My first job.. Are they all like this

[JoAnnS]

So now that I passed my test I got my first job.

"Nurses eat their young" this is what I was told within my first 3 days of being a nurse. Had no idea what all this was about.

I have found some nurses to be rude and not welcome a new person on their unit. Not even the Unit Manager introduced herself!!!

AND the gossip! OMG! AND so many problems with CNA hiding and smoking.

Either it's like that all over or this place is just totally strange.

There are other issues I have like a total lack of professionalism on their HR side..

Tonight was my 6th night as a nurse and I was passing the meds by myself tonight. The other nights I was passing them out with the other LPN's.

So.. please let me know is this all normal. (and if it is I will be upset) or is this place just a little strange and what about me doing the med pass by myself?...

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If you're working at a LTCF, welcome to the club. Some are good, but many are managed and operate similarly to what you have described (based on many of the comments on these forums).

I was promised 3 days of orientation at my very first job. However, I received a whopping 8-hour day of "training" before I was cut loose to work on my own. I accomplished my first med pass alone during my second day of employment. In all of the nursing homes where I've worked, it has been normal for CNAs to hide, disappear, and take breaks without notifying anyone.

The nurses were extremely rude at my very first nursing job, and I quickly had to develop a thick skin to avoid losing sleep over their comments. It has been common for managers to not introduce themselves due to the "Warm Body Syndrome."

Good luck to you.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Unfortunately, this is the norm. You may discover exceptions in LTC, if you are lucky. At the moment, I would probably try and stick it out for at least 9 to 12 months to gain experience. Don't get caught up in their foolishness and I cannot impress upon you enough to stand up for yourself tactfully early.

[nurse_mo1986]

Sadly, yeah this is the norm in LTC facilities. When i graduated LPN school, i went straight to a nursing home to work. I regret it now. The pay was good, but the CNA's were enough to drive a nurse up the wall. Management does NOT back the nurses, you will always work with short staffing, and more often than not, you will be stuck with a mouthy, attention seeking aide on your floor. There was one time that I even caught a CNA outside the facility in his car on break smoking POT.

I quit the next day, went to a hospital, started on a telemetry floor and have worked my way into the unit.

If there's any way possible, i would recommend the hospital setting. Otherwise, hope you have a really tuff skin LOL.

just my 2 cents:-)