May 2008 grads....how are things going?

[marilynmom]

For those of us who graduated in May (or thereabout) how is the first few months of nursing? How are you feeling and where are you working? Thoughts?

I'm working in a PICU at a teaching hospital and I LOVE it! I learn something new everyday and my co-workers are the bomb! I feel supported and there is always someone if I need help/have questions.

There have been some days where I feel very overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel but most days I really enjoy it. I'm thankfully that I work on a very supportive unit to new grad ICU nurses. I had a 10 week orientation and that was adequate I thought....so far so good on my own.

Yesterday was funny for me, I have to share. Everyone had told me that new residents don't know anything but I never really believed it. Well yesterday was the first of the month and the new residents/interns came. The resident who was assigned to one of my patients (we usually have 1-2 patients per nurse) told me it was his first day and he didn't know what he was doing. So *I* the new NURSE had to show him the ropes....she him how our vents worked, etc. He then got assigned to pull back my patients PICC line to 5cm and I had to show him step-by-step how to do that and then I dressed it. ME a NEW nurse?! LOL He was so thankful and kept shaking my hand and telling me how thankful he was.....lol. Hopefully down the road he will remember the nurses who helped him when he didn't know what he was doing :)

[FromNH2VAwherenext]

I am very frustrated. My first and only RN job started in Aug and I quit before I was fired in Oct (65 very long days). It was at a fairly small, for-profit communinty hospital in AZ. My preceptor didn't do anything most of the time except for play Suduku and berate me in front of pts or other RNs. The interim NM who hired me liked me; however, the new one despised me for some reason... said I needed to get my act together and some people aren't meant to be nurses! I had only been there 4 weeks -- I was supposed to get 6 weeks of training (or more if I needed it).

Soooo, I was hired at a teaching hospital nearby as a Graduate Extern in Nov. -- the next New Grad training period would start on 2/16... I didn't last that long. The NM was terrible -- she was hardly ever on the floor and when she was, it was just to tell us all how badly we were doing, what we needed to fix, how we could improve -- nothing positive. The floor was staffed with 3/4 (or more) travel RNs which was terrible for cohesiveness, teamwork, etc. They could care less -- they hated it there, too, but they didn't care b/c their 3 mos was up soon.

There was a back-stabbing ****** RN that turned me in for doing something "beyond my scope" as a grad extern. I realized that at the time and I stopped myself; got another nurse (couldn't find her) and the pt was fine. The NM said she didn't trust my judgement and was getting ready to involve the RN Director!! I quit before I was under the microscope (and before I even became an RN on that floor!). Plus, I didn't need to repay $8K to get out of a contract that I had to sign as a new grad... I'd hafta work on that unit for 2 years or pay the $$$. There were no other units hiring new grads according to HR.

I thought I could get a job back home in NH at the teaching hospital I used to be a secretary at... I had a phone interview for the new grad training program starting in July 09; I thought it went well, but they decided I wasn't a "good fit." I asked the RN Recruiter in a voicemail if she could elaborate / explain why I wasn't hired and I haven't heard back.

In the meantime, I've applied to a psych nurse job at the VA and another Inew grad thing at a teaching hosp in VT... I have a phone interview next week with them. I haven't heard from the VA yet, but they're the gov't! I'm beginning to question myself and how my resume must look by now to recruiters. I know I have the knowledge, maybe not the organization / prioritization skills... I just gotta prove myself. My self-confidence was never very high, but it's pretty much at an all-time low now.

Hints? Suggestions? Words of hope? Thanks for being here guys! Luvya!!

[RN2Adore]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and I'm not too sure how to navigate through it but I figured my venting would belong under this thread. I graduated with my BSN in May of 2008, being two months pregnant. I passed the NCLEX in July, still fighting the hyperemesis gravidarum I experienced throughout my entire nine months!!!! I have a beautiful baby boy that I would not trade for the world but I still haven't worked one day as an RN yet. I worked as an extern but quit right before graduation so I didn't have a job lined up. I have no doubt that I can find a job easily but the problem is getting myself to apply. I do not want to give up the stay at home mom role. I do however feel like I worked so hard to get where I am (an RN) and I'm not even using it. I graduated at the top of my class from a great university. I want the best of both worlds....to be the best mom to my son and to be the best nurse and do what I'm passionate about. I was thinking of working in home care, hoping for some flexibility and no 12 hour shifts. I have already interviewed and they are willing to orient me well. Any suggestions or words of encouragement.....

[PeaceonearthRN]

Wow! If they are willing to orient you without med/surg experience, why not try it? I think that is wonderful for you! You can work around your child and that seems to be the priority which is GREAT! Congrats!

[KeepingItRealEeyore]

I'm getting a little ticked off at seeing posting for medical RN's , saying they are needed, but when one looks at a detailed posting of the job description, it states 1yr of hospital expereince needed. I mean if that is the case , then the job posting should state experience nurse needed. I'm so tired of places saying they need nurses, but you need to have experience. Mind you it is hard as all heck trying to gain some, when no place seems to be hiring a nurse with less than one year expereince. Also why does it seem like places state postions open on med/surg floors, and the only unit is a medical telemetry?

In my job hunting I'm noticing that about smaller bed hospitals. The bigger hospitals seem to have more opportunity when it comes to med/surg floors, unfortunately in my case I have been applying to both small and big hospitals and am getting nothing.