LTC misfortune

Nurses General Nursing

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I worked for 6 weeks (on training and in some days left on my own) at a LTC, then I resigned without 2 wks notice. I was drowning and couldn't get my job done. I only have up to 24 patients but some are high acuity, some need more time, and there are those that have increased temperature, or aspirating, wheezing, having seizures etc etc.

There's too many interruptions, too many details to learn as a new nurse. It was very unfortunate, I couldn't get it right. I felt dumb in the latter part. At first it was okay, stayed in one home with 20 patients for 12 days and got to establish rapport to residents, learn every resident by name, face and how they behave. Then I go training to different areas and to different schedules. I was scared, overwhelmed and couldn't get my work done. It was so frustrating to some of my preceptors because being new I was slow. I had problems with signing MAR/TAR but there's no time for me to recheck because I eat up so much time preparing and giving meds, giving attention to interruptons. By the time I finish giving meds and Trx, it's time to report.... I had to resign because I was miserable, I can't stop thinking about my job even if I'm at home, can't sleep well. It really felt like drowning. I resigned after my schedule because I felt if I stay it will be more risky for my patients and my license.

I'm scared now, they might look after my misses and they have me reported... I am poor, no money, and if things go wrong for me, I don't know how it's going to be...

Please tell me about your experiences on quitting without 2 weeks notice. How you dealt with it? If you're on trainng will your employer report you to the BON for mistakes even if you didn't cause a patient's death?

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just say u were inadequately trained and that you didnt want to jeopordize the care and lives of ur pts... who can fault u for that?

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Hi there I was in a similar situation. I am a new grad and landed a job in LTC. I only lasted about 3 months for the same reason. I had orientation for 2 weeks and it was going alright until they put me in another floor where i had to learn new faces. They also had me on night shift where i had to take care up to 50 residents. I didn't want to risk my license. I left on good terms and now i'm struggling to find another job:confused:

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If you were in training and had a preceptor, then ultimately it was the preceptor's responsibility to make sure all your work was done and done correctly.

It would be pretty difficult to hold you legally accountable for anything that happened during a training period and your board of nursing would feel the same way.

Also, they're not going to report you to the BON because in a sense, they'd be reporting themselves and their training practices.

I'm sorry you're having such a bumpy start to your career, keep your head up.

Justin Daniel Wileman

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Should I put my employer on my application? I only had 6 weeks there. Resigning without 2 wks notice made me ineligible for rehire

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Whether or not you should put your employer on the application is a tough question.

Certainly, if you just graduated, you could just leave off that job and explain the time you were unemployed as a time off between finishing school and starting a job. The concern is that this might be considered lying on your application, which is generally grounds for immediate termination if they ever find out.

You can put your employer on there with the caveat of 'please don't contact previous employer' and just be frank with your new potential employers. They might be understanding.

Justin Daniel Wileman

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Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.

Thats LTC for you, it will burn you out and quickly. GOOD LUCK to you.

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I'm thinking probably I don' t have the talent... some of my preceptors are very quick and they leave me more thinking "oops how can I do this?"

With the transfer here and transfer there to different floors, only made me very nervous. As a nurse we are expected to do right... I don't know anymore... my charting was bad on my last schedule... I can only remember after several days from resigning that my med*_ca_re assessment chart wasn't filled up completely on one patient. So I'm afraid of my license. That last Night shift I was partnered with an RN that's also newly hired but with 30 years experience already, she was on 2 weeks with night shift. I expected her to precept me since it was my first "Night", she was fast and also pleasing and nice. I can't seem to recognize a routine. She worked like it's the ER where she used to work, memorized who has meds to give... she's good and I can't figure out more so there's two units/homes we have to do at night.

just 6 weeks at work and my career could be over...

If the BON investigates when will I receive a letter that I'm being investigated?

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Specializes in OR.
I'm thinking probably I don' t have the talent... some of my preceptors are very quick and they leave me more thinking "oops how can I do this?"

With the transfer here and transfer there to different floors, only made me very nervous. As a nurse we are expected to do right... I don't know anymore... my charting was bad on my last schedule... I can only remember after several days from resigning that my med*_ca_re assessment chart wasn't filled up completely on one patient. So I'm afraid of my license. That last Night shift I was partnered with an RN that's also newly hired but with 30 years experience already, she was on 2 weeks with night shift. I expected her to precept me since it was my first "Night", she was fast and also pleasing and nice. I can't seem to recognize a routine. She worked like it's the ER where she used to work, memorized who has meds to give... she's good and I can't figure out more so there's two units/homes we have to do at night.

just 6 weeks at work and my career could be over...

If the BON investigates when will I receive a letter that I'm being investigated?

Before you do anything else, I want you to do this........ take a deep breath, and RELAAAAAAAX.

Breathe in, breathe out. Do some yoga, go meditate by a lake. You're a new graduate, and LTC can be very demanding. You were in orientation, yes? You didn't get charting done? No big deal, man. Did you administer the wrong medicine to anyone? If not, don't worry about it. Did you mess up the narcotic count any? If not, DONT WORRY ABOUT IT! =p

You HAVE to stop beating yourself up. You took a job, it wasn't for you, your training sounds like it was GOD AWFUL, and like someone else said, if the place was to report you, they'd be reporting THEIR OWN INADEQUATE TRAINING PRACTICES. You have to relax! What's done is done, so any worrying about the situation will only hinder future opportunities!

I would apply for other positions, but do not put anything on your application. If you get phone calls or potential interviews, tell them what happened! Just be straight forward and honest, tell them you didn't feel safe with the extreme patient load and the lack of support! Believe me, most interviewers and hiring managers WILL UNDERSTAND YOU. Just be straight forward and honest. I had a good laugh with hiring interviewers about my last LTC job, and I had previous experience! Trust me, it sounds TO ME like you'll be ok. As long as what you're telling us on here is accurate (meaning you're not hiding any serious errors from us), then you should be good to go!

Good luck to you! And did I mention be straight forward and honest with future employeers? :p

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Stop worrying about your license. Your former employer would have nothing to gain by pursuing that, and as another poster pointed out, if you were on orientation then your preceptor is responsible for your actions. I think you did the right thing by bailing on a bad situation. It could have been much worse. Dust yourself off, chalk it up to a learning experience, and when you're ready, get back in the game. Now you know what to look out for. Asking about training is an excellent interview question for you. Good luck.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

InPrivate,

I can't offer any personal support because I'm only just starting nursing school myself. However, there are lots of great resources on this board. One section you should visit is for those who are still in their first year after graduation. Here is the link https://allnurses.com/first-year-after/

Remember, you aren't the only one to have gone through this and won't be the last. Good luck to you, I hope you can find something that is the perfect fit for you soon.

Best wishes and welcome to allnurses :)

Sand Dollar

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Before you do anything else, I want you to do this........ take a deep breath, and RELAAAAAAAX.

Breathe in, breathe out. Do some yoga, go meditate by a lake. You're a new graduate, and LTC can be very demanding. You were in orientation, yes? You didn't get charting done? No big deal, man. Did you administer the wrong medicine to anyone? If not, don't worry about it. Did you mess up the narcotic count any? If not, DONT WORRY ABOUT IT! =p

You HAVE to stop beating yourself up. You took a job, it wasn't for you, your training sounds like it was GOD AWFUL, and like someone else said, if the place was to report you, they'd be reporting THEIR OWN INADEQUATE TRAINING PRACTICES. You have to relax! What's done is done, so any worrying about the situation will only hinder future opportunities!

I would apply for other positions, but do not put anything on your application. If you get phone calls or potential interviews, tell them what happened! Just be straight forward and honest, tell them you didn't feel safe with the extreme patient load and the lack of support! Believe me, most interviewers and hiring managers WILL UNDERSTAND YOU. Just be straight forward and honest. I had a good laugh with hiring interviewers about my last LTC job, and I had previous experience! Trust me, it sounds TO ME like you'll be ok. As long as what you're telling us on here is accurate (meaning you're not hiding any serious errors from us), then you should be good to go!

Good luck to you! And did I mention be straight forward and honest with future employeers? :p

Hi, don't get me wrong, most of my co workers were great... my only problem was being overwhelmed. THe kind that makes my stomach go upside down and when at home, I only think of what I've missed. It's very stressful especially when my patients get sick, they're elderly and makes me feel frustrated, being new, I can't do much.

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