New grad asked to resign during orientation need advice

Nurses General Nursing

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SO I am pretty new to this but here is what's going on...I basically had a hard time finding a job since graduating in May 2010...I was working as a unit clerk in a community hospital and finally decided to apply there since I had no job offers from other hospitals my gut always told me not too but I felt pressured from my family to just get a job. I began orientation in August, I was hired for a telemetry floor but since my floor was getting renovated I was placed on an orthopedic floor where I was for a month then after me complaining because it's nothing like a tele floor they put me on a telemetry floor for my first 12 hour shift what a difference...so anyway once I got to my unit I felt so upset all the time had a hard time adjusting and just felt plain stupid...I guess it is normal to feel this way when your new but at the moment I felt alone...I had a total of 8 weeks orientation and I feel like I had an unfair orientation, so on my last week of orientation I received a call from HR where I was asked to meet with the educator head, my unit manager, and the nurse recruiter, I was so nervous I tried my best to hold back tears and this is when I was given an ultimatum I was told they can only give me 1 more week (3days of 12hr) orientation and prove to them I can take a load of 7 to 8 patients (because I get very overwhelmed after 5 patients) and they even said they don't think it will make a difference or I can resign or I run the risk of getting fired. I ended up resigning because I was scared to get fired and I also forgot to mention I was offered a job in the wound care center of my hospital per diem prior to all this and when I called them to tell them my decision I let the recruiter know if I could take the position she told me initially yes and then said she had to call me back which she never did. I finally called the lady in charge of the wound care and she told me they (HR) told her not to hire me :( I called the recruiter and she told me something completely different I was mad because I feel like all this was done on purpose so now I'm basically left with no job after 8 weeks of orientation and I don't know what to do...I feel more hurt because I was told they were willing to invest time in me yet they never cared to address my concerns..I cant beleive I worked in this place since 2008 for something like this happen to me...I would appreciate any advice on this I really have lost all hope and this really makes me feel like a complete failure, I can't stop crying and simply am a wreck...:crying2:

Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

Holy cow! 7-8 patients! I work on an ortho/med-surg unit and that's plain ridiculous for experienced nurses, much less a new grad! I mean most of the time, we don't have a nurse tech/CNA either so it's wild; juggling post-op patients in a lot of pain that can't ambulate to the bathroom, and most of them are extremely heavy (300 lb+ people) and have to pee all the time! Sometimes with 5 to 6 patients it's really tough! I feel your pain. The only thing that kept me sane my first year is that I had such a level-headed preceptor, the same one, day-in and day-out, that had no problem answering all my questions during a 12 week orientation. I made sure to ask questions about my hospital's orientation and expectations during the job interview (I had heard horror stories from other new grads). Anyways, don't feel bad at all! Just take this experience and learn from it! The first year is the hardest, and mine was an emotional roller coaster for sure! I had two nursing instructors myself that told me I should quit school and save myself the trouble. But I ignored them and pursued nursing anyways, and there's nothing in this world I'd rather do! :) I love it!

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Just FWIW.... if you resign, you get no unemployment benefits. You still might not, depending on the validity of their reasons for wanting you gone. But, if you quit- you give up any chance of getting benefits.

Nobody wants to be fired- but there will be opportunities to be hired even if you've been fired. A LOT of nurses have been canned somewhere along the line (or asked to leave). And if you're young and new to full time employment, nobody tells you this.

Agree w/not complaining about your employer at work...not a good move. Learn from it and move on :)

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Just FWIW.... if you resign, you get no unemployment benefits. You still might not, depending on the validity of their reasons for wanting you gone. But, if you quit- you give up any chance of getting benefits.

Nobody wants to be fired- but there will be opportunities to be hired even if you've been fired. A LOT of nurses have been canned somewhere along the line (or asked to leave). And if you're young and new to full time employment, nobody tells you this.

Agree w/not complaining about your employer at work...not a good move. Learn from it and move on :)

I think the stigma of having been terminated - a question on just about any employment application that I see nowadays - is worse than forfeiting unemployment benefits; OP didn't earn money prior to this job, and may not have worked there long enough to be eligible anyway, so I think she did the right thing by resigning (and doesn't need to explain that she was asked to do so).

DeLana

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
OP I know 20 year veterans that would sink and drown in sea of 7-8 patients on a Tele floor.

Just awful.

I know - that's what I was thinking too. I would hate the thought of trying to work on a tele unit and care for 7 or 8 pts. I did tele for some time before transferring to the ER but I am glad that I never had to handle a load like that.

To the OP, I'm sorry ur having to deal with this, good luck, and hold ur head up - u will find another job, hopefully a better fit for you.

Anne, RNC

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Specializes in Cardiac, PCU, Surg/Onc, LTC, Peds.

I just want to throw out the idea that not everyone is cut out for acute care. Not saying this is true in this case b/c I've never worked with the OP. I don't know what the atmosphere was like. But i do know it's not always a 'toxic' environment, the new employee plays an important part to their outcome.

It's time to quit blaming others and take responsibility for our actions or lack of.

Flame away ;)

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Which state are u in? The ratio of 7-8 patients per nurse sounds unsafe. In California, the tele floors are 4:1, and sometimes 3:1, depending on acuity. Sounds unfair to expect a newgrad to jump into the deep end with not much training.

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I will be honest. I worked at a local hospital way back in 1993 when I graduated. They were brave enough to hire me with my IP. I was taken in, given full time day shift on the unit NOBODY wanted to work. COPD/AIDS unit. It was hard, everything was a train-wreck and I swear, we go the poorest, most none compliant indigent people the city could offer. It's just the kind of clients and patients we serviced.

My days were 12 hours, and I was always given 4 patients to start and usually an admission during the shift. I NEVER was given a CNA. The ONLY RN who got that luxury was the same ones. Yet, I was the new grad. Majority of my patients could not get up on thier own, had mental issues, wore restraints, or were very very sick AIDS patients. The worst ever.

One shift I had given 28 medications ivp, ivpb on my 4 patients. Is that looney? yes. I literally was using a linen cart to hold the meds as I did my 1600 rounds. I was written up because I forgot to sign off a IVPB but positive it was given. I was reprimanded by my nurse manager, and I can tell you my patients were the sickest highest acuity on the floor. Unlike the COPDS who were walky talkies given to the same RN's who had the CNAs. I was doomed. I was thinking "TIME TO GO BACK TO RESTAURANT I HATE NURSING". I had 30 days of training and then pushed out on my own!! I was a NEW RN!! On a very hard unit.

I should say that I was written up as well for not changing the linen on a bed I spilled rifampin on. I spilled a nice orange circle on the patients bottom bed sheet. This young man was actively dying from AIDS. Was on a 100% non rebreather and had horrific moments of dyspnea and desat ( low 02 numbers ) and went cyanotic when I turned him. I did not change the bottom sheet. I instead neatly tucked a fabric pad , the kind we use to move patients with under this man who was actively dying. THE NIGHT SHIFT FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO WRITE ME UP. Welcome to the cut throat world of the new grad. They felt I was "lazy" and left the mess for them. How about the patient was dying, leave the drawsheet alone. Does it matter there is a stain on the sheet? To them it was worth an incident report.

I was blessed.. I was hired at a posh hospital in a fancier side of town and they had an IV team. I use to draw blood, start iv's and do all the central line care on those AIDS patients. This was heaven.

I gave notice at my hospital. My manager was not thrilled with me. About a week into my notice I was called in her office mid shift. Night shift found a d5ns vs. a d5.45ns hanging on one of my patients. yes a med error. I was asked to resign, hey, I don't mind, I am leaving this heep. I didn't cry. I though happy thoughts and enjoyed the week off.... before I started my new job.

Saying this. I learned some hospitals hire new grads and put them on units nobody else wants to work give them shift nobody else will take, and in some cases do not provide the training or positive environment needed to nurture the new RN.

I left the hole and fell into a hospital that never had issues with me, never had the same "safety concerns" that the hole did and fostered learning and support. I lasted there over 5 years.. odd how I flourished here and not there.

a hospitals are not all the same. Dont' feel bad. I was ready to leave nursing after being asked to "leave". Imagine that?

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I agree with others that it's a bit premature to suggest that someone is not cut out for acute care because of one bad experience in a toxic hellhole (which the majority agree OP's unit was).

OP, please don't be discouraged, I know this is a horrible introduction into our fine profession (note the sarcasm here - other professions, notably medicine, would never treat their new practitioners the way too many nurses treat their own). But there are better places out there, and you will find an employer that appreciates you.

Best of luck to you,

DeLana

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Don't give up. Take that experience as a lesson and know you are worth more than that. Dust your shoulders off and look forward. You are technically still a new grad. You can choose to share in your next interview you had some training or not share. Wish you the best of luck

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Is there a mechanism for reporting this type of hospital behavior? Are they possibly seeking magnet status? I would think that the magnet accrediting agency would find their behavior quite interesting. Hospitals seem to be obsessed with things like magnet status, so I think we need to push for things that are actually relevant to patient safety and fair treatment and orientation of nurses to be INCLUDED in magnet consideration!

I really think we need to advocate for relevant, thorough, and safe orientations for new hires. It appears that many hospitals are not self-motivated to hold this value. That is why we may need to advocate for the inclusion of this issue in quality measures that are tracked by the JC and for punitive action against hospitals that do not hold this value.

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Specializes in AGNP.

7-8 patients on a tele unit would have sent me running for the hills. We get 4-5 patients and some days getting that 5th patient makes me want to rip my hair out. It's even crazy to me that our med/surg units take 7-8 patients.

You are going through a hard time now but this may be better for your mental health and nursing license in the long run!

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Specializes in Cardiac, PCU, Surg/Onc, LTC, Peds.
I agree with others that it's a bit premature to suggest that someone is not cut out for acute care because of one bad experience in a toxic hellhole (which the majority agree OP's unit was).

OP, please don't be discouraged, I know this is a horrible introduction into our fine profession (note the sarcasm here - other professions, notably medicine, would never treat their new practitioners the way too many nurses treat their own). But there are better places out there, and you will find an employer that appreciates you.

Best of luck to you,

DeLana

So if you reread my post on pg 3 you'll see I was just throwing an idea out. I don't believe anyone else said this. I think it's premature to say 'oh what a toxic unit, those mean nurses eating their young'..... how can we know how this unit really was like.

Always ask staffing ratios at your interview and expectations for orientation process. A new grad wouldn't necessarily know to do this but if the OP had than she could have turned down this job with horrific ratios.

And I'm just saying not everyone is cut out for acute care, it's not a crime and I didn't say that specifically about the OP. Thank you.

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