot going for you. Don't give up now.

Aurora · May 13, 2006

You poor baby. You sound just like me 13 years ago. I thought nursing was about caring for the sick and dying, too -- not giving patients a lick and a prayer and hurrying off to finish paperwork and chase down labs and supplies. Unfortunately, I decided I had to stay the course with nursing. It has never gotten better.

I think rad tech might be a good choice, if it appeals to you. If you can afford to work in a doctor's office -- that is a job that can be an entry to research nursing (especially if you can get a job in a specialty office). Research nursing can be far more interesting, personal and leisurely. One of the new grad nurses who started with me 13 years ago also quit after two months. She went straight off to get an Occupational Therapy degree. OT doesn't interest me, but I sure admired her decisiveness. Also, she was as young as you are and did what she needed to do while she had the ability to do it.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · May 13, 2006

Reading you post reminded me so much of my first job at a huge hospital med surge unit. I too wished in the back of my mind that going to work my car would break down or a fender bender would hinder me from showing up! I cried on my way, cried and tired when I went home. I was lost, scared, depressed, disillusioned, and feeling that I wasted my time and heart getting into what I called "this nursing gig".

I also thought of throwing in the towel...but I just couldn't do it. After about 9 months (and a huge disagreement with managment...long story I have posted before), I quit and after my shift never came back!

So I hit the pavement, knowing hospital wasn't going to be my thing! I found a job as a camp nurse for a local school districts outdoor school (where 6th grade kids go camping for a week and learn about nature). Hard work but was a total blast!!!! I had autonomy, could be myself, worked with some great kids, got respect big time from staff and students/teachers...and really honestly felt like a member of a really great team who cared and loved eachother! That was so awesome!

Alas...with a child and hubby, I couldn't keep that job up perm. I was on location 3 hours from home 5 days a week 24 hours a day. Bummer for me, but I continued to do this till I found another job (it was three times a year for three months a time).

Got a job at a DD home, that was cool but since I was the only nurse for 5 homes..it was too much for me and my skills still being new. Hubby also had a heart attack (he is fine) so out that job went...

Then I found my place...a ALF where I worked with people and staff whom to this day I love and think of daily! Worked there 4 years, and although it was trying most times, managment was less than sympathetic to nursing ideas/needs, I stuck it out because of who I worked with. Finally one day, due to cut backs...I had to leave (they offered me only one to two days a week...couldn't do it!).

SO, I went agency! Much more money, benifits, my choice in schedules/locations/days, and extreme flexibility! Get this...now I am back in med surge (not the same hospital that I worked before) and LOVING IT! Could bowl me over with a feather! I enjoy going to work, have made friends with the MD's and RN's and other staff...great patients, great ratios (4-1 days 5-1 swing), and they respect me!!!!!

Honest...I never ever ever wanted to go back to hospital, never intended, swore up and down I would never return..and look! Here I am loving my med surge job and hope to be here for many many years!!!!

I guess it just took me a while to find my comfort zone and give it a try for a while till I gathered my own way of nursing...felt confident in my skills...range of patients...some practice in the less friendlier side of healthcare (mean pts, mismanagement, mean nurses/docs, and so on) and learned to be the nurse I always wanted to be!

Good luck to you...I told myself that you are a baby nurse for 5 years, and if lucky you can become a toddler! Well it is 6 years now, and I am definately walking on my own! And it happened sooooooo fast!!!!!!!! 5 years seemed like so long..but it went in a flash!

Good luck to you...and I hope you find someplace you enjoy so you can hone in your own personality and skills and mold them into something you enjoy no matter what career choice you choose :)!