New BSN grad fired after 5 weeks of orientation

[Kinar]

Does your work history under your ss# show terminations? I was hired within a teaching hospital as a new grad, during my orientation my preceptor was unorganized and did not have a routine. She often appeared overwhelmed. I tried to understand her frustrations as well as adjust to her routine. I requested another preceptor and I was told there was not any more staff at the time, I was told I needed to remember every thing I was told and I should not still be referring to my notes. I asked to be transferred to another floor instead I was told it's not working out and terminated. Now I'm having a hard time finding a job as a new grad. I feel like I have wasted four years of nursing school because I can't find a job that I would like to work. Does your work history under your ss# show terminations?

[Humaneclowninscrubs]

I am in the same exact boat as you. I started in January 2015. I had barely 4-5 weeks of quick disorganized day shift training with a scatter brain preceptor. And boy how much everyone lies and are sneaky as hell.

I was hired for nights so then I went nights. Not even 2 weeks and I was on my own. My manager called me and said there are a lot of complaints from your patients.

I cannot believe I went to school for this crap. What a waste of bachelors degree. I am so depressed right now.

There isn't anything else open to new grads but bedside care which obviously no one wants to do.

The support is lacking completely. They act like they support you but they actually don't. Very sneaky politics and behavior involved.

I feel your pain. I think I will end up looking for a full-time retail job or something to finish paying my loans as I am not able to hold on to this job.

I will find out to see what happens next. I think they are trying to push me out and get rid of me. Talk about professionalism right

[elkpark]

I am in the same exact boat as you. I started in January 2015. I had barely 4-5 weeks of quick disorganized day shift training with a scatter brain preceptor. And boy how much everyone lies and are sneaky as hell.

I was hired for nights so then I went nights. Not even 2 weeks and I was on my own. My manager called me and said there are a lot of complaints from your patients.

I cannot believe I went to school for this crap. What a waste of bachelors degree. I am so depressed right now.

There isn't anything else open to new grads but bedside care which obviously no one wants to do.

The support is lacking completely. They act like they support you but they actually don't. Very sneaky politics and behavior involved.

I feel your pain. I think I will end up looking for a full-time retail job or something to finish paying my loans as I am not able to hold on to this job.

I will find out to see what happens next. I think they are trying to push me out and get rid of me. Talk about professionalism right

I'm obviously not in a position to comment on the quality of your orientation, but 6-7 weeks of orientation does not seem like a matter of "barely" or "not even." A lot of new grads struggle with the transition from being a student nurse to being a practicing RN. In school, the faculty is there to help and support you. Once you are a licensed professional, even as a new grad, there is a much greater expectation that you will function as a licensed professional and not a student. What "support" are you expecting that you feel you are not getting? And what are you doing to try to turn the situation around, before you give up on nursing entirely? As you note, you put a lot of time, effort, and expense into your degree. Lots of new grads have a bad experience, one way or another, in their first job and are able to learn and move on successfully from that experience. I hope you will make an effort to do so before throwing in the towel. Best wishes!

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Being fired five weeks in...something is going on, and I don't know if it's JUST the preceptor. Multiple complaints from patients? What were the complaints about? With your being a new grad, I'm going to make a big assumption and wonder if you're so focused on doing your job that the patients feel "left out" of your nursing.

As for the preceptor, I used to believe that new grads who endlessly complained about the competence of their preceptors was sort of crap because I (again) assumed that the preceptors were chosen for their experience and ability to teach new grads. Now I know that assumption was very, very wrong. At my workplace, one of the frequent preceptors is a new grad himself with barely a year's experience! He comes to me to ask about stuff (which I gladly provide), but he's a preceptor?! My opinion of him as a preceptor has nothing to do with him (he learns quickly); it's his lack of experience. Another frequent preceptor has her own time management issues, can be very flighty/distracted, and has made enemies of the CNAs because her stress shows through in her curt and sometimes disrespectful delegation. Her answer to her own stress is to text her friends to vent. There are only a handful of long-term nurses with time management and assessment down pat, but I've noticed that they do not get orientees. Not sure why. I've offered to precept, but because I'm a float nurse, they won't let me do it although I work one floor 90% of the time.

If you came from my workplace on a particular floor, I would definitely say part of the problem is the precepting.

[kidnurse07]

This is untrue. Past employers can divulge any information they choose to about their previous employees, so long as the information is truthful. And it is perfectly legal.

What Can Employers Say About Former Employees?

This isn't my field and I could be wrong, though truthful + legal does not = ANY.

-we fired her because of productivity issues” vs. she has productivity issues” aren't exactly the same. Might want to take a look at the disclaimer in the link, also.

And as a matter of practicality, if the employer says it, that makes it truthful. I received that tidbit from an employment attorney.

Interesting… Considering there are lawsuits floating around regarding defamation

Anyway… OP. hope you learned from this experience and found another job.