Oh boy. Let go from job... not sure if this is it. :(

[Epona]

Hi all. Well I have worked in two medical settings and had to resign at one job, and now tonight, was let go at another. AWFUL!!! I am told I am 'very smart' have an 'impressive educational background,' but cannot 'connect' to hands on clinical nursing. At both jobs, I have grown and gotten better, but not fast enough, etc. My husband tells me I am not cut out to be a RN. It's SO SAD... I did so well in school, graduated top in my class, and STINK in the real world. By the way, I went to a BSN program. SO... I have ALL THIS mental knowledge, but no real hands on experience. I am told I would be excellent in admin.

So now I have no job... it's the pits folks.

[Old.Timer]

"You have what it takes, you should never give up"

I see a lot of this sentiment on AN. Thing is, how do people know this? The only thing we have to go on is a posting. Not everyone can do everything, and sometimes people make career choices that are not a good fit. Sometimes "cheerleaderish, power-of-positive-thinking" philosophies do people a disservice...

A kudo was not nearly enough. THANK YOU THANK YOU !!

[canchaser, BSN, RN]

To JulieL, a LTAc is a long term acute care hospital. It's for patients that are trached, vented, extensive wounds, on cardiac gtts. These are patients too sick for nursing home Medicare beds but not sick enough for acute hospital care per Medicare/ insurance guidelines. An example is pt comes to hospital in resp failure gets vented but doesn't come off in typical 14 days. Gets a trache but still can't get off vent. Medicare will only pay for 29 days of hospitalization, then the hospital eats the cost after 29 days. So the pt moves to a LTAC , where the get more time to get off vent. Pt/ ot all the same services of the previous hospital. The longest I've seen a pt stay is 6 months.

[JulieL]

Canchaser,

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like a great place to see alot, but a very busy place for a new grad to work. Organization must be a big skill. Also teamwork and good communication skills.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

a kudo was not nearly enough. thank you thank you !!

at the risk of being called "mean" and a "young eater," i agree.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

What the heck? That's the saddest part of the post. It might be a lot easier to succeed if you could get some affirmation from the one person who should always be on your side.

Unless she's not cut out to be an RN. Would you rather he keep telling her she was, when it's obvious to them both that she isn't?

OP: I hope you find your niche. Have you considered doing something other than hospital nursing? Maybe look into school nursing or, as someone said, education or case management.

[NurseSnarky]

Am I reading that correctly? OP states that she is having a hard time "connecting the dots" in bedside patient care and you're suggesting the solution might be that she needs a more challenging department such as ICU ??

Those moving emoticons make me dizzy so I never use them but if I did, I would insert the shaking head one right here :)

Sometimes the issue is being able to balance multiple patients with multiple issues. ICU gives you 1-2 patients with multiple issues. The ER? That's multiple pts, multiple problems in a short period of time. That's tough.

I don't know...some posts are suggesting that "maybe" she's truly isn't cut out for nursing?? Those that weren't in my program didn't pass...even up to the very last day of the last semester. And then there's NCLEX. So she's working, she's passed school with flying colors, obviously passed NCLEX...she just hasn't found the type of nursing that fits her learning style. Book smart people learn differently. Well for that matter, people learn differently. She may need less patients in order to connect those dots.

[Dixielee, BSN, RN]

but if you cannot actually do nursing, you really ought not to be managing or teaching.

amen!! we need to post this in neon lights, bumper stickers, road signs and nursing websites!!

[OutspokenRN]

I can a lot of great advice has already been given. I especially like JDougRN (if remember his username correctly). If you did well in a BSN program and are a good student (and based on your lack of much good clinical experience in school-no uncommon with BSN programs) there is much hope for you. Do not give up after all that time/work/effort, despite your husband's comments.

There is, and has always been, a HUGE chasm between school and the real world. As a critical care RN and now a nursing educator (clinical mostly) I see it a lot. I think that is why so many progressive hospitals are doing a really slow, structured classroom/clinical nursing residency (like MDs do).

Not sure what area you were working in, but as other have suggested you have to WALK before you can RUN. I see many that want to jump into critical care or other specialty areas and they've barely done ANY of the basic skills. Do NOT go into education or start your MSN until you have "paid your dues" as a bedside RN. You will not "get" the MSN stuff without it, and as an educator NOBODY will respect you.

Last I read you were interviewing for an OR residency, which as someone pointed out, is great IF you really have an interest in OR. Bolster your confidence by taking other outside courses, like maybe ACLS, etc (as a new ED nurse I remember driving to another STATE just to take one of the first versions of PALS).

Best of luck.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Unless she's not cut out to be an RN. Would you rather he keep telling her she was, when it's obvious to them both that she isn't?

You're right. Basically, I assumed that she wasn't so bad that her hubby can make a determination about her aptitude for nursing presumably without actually being a nurse, without working beside her extensively and without letting her experience more than two nursing settings. If she was that bad, that's sad in itself, whether he's telling her that she's good or not.

[diva rn, BSN, RN]

at the risk of being called "mean" and a "young eater," i agree.

me too, how could anyone in a group of strangers know if someone is a "great, awesome nurse" or not! i see this sentiment a lot on this forum and every time, i cringe....it's nice, but so, so unrealistic! and it does inevitably come from the newbies or the students, or pre students or pre pre students...(yes, sign me up for two young ones, well done, to go!)

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Right about here.

This is where the weird judging always starts.

I place a hex on all you judging goody-goodies. May you all be told by your managers that you are no good and be let go ASAP.

Brian, you need to change the locks on the website so that these nurses can't come here for sympathy.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

It takes time and practice to master clinical skills. Some people learn more easily, more quickly than others. Just keep at it. Don't allow your husband's discouraging words to discourage you.

Maybe you're not all that interested in the type of Nursing you're doing?