newb

It is OK, sometimes it is hard to know what to do, especially when you are feeling overwhelmed or fearful. Yes it is also hard to start something new, finish school and join the "real" world, looking for jobs, deciding where you'd be a good fit, it is all intimidating; I know, I myself am a new grad (graduated in June). My very 1st RN job I was terminated after 6 days at a local hospital for really stupid reasons (see my blog Help! lost my 1st RN job) (sorry don't know how to do a link but if you care to find it just do a search) but it gave me a clear understanding of where or under what environment I DID NOT want to be in. Sometimes this is a start. From that experience and reflecting back on nursing school I think I figured out that I was tierd of excessively stressful environments. I have spent so much time stressed out, overwhelmed and trying to be absolutely perfect that I just cant do it anymore (besides school, and recent grad I am a single mom of three kids, this could have some to do with it). I am perfectly burnt out on high maintenance, high stress environments that make me feel bad, that I just don't want to do it anymore. So I have decided at this point in time to not apply or work at a hospital, but this is just my personal choice; I have always admired nurses who can do this kind of nursing and have always thought I wanted to be able to do the same things, until I realized that maybe it wasn't right for me, right now. I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes we really don't know what will be right for us, sometimes we find out by mistake what is right for us, hopefully you can figure it out with a little research and deduction. Have you thought about applying to a doctors office? They have advise nurse/triage, doctors assistance, outpatient care. Definitely do lot's of research into the company/ type of job duties first! find out job details (ie, what you would be doing, how long and what kind of training), and ask ton's of questions at the interview. Have you thought about a SNF? A SNF would allow you to use some of your skills more than just LTC, but still the training could be potentially short and most likely you would have to keep up on your studies your self. I also want to be a NP, but at the moment have burnt out from stress, however I still must get a job I just have learned that the right envir. makes all the diff in the worls. Hang in there, if you keep looking for the right thing for you, you'll find it. Also I don't know if you have your BSN or not but that also opens up the field of community nursing (health dept.) or corrections, school nurse, you name it. anyways I wish you the best, hang in there, you'll find what your looking for.

I would say file a grievance with the hospitals HR department. If you truly feel that you were unjustly let go then it might be worth it for you, it could also just go to def ears but then atleast you told your side. I would also say that I think your prev. empl. can not give you a "bad" reference if you were terminated for circumstances not pertaining to pt abuse/neglect/harm. I think legally all the NM can do is transfer an in-coming call from a potential employer to the HR department and then supp. HR can only say that yes you worked their as a RN from bla to bla. unless there was a known violation of pt rights or safety I really don't think they can say anything else, but if I were you I would give a call to HR and find out for sure. Make sure they know if it comes down to it that you will not except your reputation to be smeared for such an event. Hope you hang in there and eventually get something good from this experience which I am sure you will. It really doesn't sound like you want to work with such people anyway. Good luck!

Thank you for all your comments. As for the "mistakes" I made they were just silly little new RN mistakes that were based on trying to take theory to practice; such as, on the flow sheet were I would document a patients pain ratings, under description of pain I wrote what the pt said ie, "hurts." (ok, dumb) or one time I assessed my pt's pain location, description and behavior, but had to go back in the room to ask their pain number. To me just silly little things that, though may have been bad practice (if I would have let it continue), only adds up to inexperience or need for guidance and supervision. One time during my 1st full admit (which I hadn't seen since nursing school- hadn't even called the doctor with stand by assist yet) I missed a stat throat culture order for about 20 min's ago (my "preceptor" was the unit clerk, charge nurse and supposedly my preceptor this day, she would chime in every once in a while and tell me what to do, and the nursing manager of the unit was periodically following me around, interrupting my work flowtelling me what to do AND insulting me infront of the pt {She's new and has never done this before so I am here to make sure she does it right- there goes my pt rapor!}, I could hardly figure out what was going on with so many diff. people (not to mention the mean and inpatience Dr with HORRIBLE hand writing and the computer which didn't work!). I truly chop it up to poor and unstructured learning environment, Ofcoorifice I asked stupid Q's and made silly goof's but who hasn't, I did not hurt anyone- or even come close to that. I did learn some valuable lessons for myself and being a professional though that Iwill stick with me through life, so this is a very positive thing that I can take out of it. These nurses forgot the basic nursing elements of the nursing process as it applies to being a preceptor and teaching, ie, assess your pt's learning needs, DX learning needs, make a plan and structure WITH THE LEARNER, have a systematic way of teaching and THEN evaluate (which means= evaluate what needs to be done better, differently, re-inforced or if it didn't work re-start the process). Oh well- lessons learned, I will do better next time at picking were I would like to work. By the way for those of you wondering I was suppose to be in an internship that originally was promised to be 6 months in each unit (peds, NICU and mother/baby) which did seem to good to be true, but then from what I heard I would have been there for a total of 6 weeks before moving on, um not 6 DAYS and then training is over (before "training" began). I had general sit in a classroom hospital training (ie, meet the corporates, HR, computers/system) for 2 weeks before this. Also, yes, I definitely thought about filing a grievance and I will if they actually try to say that I gave unsafe pt care or somehow try to give a bad report and hurt my reputation; I did try to defend myself many times (talked to the nurse manager twice and then when I was terminated with the HR rep) with all their very untrue and very nonobjective accusations, but they did not care to listen. For now I am happy to be away from them and hopeful for the future. Again, thank you so much for your insight, it means the world to me and again re-affirms that in-deed there might be good people and nurses in nursing yet.

After 6 days of being on the pediatric floor of a local hospital as a new graduate RN I was terminated from my position. They were concerned about some simple mistakes I had made and said to me if I couldn't do my job now, how was I going to be when in 4 weeks from now when sensous went up. I was concerned that the training was instructed and based more on evaluating me where I was at verses training and teaching me for what I needed help with. The problem now is I am scared to death now that my career is over, i barely had any confidence to begin with and now I have none, without someone who believes in me I feel lost. I do not know what to tell my next employer if they ask why I left after 6 days besides, "It was not a good fit for me," which is really wasn't considering how I was treated, any advise I feel so devastated and don't know how to frame this in my mind. any helpfully advise? I have worked so hard to get to were I am and just want to be a great nurse, the problem is I don't even feel like a good or competent nurse now. Please advise. Thank you,