new grad w/ precepting problems _what to do now?

[Wave]

Hello everyone,

In need of some good advice and some consolation. A little background:

In June, graduated, took the boards and started on what I thought would be my dream job on a tele/ cardiothoracic unit. On Mon, I had my second "big" mistake. I was off on Tues anyway, but was asked to take some time off. Now, after being on the floor for eight weeks, I have essentially been asked to find another place to practice nursing. I'm not fired, but if I don't leave then this incident will be considered a 2nd/ written warning. I can't transfer to another dept because I haven't been at my current position for six months. My managers and preceptors just seem to feel that I couldn't handle the stress and wasn't able to multi-task enough.

Anyway, the point of the post is I'm to come up with my list of "other" (non-inpatient unit) jobs where I could work. So, although I'm crushed, it does seem like management is still trying to work with me. Problem is that all the other positions I considered needed at least one year of med-surg or are specialized areas of nursing. (ex.: or nurse, first assist, wound/ ostomy care) A friend suggested being an admission nurse. In school I was thinking of going for NP, now I wonder if I even made the right choice to be an RN. (Still licking my wounds a little, I guess)

Any and all advice appreciated

~Wave

[Wave]

Anybody?

[ehooper80]

I guess I'm a little confused... do you have to take a non-inpatient-unit job to stay with your current employer? Or are you just looking for one of these positions on your own?

[cama]

Hello,

I passed the RN exam this summer, and I was not able to find a job in the hospital. I send resume online and also I went in person . However, I feel like I missing something and I don't know what. Any suggestion will be appreciate.

[Wave]

It's not "no contact with in-pts" so much as it's no bed-side nursing. I don't know what management plans to offer and I would like to have some input. There is a clinic next door w/ doctor's offices and out-pt testing. That may be one of the choices. For all I know, there may be only one "option", "take-it or leave-it". I had never considered anything else besides bed-side nursing and, at least at this facility, my current manager would be "very candid" if any other in-pt units (i.e. bedside nursing) were to ask about me.

On an emotional note: My wife was watching one of those reality T.V shows (where someone gets voted out by a panel of experts/judges). As I walked in the room, one of the contestants was eliminated and I turned to my wife and said "I know exactly how that feels!" Depressed, humiliated, embarassed, a little dazed. I guess at this point I feel like I'm damaged goods and feel that where ever I go I'll be dragging this around with me.

[weirdRN, RN]

Wave,

I have had a similar experience with the bedside nursing. Only thing is, I have been out of school for 2 years. I was a CNA and an LPN before I became an RN.

I went into long Term Care at first. I love the older geriatric population. At my first job, I stayed for about a year. I realized that management wasn't backing me up or thinking of me or my family. I was often mandated to work over. I made several mistakes that were found, and sent on to my supervisor. Basically, I was suspended for missing an accu check that I did not do because the resident had already eaten lunch. I felt attacked and instead of fighting back, resigned. I was really depressed over it. I thought maybe I just need a diff environment so I tried Corrections Nursing. That did not work out so well either. What a nightmare. You have to be one tough cookie to work in corrections. My hat is off to those that do.

So finally I tried acute care nursing. The environment was toxic from day one. I had a rough time fitting in there. During my preceptorship, the pace was deliberately slow. The most I ever had was 5 patients. And the assignments felt like they were busy work more than really needed acute care work. After I finished my preceptorship, I was accused of cutting a skin tag off a man. The truth was that I was scratching his back for him and my fingernail caught on the skin tag and it tore. So I put a bandaid on it and left it alone. I should have filled out an incident report or told the charge nurse, Something. Anything would have covered me better than the nurse who came behind me and said that I cut it off. Then there were complaints that I was slow getting things done. Nurses can only work as fast as the Pharmacy allows when it comes to nomograms and heparin.. Then one morning I misread a Heparin nomogram and so did the RN checking it with me. When I went to ensure my paperwork was properly filled out later, she had gone home for the day and I was left holding the bag for that error. The Charge RN took it to our NM who put me on probation for 1 month. During that time I had no complaints and no mistakes. Then a week after the probation time was up, I had a bad night. I had seven patients and two went bad. and Three got pretty much neglected all night because of those things. So I was let go.

I stayed with that health system and went to a Long Term Care Position. Because that facility had G tags in their last state audit three months before, I felt my prescence would be helpful, useful, productive. Well, to begin with, I was to be precepted by an LPN who had not been out of school six months. She watched everything I did and reported on it to another LPN, who Reported to the DON. When I was confused about the system for filing resident charts and couldn't make sense of it, I was said to have the attitude that everything needed to change. That kind of nasty malicious gossip was passed on and around until it made me sick. The kicker was this last weekend. The LPN wanted to give an IM to a 98# female who had no muscle mass or fat an IM with a 21g 1 1/2 needle over her hip bone. When I questioned her about getting a smaller needle, to she got really angry with me. Told me to do it myself. When I talked to this woman's POA, he did not understand why an IV was being put in, stated he did not want his mother in any additional pain, but did not want to prolong her life. I explained that his mother was actively dying and that it most likely would not be long before she went no matter whatwe did. He said no to all the interventions that the MD had ordered. When I let the LPN know all of this she said that I didn't know what I was talking about and that I needed to go call the MD and tell him all this. So I did and called the DON while I was at it. When I came in on Tuesday, I was let go for treating the LPN's like they weren't real nurses and having the attitude that I was going to change everything.

But the nightmare still isn't over. apparently when my references and employment were checked I had a negative employment reference. So now what do I do?