Onerous Onboarding With Nasty Nellie, The Job That Lasted a Week

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Has anyone noticed that the "onboarding" process today has changed drastically from yester-year? I seem to remember the big "welcome aboard" parade of papers, events, appointments , all with a cheer, a smile, and sometimes even a mug full of lifesavers. Because that is what we are. A process by which a new nurse is welcomed to the employ of the hospital, in a "we're happy to have you" schedule of events, days of classroom orientation, videos, catered lunch, and then off to our units to be what we are, spectacular nurses.

Fast forward to 2018, when I accepted the job from (you know where) . The hurdles I had to jump through for this job were higher and larger in number than any other place I had ever worked. It was a Behavioral Health facility. One thing I learned (I should have read the employee reviews PRIOR to taking the job) is that when the Onboarding process is toxic, so is the job. The job lasted a week, and here's why:

The big warm "welcome" from this facility was done by an "Onboarding" department, separate and distinct from Human Resources. I later realized that the "onboarders" who worked in the "Onboarding" department have a vested interest in constant employee turnover, to cement their cushy M-F office jobs. So it is not hard to see why continual employee turnover was in fact, caused by the "onboarders."

After a week of having it drilled through my head of 20 ways to Sunday employees will get fired here, and just dying to hear 6 ways to Monday , how we will be successful, me and four other colleagues decided to dump the job, mid-show. There were 25 of us this month. Last month there was 28. All in, they were the most negative bunch of sour puss employees I have ever seen on a "welcome wagon". One was repeatedly cursing as she gave her segment on day 1 and day 3. Another was dressed in a tie-die T-shirt, and a nose ring. A couple of others could not be bothered troubleshooting the computers we had to use for 3 days to complete the online drills. Oh, yours doesn't work? That's not my job.

So my point in all of this is, when we see Negative Nellies at the front door, sometimes we become them. They tend to have a trickle down effect. I have no regrets that I left before I actually started. I don't think the other 3 did either.

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been there, done it. Not "onboarding, but after a weekend. There was no way I was staying.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

OP, I'm sorry you're so unhappy/disillusioned with nursing. I hope you find something that brings you joy.

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Yes, I try every day. Its a huge undertaking. Thanks

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

Girl, did we onboard at the same hospital?

One presenter said "I see you all just parked wherever you felt like it?" Well, yeah, because we didnt have any directions on where to park. "Well guess where we want you to park tomorrow? Guess. That's right, in the back!" Her tone was shockingly rude. I'll never forget it. I was thinking, have I made a mistake? When I got to the unit, it was worse.

Compare that with the orientation I got for the hospital I teched at. I felt really blessed and appreciated. I was excited to join the team. Just a way different experience. My department was the same.

So, yeah you probably dodged a bullet.

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3 hours ago, FolksBtrippin said:

Girl, did we onboard at the same hospital?

One presenter said "I see you all just parked wherever you felt like it?" Well, yeah, because we didnt have any directions on where to park. "Well guess where we want you to park tomorrow? Guess. That's right, in the back!" Her tone was shockingly rude. I'll never forget it. I was thinking, have I made a mistake? When I got to the unit, it was worse.

Compare that with the orientation I got for the hospital I teched at. I felt really blessed and appreciated. I was excited to join the team. Just a way different experience. My department was the same.

So, yeah you probably dodged a bullet.

One place I worked had employee parking that required you to arrive a full 30 minutes prior to shift b/c the time it took to walk, elevator, then clock in on time. 30 min on way in, and 30 min on way out. Thats 1 hour non-compensated, not including commute time.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

Considering that in most areas there is not a shortage of nurses, but a huge glut, with many new being pumped out regularly, they will just say bye, and hire the next fresh face that applies. They can get new grads for a song, unlike 20 + years ago when I started and there was actually a shortage, with 10 employers begging for my presence. Those days are gone, and I think that the overage of nurses was planned for by the industry for just this reason. I'm lucky that I have a good situation, but many of my other friends are stuck

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33 minutes ago, Hoosier_RN said:

Considering that in most areas there is not a shortage of nurses, but a huge glut, with many new being pumped out regularly, they will just say bye, and hire the next fresh face that applies. They can get new grads for a song, unlike 20 + years ago when I started and there was actually a shortage, with 10 employers begging for my presence. Those days are gone, and I think that the overage of nurses was planned for by the industry for just this reason. I'm lucky that I have a good situation, but many of my other friends are stuck

Yes, its going on here as well. They have their pick of the litter, with the scale tipped so far in favor of the employer that the HR Depts that I have dealt with are some cross section of unhelpful and condescending to just plain nasty. One employer even opened up a 4 inch thick file of nurse resumes and began picking through them, while I was sitting in front of her for an interview. We have become such a dime a dozen that my job would be more secure, if I were a CNA or a Secretary. I'm headed out of the profession, and cannot wait until I can do it for good, and never look back.

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Every year more nurses graduate. It is not making a huge difference in the "nursing shortage". I feel it is keeping our pay rate low and making it easier for places of employment to abuse us. Things are so insane with the quitting and firing that many nurses end up being trained in short-staffed enviornments that will most likely cause their training to be screwed up. How can a charge nurse train a nurse when they are so busy trying to run the unit? Other people on the unit are not an option because they are too knew an inexperienced. It is a sad state of affairs and I don't think it will get better any time soon.

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13 minutes ago, Workitinurfava said:

Every year more nurses graduate. It is not making a huge difference in the "nursing shortage". I feel it is keeping our pay rate low and making it easier for places of employment to abuse us. Things are so insane with the quitting and firing that many nurses end up being trained in short-staffed enviornments that will most likely cause their training to be screwed up. How can a charge nurse train a nurse when they are so busy trying to run the unit? Other people on the unit are not an option because they are too knew an inexperienced. It is a sad state of affairs and I don't think it will get better any time soon.

Quitting and firing nurses are the best parts of the day for the corporate fat cats at the top of the company. I picture them all sitting at a $25,000 table in a conference room, with gourmet coffee and the best pastry money can buy, in a penthouse style office building in a sky scraper, laughing like hell, that they never actually have to pay benefits because turnover is so fast.

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Specializes in Pediatric Specialty RN.

How many threads can one person start that basically say "I hate nursing and all of you should too"? Asking for a friend....

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40 minutes ago, Nurse Magnolia said:

How many threads can one person start that basically say "I hate nursing and all of you should too"? Asking for a friend....

Since you are a brand new grad, and have not started your job as of yet, you are in a prime position to take good notes during your onboarding into the Allegheny hospital that just hired an ADN into the NICU. I'll be looking forward to you writing a topic on how well it went, or didn't go.

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