Newly Qualified Blues?!

[JennyNewbieRN]

Hi all, just looking some advice/to have a rant!

I'm a newly qualified nurse in the UK, and have been qualified/working on an acute medical ward for just over 3 months. I am not loving it to say the least! I'm struggling with the high patient ratios (between 10 and 14 patients per nurse and nursing assistant), the responsibility, having to constantly rush to get tasks done, and feel like I'm out of my depth most shifts. Some of the staff are nice, others not so much. Everyone keeps telling me it's normal to struggle for the first year, but I feel like it shouldn't be normal to cry at the thought of going to work and to feel so sick with nerves that I can't eat?!

At this point, I just really want to quit, but am scared it'll look terrible on my record, like I'm a quitter/failure/job hopper/can't handle the realities of nursing. To be honest, I just don't think ward nursing is for me. My final placement was also an acute medical ward (though it was better staffed than my current one), when I left my mentor gave me a lovely reference and said I'd make a great nurse, and I just cried because I realised that I didn't want to work on an acute ward. It's great experience, but I hate having the constant juggling of patients, stress and interruptions, and think maybe I'd be better suited to a none ward setting, such as a day case or clinic setting. I know all areas of nursing are stressful in their own ways, but I had a few placements as a student which I could see myself working in and being alot happier/calmer than I currently am.

So what I'm wondering is has anyone else quit a job shortly after starting, and how did it affect you when you had interviews for other jobs?

And should I try to stick this job out until I have another job lined up, or should I just hand my notice in next week as it is making me miserable?!

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

You're right when you say that the first year as a nurse is generally pretty rough. I'm not from the UK so I don't know what normal nurse to patient ratios are, but those ratios aren't really manageable for an experienced nurse, much less a new grad, particularly if they are high acuity patients.

I'm normally one who says that if you've been working as a new grad for just a few months to stick it out for awhile longer to give yourself some more time to settle into your role as a nurse. It takes time to get comfortable in that role and have less anxiety prior to work and to not be so blue after work, but those are some sucky ratios. One thing I will say: never leave a job without having another one lined up. There are exceptions to that rule, obviously, but in this case if I were you I would stick it out and be applying to other jobs if you are that unhappy in your current job.