Need Advice!!! Bad Situation!!!

KrisRNwannabe · Aug 11, 2007

did you ask for specific examples of what you are doing wrong? It would be difficult to improve in any job if you didn't know what you are doing wrong. any new job you apply for will call your current employer for a refernce. i am not sure what they could tell them. i would definetly sit down with your nurse manager and nurse educator and go over your weaknesses.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Aug 11, 2007

Ditto - you need to get specifics on what needs to be improved.

Also, you seem to really doubt your ability to improve! Be optimistic. Hospitals spend so much money recruiting and training a new grad, I'm sure they'd much rather hang onto you than let you go. Find out what needs improving and improve it, and have a running dialog with your manager about how you are working on the problem.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 11, 2007

I agree with the above posts. You need to get over the shock quickly so that you can take action. What exactly did your manager say was the problem? What can you do to improve in those areas? etc.

Also, you need to immediately explore ALLyour options. Don't give into the temptation of simply giving up and run away because your ego has been hurt and you are feeling dejected and betrayed by your current employer. If they are giving you a month to improve, use that month to try to improve ... but also use it to explore your options.

Would your manager support your transfer to another unit within the same hospital? For example, if you are working for a very busy, fast-paced unit and you are struggling to manage your time and keep up with the pace ... you could look to transfer to a unit where the pace is a little slower. If you are working in a unit that rarely hires new grads, you might want to transfer to a unit that is accustomed to nurturing new grads into work team. etc. etc. etc. Talk with your manager -- and talk immediately with the hospital recruiter to explore that option. If it's a good hospital, they will be interested in helping you find a better fit after having spent all that money on you trying to get you settled into your current position. They won't want to throw all that money away: they'll want to help you find a fit so that they can reap the benefits of having you as a successful long-term employee.

Regardless of whether your next job is in a different hospital or the same one ... do NOT lie about this experience. If you are ever caught having lied during the hiring process, it may be grounds for automatic termination in the future. Simply list the job on your resume ... and when asked, say that it was not a good fit for you as a new grad. It wasn't exactly what you thought it would be and you felt that you would find a better fit elsewhere. Be prepared to give a few examples of why it wasn't a good fit and to discuss what you learned from the experience and how that experience will help you be successful in the future. Do NOT badmouth your current employer.

Give your current situation about 2 weeks to see if you can make the improvements you need to make (while you simultaneously explore your other options). If your manager can't see noticable improvement, then resign ... being sure to give the required notice. If you are planning to transfer to another unit, include those plans in your resignation letter. Your recruiter should be able to tell you how to handle the paperwork of transferring. What you DON'T want to happen is that they actually fire you. You'll want to resign or transfer before they do that so that a firing won't be in your personnel file.

Then move forward. A lot of new grads struggle with their first jobs. It's not uncommon. Most hospitals know that and many are willing to give a new grad a chance with a 2nd job. But you'll need to handle it well. Don't just take any job -- look for one that will match your strengths and weaknesses. Now that you know more about your strengths and weaknesses and about the real world of being a nurse, use that information to find a good fit for yourself.

Good luck.

nurse_to_be · Aug 11, 2007

Thank you all for good advices.

I still have a question. If the person in my situation goes to the interviews to other hospitals and don't even mention this job how new employer can find out if I ever worked. I think in my case it will much better just to say that I still a new grad and looking for the first job. Why not?

Of course I will try to do my best to improve or ask for the transfer but I have a feeling they won't let me do that.

GeminiTwinRN, BSN · Aug 12, 2007

I'm sorry you're going through this tough situation!

It's a little difficult to add any opinions to this thread without the additional information that has been asked already. What exactly are the areas of your performance that has been lacking? You said you haven't made any med errors, that great! But it does seem that you are having trouble with time management (I suffer from this on the busy days as well), if that's a daily occurence for you, that may well be a big part of your trouble. Time management is so very important, not only for your patients, but for YOURSELF! You need to fuel your body with food and relieve yourself during the day or else your pt care and your own health and sanity will be affected!

It is certainly attainable to learn time management in the extra month you have to 'improve'!

If you'll tell a little bit more info, I'm sure there are lots of us (me included) who will be more than happy to share tips with you regarding any problems you are facing. Remember, we're here to support you and there's no pressure from us, nor is there any judgment passed.

Do yourself a favor and ask for tips on specific areas, we're all here to help!

:) You can DO THIS! :)

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 12, 2007

Thank you all for good advices.
I still have a question. If the person in my situation goes to the interviews to other hospitals and don't even mention this job how new employer can find out if I ever worked. I think in my case it will much better just to say that I still a new grad and looking for the first job. Why not?
Of course I will try to do my best to improve or ask for the transfer but I have a feeling they won't let me do that.

1. By omitting it from your application, you will be in effect, lying about your work history. If they find out (because someone recognizes you or they suspect something and call the other hospitals in the area to "verify employment") then you could be fired immediately with no chance of rehire.

2. They will probably wonder what you have been doing since graduation and why you waited so long to get a nursing job. To answer their questions, you will need to lie again. That just compounds your unethical behavior (lying).

Your professional career is too important to base it all on lies.

Dempather, RN · Aug 12, 2007

I see two things here worth mentioning. First off, you can ask them for their feedback. It may hurt a little and you will have to change some things, but change is growth(!). With that, you can use what they think your weaknesses are and work really hard on them over the next month. I also think that this could also be a wake-up call that this may not be the job for you. This also, is painful to realize, but could leave you someplace else where you're happier and can work to your potential. My hospital had a system in the past (unfortunately, no longer) where somebody would observe new grads/new employees closely. If they feel they were struggling or unhappy, they would go over their plans and goals and suggest other areas of nursing. As a result, this employee would go elsewhere and discover how much more they appreciate nursing since they're where they "fit".

I suggest you stick it out for a month, see how it goes. If you just don't feel like it's working, explore other fields.. there's plenty. You said you're intelligent and you are. Don't let one bad job opportunity change your mind.

CarVsTree · Aug 13, 2007

Thank you all for good advices.
I still have a question. If the person in my situation goes to the interviews to other hospitals and don't even mention this job how new employer can find out if I ever worked. I think in my case it will much better just to say that I still a new grad and looking for the first job. Why not?
Of course I will try to do my best to improve or ask for the transfer but I have a feeling they won't let me do that.

Bad idea! Don't lie. Be honest.

richardjboro1 · Aug 13, 2007

I'm sorry to bring this up, and don't take it the wrong way, but perhaps they were concerned with your grammar? From the original posting, there are multiple errors in spelling, word usage, etc. We as professionals who CHART on a daily basis, constantly, must be aware of our grammar so others can understand and comprehend what we are attempting to say. Sorry, but this is one of my pet peeves. I'm a "lowly" student still, but at 36, I feel I grasp English pretty darn well, and I could barely understand over 1/2 of your post.

If English is your 2nd language, I would recommend a refresher course and perhaps a tutor. Good luck in your travels and I do feel for you. I hope this didn't come across as rude or condescending, but as a former teacher, I felt I had to comment.

Richard

jjjoy, LPN · Aug 14, 2007

I don't know if your situation is like this, but it can be horribly frustrating and demoralizing, especially if so far in life you have always experienced success whenever you have made a concerted effort. Now you're doing your best, it doesn't seem to be good enough, and you may not see any hope of being able to do more or better in the time frame they're giving you. (That was how I felt, anyway).

Get angry, cry, go running, whatever it is that helps you work through frustations. Then swallow your pride and put away any beliefs you may have that a competent person never fails or needs extra help or whatever. With all humility ask a few people at work who you feel you can trust for some specific feedback on how you can improve.

I say do this with humility because it is a humbling experience to be in such a position. There's no reason to be ashamed even if you end up having to find another job. This is a challenge and learning experience, however it ultimately turns out.

Give it your best shot and continue to hold you head high with self-respect even if things don't go as you hope. No one is perfect and this may be your personal challenge to overcome one way or another (whereas school may not have been as much of challenge to you if you're a good student and have never failed a class or the like).

Be honest not only with future employers but also with yourself. If you can't figure out how to improve at work, tell that to your manager and any trusted colleagues. They may be able to assist you. Come up with specific issues to address and goals to work on. They may or may not help you keep this job, but no matter, they WILL help you learn about yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, blindspots, etc.

If you end up looking for another job, it's okay to admit that you're not exactly sure what will work better for you. I highly recommend in that case that you do some informational interviewing (as opposed to jumping immediately into a new job) and try to get some managers to allow you to shadow their nurses a couple of shifts in different areas so that you can observe and compare and have a better idea of what might be better fit for you. Choose one that seems most appealing to you and then give a go. If it works out, great! If it doesn't, you'll have learned that much more and with that added experience will probably then have a much better idea of what did and didn't work for you!

Good luck to you! Keep us informed of how you do!

MochaRN424, ASN · Jan 26, 2010

LLG that was an excellent post. I wish I could pose some questions to you....You are so supportive and encouraging.:)