FlyingFishofFury

So I've been an RN for close to 2 years now and while the hospital I'm working at has a lot of faults, I genuinely like my coworkers and enjoy working with them. I get along with everyone and I always try my best to stay positive and helpful. I've always prided myself on never bringing a sour attitude to work. Thats why I was shocked and very surprised when the director of my unit contacted me stating that she had received a complaint concerning my attitude at work. The complaint hadn't even came from one of my fellow nursing coworkers, it had come from a phlebotomist. I was very upset by this because the phlebotomist who had complained was someone I had held in high regard and liked. She was always very cheerful and likable and I always initiated conversation with her since she was easy to approach with her bubbly personality. She was the very last person I had expected to complain about me so it sort of felt like a betrayal. The complaint itself was something so trivial it felt unjust. She had complained that when she asked me to draw from a PICC line that I had presented myself as annoyed and irritated and asked rude questions. I remember that day clearly and while it was busy, I didn't mind drawing from a PICC line. It was my patient after all. She was mostly offended when I asked why phlebotomists at our hospital weren't allow to draw from PICC lines and if other Phlebotomists at other hospitals could do it. Having never worked at another hospital I was genuinely curious regarding our hospital policies. She didn't seem to take offense and even answered me cheerfully stating that they weren't even allowed to carry NS flushes. I honestly meant no offense when said I thought it would be pretty cool if they started training the phlebotomists at our hospitals to draw from PICC lines. I just wanted her to know that I knew how inconvenient it must have been for her to have to hunt down an RN every time she had to draw from a PICC when were always so short staffed. I spoke from experience of the frustration I often had trying to find help changing a patient at busy times of the night when it was hard to locate another nurse for help. She even laughed and agreed that it would be easier. I just wish she would have gone to me with her problem and told me to my face about how I had offended her instead of going behind my back and taking it to the director. I can't change anything and what frustrates me the most is that the complaint was uncalled for. I had no negative feelings towards her, I wasn't annoyed at the situation, and all I wanted to do was initiate small talk like we always did when I saw her drawing blood. I never felt like I had deviated from a professional manner for after all, I was wondering aloud ways we could improve our hospital and the quality of our patient care. How are her feelings regarding the situation and genuine questions in any way my fault? My main question is, will this complaint be considered a write up and stay permanently on my record? The director did have me sign the copy of the email she received as evidence that I had received it and she had spoken to me about it. what happens next?

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice. All of you have really helped me explore my options before making a decision. As my friend is good friends with the recruiter and has already told her that i'm very interested in the position she has to offer, I've decided that i'm going to do some research, talk to her about the position and then apply if I like the offer. After reading all of your advice, I've decided it would be in my best interest to wait until it's confirmed that I have a position before turning in a 2 week notice. As my mother has always taught me to never burn my bridges, i'll try my best to be diplomatic about leaving but i'm afraid resentment at the severe understaffing problem might make any diplomatic efforts futile. With any luck, my coworkers will be understanding. Thank you again for all of your encouragement! I probably never would have made it through nursing school without this site to be honest.

So....after all the blood, sweat, and tears of nursing school and the NCLEX, I felt like I had finally won the war only to realize I had drastically underestimated the enemy and that I had only won half the battle. This first year of nursing has proven to be the hardest and most grueling time of my life, more so than even nursing school. Why did no one bother to prepare me for that? A little warning would have been great. Anyway, I landed a job on Med/surg at the hospital I completed clinicals at thinking I knew what to expect. I've been there for 3 months and just now got off orientation and I still hate it. (an actual picture of me waiting for it to get better) I still don't feel prepared to take on patients alone without the guidance of a preceptor but they are determined to throw me to the wolves in order to solve their severe understaffing problem. I feel like i'm walking on egg shells every day and I can tell the other nurses get annoyed at me when I ask questions, make mistakes (happens frequently i'm afraid) or beg them to interpret the doctors terrible handwriting for me. (Is there some unspoken rule amongst doctors that all orders must be scripted in unsightly and half assed cursive?) It doesn't help that I've had three preceptors all of who had different ways of doing things and then when I do something one preceptor showed me, the other one berates me for doing it that way which ultimately leaves me confused and angry. My current preceptor's stand point is it's either her way or the high way and I struggle with this as I was always taught that we all have our own set routines and that when I find mine, things will get easier. Thing is, every time I find one that works for me, my preceptor scolds me in that condescending way of hers until I'm forced to set a routine similar to hers. In other words, all of this adds up to one big giant **** storm of annoying. I hate my job, i'm stressed out every single day, and I feel like the hospital I work at is ****. which leads me to my next point. I'm considering putting in a 2 week notice and leaving all together to go to another better hospital further down the road. I have two really good friends who work there whom I finished the hell of nursing school with, both of which have just finished orientation there and rave about how great it is. They tell me that the recruiter told them that there are two spots available on their floor for nights and I'm seriously considering applying. Thing is, I'm not sure if that's a wise decision or not. I'm a new grad and it doesn't exactly look great in an interview when I have to explain that my previous work environment sucked (I have never understood why interviews want you to be honest but lie with excuses to cover up negative honesty. It's like saying "we want you to be honest.....but we also want you to pretend that nothing negative has ever happened to you in your previous work environment because we both know that's ********." It's also not exactly becoming when they see that I'm looking for another job only days after orientation ended. I would also feel really bad about having to turn in a 2 week notice and let my team down and everyone else counting on the hospital to finally being properly staffed. I would really love to just call in a say, "yeah...i'm not doing this **** anymore" but logic tells me that wouldn't look great to future employers so i'm considering a 2 week notice. That means suffering under the scrutiny and judgmental resentful gazes of my coworkers for two whole weeks until i'm finally free to leave. Has anyone had similar problems? Would turning in a resignation now just out of orientation put a red stamp on my resume forever? and what are some good things to say during an interview about why I left my previous employer? How do you even begin to sugar coat that? I'm just really confused and lost right now. I went two years through nursing school feeling like everything would all be better and worth it when I graduated and made it to the field but now I feel like i'm only even staying in this profession so all that work and money I invested into it doesn't go to waste. I feel like my only option is to switch to another more organized hospital that will hopefully change my way of thinking. should I stick the year out or should I try my luck with the hospital with better offers?