Hi all, here's my story: I graduated with an ADN December 2010. After months of searching and tons of rejections, I was finally hired in July, for a 12-week RN Residency with one of the largest hospitals in the region. I was put on the General Medical unit, and was told at the very beginning that d/t the client base, it was a very tough unit... "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere..." The bulk of the patients are AMS d/t acute etoh intoxication, IV drug abusers with recurring mrsa infected abscesses, transfers from SNF d/t AMS from UTI, diabetics who can't manage their disease, COPD'ers who still smoke, etc... And because most of the patients are medicare or medicaid, the reimbursement is low meaning the equipment is sub par and we were always understaffed...And you must have at least 5 patients to be allotted an NAC...
So, I completed the 12-weeks w/o any issues, errors, problems... I didn't love it, but it was a job and in this economy new grads can't afford to be choosy... I was hired to stay on that floor after the residency. Unfortunately, they were unable to put me in the 12-hr noc shift I was promised, with the other newbies. I didn't make any med errors, etc so they figured I could hang with the big kids and work evening shift, the busiest shift of the unit. The more senior nurses made it crystal clear that they didn't want a "baby nurse" as I was referred to... Nobody would help me w/o attitude and God forbid should I have a question... Anyways, 6 days prior to the end of my 6 mos probation, my manager told me it wasn't working out, the other nurses were c/o my inability to fit in with the team, that I acted like a new grad, asked too many questions and I even cried in the break room after my patient died.... She offered me the opportunity to quit, or else she was going to have to terminate me... So, I quit... I'm very disappointed... Any advice how to move forward from this?
Hi all, here's my story: I graduated with an ADN December 2010. After months of searching and tons of rejections, I was finally hired in July, for a 12-week RN Residency with one of the largest hospitals in the region. I was put on the General Medical unit, and was told at the very beginning that d/t the client base, it was a very tough unit... "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere..." The bulk of the patients are AMS d/t acute etoh intoxication, IV drug abusers with recurring mrsa infected abscesses, transfers from SNF d/t AMS from UTI, diabetics who can't manage their disease, COPD'ers who still smoke, etc... And because most of the patients are medicare or medicaid, the reimbursement is low meaning the equipment is sub par and we were always understaffed...And you must have at least 5 patients to be allotted an NAC...
So, I completed the 12-weeks w/o any issues, errors, problems... I didn't love it, but it was a job and in this economy new grads can't afford to be choosy... I was hired to stay on that floor after the residency. Unfortunately, they were unable to put me in the 12-hr noc shift I was promised, with the other newbies. I didn't make any med errors, etc so they figured I could hang with the big kids and work evening shift, the busiest shift of the unit. The more senior nurses made it crystal clear that they didn't want a "baby nurse" as I was referred to... Nobody would help me w/o attitude and God forbid should I have a question... Anyways, 6 days prior to the end of my 6 mos probation, my manager told me it wasn't working out, the other nurses were c/o my inability to fit in with the team, that I acted like a new grad, asked too many questions and I even cried in the break room after my patient died.... She offered me the opportunity to quit, or else she was going to have to terminate me... So, I quit... I'm very disappointed... Any advice how to move forward from this?
Thanks for reading!
I had a simular thing happen to me... I fought it and went to the DON and to the union. I got to keep my job and she "left" after being employed there for many years. All I know is where she is working I will never go... It is hard now working with my co-workers knowing that some of them don't like me and complained about me. I do what I have to and don't talk to anyone and then go home. There are a few that I trust and I make sure I work the days they are on in case I need help.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i was feeling rather sorry for you after reading your first post, but now a few posts down the line, the real story starts to come out. the complaints you brought to the manager could indeed be a reason for being fired. i'm not sure of the validity of any single complaint, but the fact that you made many of them in less than six months is a red flag. and as far as whether or not the manager followed up "appropriately" -- if she's doing her job correctly, you won't know whether she disciplined another nurse or not. the fact that you still saw that nurse at work every day does not mean that there was not appropriate follow up.
one thing i've noticed is that new grads seem to have an exaggerated idea of what needs to be "reported" and err on the side of over-reporting.
if you had a reputation of going to the manager with every little thing, that could account for the other nurses not liking you, and for you not fitting in.
Thanks Ruby Vee for your insight. I'm not sure how a red flag goes up, by my following the rules...doing the proper paperwork when something was done differently than the protocol requires... There is paperwork we were supposed to do... when the paperwork is filed, the manager is notified. It isn't as if I went into her office 'tattling' on the other nurses. I only filed paperwork when it was a patient safety issue, in order to cover my liability and my license... However, besides the blood incident, I only did the paperwork if it was an incident that occurred repeatedly... For example, if I get report on a patient whose reason for admission is mrsa infected stage III decub and the plan is pain control, IV abx and TID dressing changes... and low and behold, it's 1500 and the Pt hasn't had any dressing changes nor received 1200 IV abx, and this is the 3rd or 4th time from that same nurse... yup, gonna write it up.... Why? Because when it's time for a vanco trough to be drawn but the Pt is 2 doses behind and the doc calls the unit, mad and questioning me as to why stuff isn't done... I have proof that it wasn't my fault... So Ruby, I suppose, as a new grad, I was supposed to suck it up, and not only do the extra work that was left for me, but also cover-up/deny the fact that it had been left in the first place? Well, then, I suppose you're right. They didn't like me because I refused to just "bend over and take it..."
Dexter....it sounds like we work at the same place - I don't think we really do, but what happened to you - down to the words used "not working out" is the same thing that just happened to me. I never reported anyone for leaving me with tons of late meds, drsg chgs, etc. - I just did it - it was the asst mgr that for whatever reason hated me from day 1 - made reference to my age in the first 2 sentences she spoke to me...so I just "sucked it up" and went about my new nsg career....then she continued to write pure fiction in the new hire "progress reports." Nothing to do whatsoever with patient care - just that I had asked questions about how to do something when I'd "been told once before." You would think that a mgr, preceptor, asst mgr, whatever would WANT a new grad/nurse to ask before they do - but apparently I was wrong. And I'm not talking simple things - I would ask more than once when the occasion presented itself about things like a Heparin or Insulin drip...things I'd never done before - was shown, then when it would come up for the second time, I'd maybe ask another nurse if I was doing this or that right just to be SURE...anyway - I didn't respond too much to these lies, and they kept getting worse...more outlandish...like when a nurse pointed out something to me, I'd shrug my shoulders and say "so what." I can assure you, those words have NEVER come out of my mouth....again - the long and short of it is the last one accused me of asking questions and/or doing things when I WASN'T EVEN THERE....so when the mgr gave me the last one - I finally spoke up and said - "no, these things just aren't true." So I was told to "answer" the charges in writing. So I did. No embelishment or opinion, just facts...i.e. "not sure what this means because I wasn't working this night." Provable things - like I wasn't there, or a person I supposedly asked something of wasn't there that night....2 wks later I was called in in the middle of the night and told "it wasn't working out." Ironically 3 days before the probationary period is up.
I chose to make them fire me because nobody can tell me why it's "not working out." Oddly enough, they still haven't arranged the HR official "axing" yet...makes me wonder if they're busy trying to dream something valid up....who knows....what I do know is I'm really appalled, disappointed, and shocked - I always heard that nurses eat their young, but I guess I thought that was a nursing school myth....boy was I wrong...I never ever worked with a group of people that are so malicious, nasty, and dishonest to each other - makes me wonder if I wasted my money in school - I wanted to be a nurse - someone that CARES...and not just about the patients because you'd paid to....care about the fellow human - including other nurses...what a crock! I'm applying for a zillion jobs, but I have to say, after this experience, I'm wondering if I should continue to look in nursing....I know nurses that are happy - it just CAN'T be like this everywhere can it???
maejerri
4 Posts
I had a simular thing happen to me... I fought it and went to the DON and to the union. I got to keep my job and she "left" after being employed there for many years. All I know is where she is working I will never go... It is hard now working with my co-workers knowing that some of them don't like me and complained about me. I do what I have to and don't talk to anyone and then go home. There are a few that I trust and I make sure I work the days they are on in case I need help.