FromNH2VAwherenext

An expressive aphasic pt who just answered yes/no to neuro ck questions (even open-ended...) said "You're a good nurse" spontaneously at 0400's ck!! WOW!! Grammie, the RN was comin' through, I think.

e faiKeep the faith! I finally got a job "back home" in NH. My first RN job only lasted 60 days (out in AZ). I FINALLY landed a job back here after actually getting denied (after a phone interview). Funny thing is, I accepted a part-time, temp position back doing secretarial work which I'd done before I went to nursing school full-time. Once I made some contacts, I got a job within 6 weeks. I'm now going to be attending a new grad residency program next week -- at thne same htospital hat I was originally turned down from! Go figure! I've also been volunteering in the health care field associated with the hospital; so it can't hurt! Networking is everything these days! PM me if you want.

I think we do this to ourselves because we're forced into it, honestly. As a "new grad" who has been through the ringer already (can you say job hopper?!) -- 1 RN job lasted 65 days; the next "grad extern" job could have been better, but the ******* on the floor I was at and the Nurse Manager were already making it a difficult environment even before I started work as a nurse. A main reason for the "hopping", and one I've been highlighting in cover letters is that I missed my family and support system "back East." It's hard enough being a new grad in a familiar environment, nevermind a strange city!! Anyway, now I'm back home and I can't get a job at any of the local hospitals... the teaching hospital is no longer taking new grads -- their internships are all full; the community hospitals all want experienced RNs for part-time or per diem... SOooo I have been looking for "alternative" nursing positions throughout New England... all of the ones I've seen so far that seem interesting (clinic RN, triage RN, Case Manager, pt educator, etc. require 2-5 years of floor experience. We're forced to do the med/surg thing -- it's a catch-22 we're all facing... guess I should learn to suck it up. I've been applying everywhere, even LTCs (which I thought I'd never do). I sure am glad I can VENT to / with ya'll!!

NC -- I knew from the start (or before school ended) that I didn't want to be a floor nurse -- most of my friends were in the same situation. The fact is, you've gotta "do your time." The professors were right as far as I can tell -- any non-floor job requires experience as far as the ads go. I have looked at clinic jobs and they are asking for LPNs and/or experience. I would LOVE a clinic job and have applied (and been rejected d/t lack of exper.). The other thing I wonder about is if I go directly into a clinic job will I loose my skills? Same thing with psych -- applied there and rejected. I think you are right -- try LTC! I have inquired about a local RN position advertised on the web. You're right -- FLOOR nursing isn't in my heart. If I *did* get another floor nursing job, I'd just have to suck it up for 2 years... until I can get my Master's and/or a position as a Patient Educator (or Navigator). I LOVE educating the public.

Here's my story. I'm a second-degree (first one in Elem. Education), "older" student who graduated in May 2008 (from a school in VA); passed NCLEX in July in NH (where I'm from originally) and went to "conquer the West" in Aug. It was a community hospital -- I thought I'd be good to start out with a small hospital and get my feet wet with less complicated cases. The hospital that hired me offered a relocation bonus; 6 weeks of training and a preceptor that preferred to play Suduku than to help me out. I quit before I was fired about 65 days -- my license was at stake! I soon learned that perhaps a teaching hospital would be the way to go after all. I applied and was accepted as a "Graduate Extern" at one in AZ and I'd join the ranks of the new grads this Feb. 2009. I worked there for 3 1/2 mos and that was a terrible experience, too -- travelers were 3/4 of the staff; Nurse Manager was a tyrant; NO support, etc etc. I was VERY unsatisfied there and saw the writing on the wall before I signed my life away to them (I had to repay the $6k relocation bonus from the 1st hospital and I didn't wanna have to do the same, but $2k more with THIS one). SO, I'm back home in NH and thought it would be easy to go back to work at the hospital that spawned me -- I was an outpatient scheduling secretary there for 5 years! I had a phone interview and I suggested that I wanted the hem/onc dept not that I wouldn't take med surg; just my preference... dunno if that and 2 RN-related jobs in 7 mos turned her off, but I never got a response. Yep, I sent a thank-you letter and follwed up after that with a voice mail to ask for feedback... didn't get any. Now I am looking at ANY job... part-time, temp, non-nursing... It's discouraging that I "made good" -- spread my wings and all that only to not be able to find a job back home in NH... I know a lot of ya'll are out there in the same boat. Here's my question -- asking for advice, too. Is it "beneath me" to apply for Tech positions at the hospital I want a job at? How about working at a LTC? Geez, I never thought I'd have to be stuck in a place like that, but times are tough! It's even more difficult for me cuz I know I don't want to be a floor nurse in the first place as a final step in a career path. I LOVE education / community health / psych... can't seem to find any of those type of jobs that don't ask for that 2 years of med surg / acute care. Also, my resume must look pretty rugged to anyone who looks at it... anyone know how to present yourself in a better light without lying about all of my "experiences?" Sorry about the rant and THANKS!!

I am very frustrated. My first and only RN job started in Aug and I quit before I was fired in Oct (65 very long days). It was at a fairly small, for-profit communinty hospital in AZ. My preceptor didn't do anything most of the time except for play Suduku and berate me in front of pts or other RNs. The interim NM who hired me liked me; however, the new one despised me for some reason... said I needed to get my act together and some people aren't meant to be nurses! I had only been there 4 weeks -- I was supposed to get 6 weeks of training (or more if I needed it). Soooo, I was hired at a teaching hospital nearby as a Graduate Extern in Nov. -- the next New Grad training period would start on 2/16... I didn't last that long. The NM was terrible -- she was hardly ever on the floor and when she was, it was just to tell us all how badly we were doing, what we needed to fix, how we could improve -- nothing positive. The floor was staffed with 3/4 (or more) travel RNs which was terrible for cohesiveness, teamwork, etc. They could care less -- they hated it there, too, but they didn't care b/c their 3 mos was up soon. There was a back-stabbing ****** RN that turned me in for doing something "beyond my scope" as a grad extern. I realized that at the time and I stopped myself; got another nurse (couldn't find her) and the pt was fine. The NM said she didn't trust my judgement and was getting ready to involve the RN Director!! I quit before I was under the microscope (and before I even became an RN on that floor!). Plus, I didn't need to repay $8K to get out of a contract that I had to sign as a new grad... I'd hafta work on that unit for 2 years or pay the $$$. There were no other units hiring new grads according to HR. I thought I could get a job back home in NH at the teaching hospital I used to be a secretary at... I had a phone interview for the new grad training program starting in July 09; I thought it went well, but they decided I wasn't a "good fit." I asked the RN Recruiter in a voicemail if she could elaborate / explain why I wasn't hired and I haven't heard back. In the meantime, I've applied to a psych nurse job at the VA and another Inew grad thing at a teaching hosp in VT... I have a phone interview next week with them. I haven't heard from the VA yet, but they're the gov't! I'm beginning to question myself and how my resume must look by now to recruiters. I know I have the knowledge, maybe not the organization / prioritization skills... I just gotta prove myself. My self-confidence was never very high, but it's pretty much at an all-time low now. Hints? Suggestions? Words of hope? Thanks for being here guys! Luvya!!

I just quit my graduate externship (between tech and RN) position in AZ at a teaching hospital for that reason... I knew I couldn't commit to 2 years and didn't want to pay back $4,000 if I couldn't stay in the same unit (not just the hospital) for 2 years. I'm from NH -- my friends and family are all there so it may be easier for me to "do my time" at DHMC. $15,000 is a LOT though! Is it a commitment to the floor or the institution? It's 2 years AFTER the internship, so 3 years?? Oy veh! Get ready to sign my life away cuz I just applied there!

Just an update for those of you who are interested... The major teaching & magnet hospital I applied for hired me, despite my "ordeal" with the first hospital (I was forced to leave after 60 days). I told the new hospital straight up (leaving out the blame and negativity) what happened with the old hosp. They hired me as a graduate extern 'til mid-Feb 2009; then put me with the new grad program from there. This orientation is 15 weeks and from shadowing on the unit, I think I'll have the support I need. It's a pay cut to be an extern, and I'm acting more like a tech but hey - I get experience on the unit (BMT/Oncology) prior to having the responsibility of an RN. :nuke: I start orientation next week (pending background checks of course). Thanks for all of your support through the rough times.

He said I probably should have included it on the application (not necessarily my resume). That said, I should mention it in an interview quoting "not a good fit." It's easier to do that rather than "stretch the truth" at first as in, I took a couple of months to get set up in AZ and get "caught" later. It's a fairly small city and I'm sure people talk! Hope that helps.

Me too! I was given the option to quit or be fired. It was a crazy situation all around, very similar to yours... including preceptor playing games on the computer, reading fiction, chatting with other RNs, taking breaks. The only time she "helped" me was to bag on me for not doing something right... and 9 times out of 10 I was literally "fixin' to get to it" -- like I grabbed a 2 mg syringe of Dilaudid out (what Accudose dispensed) and was getting ready to waste 1 mg, I just hadn't gotten to it yet (Accudose kicks you out after something ridiculous like 10 sec.s). One time, first time I went into a "contact precaution room" as a new grad and I forgot to put on gloves -- stuff like that. Anyway, I was informed that I don't even have to list this position on a resume or application, I'm checking on it with my Dad (a legal guru)... I hope this is the case cuz I've already applied to another RN position locally WITHOUT listing this job. I figure if they push as to what I did between graduation and now, I could A) "stretch the truth" and say I was taking the boards, moving, etc or B) say where I worked and that it "wasn't a good fit. Does anyone wanna contribute their 2 cents worth on this issue?

Hi, While I'm not one-eyed I *do* have a scarred optic nerve and retina (at birth); esotropia (cross-eyed kinda) and visual processing problems...I wear glasses or contacts 24/7 -- I don't drive. I definitely had a BIG issue with my vision at my last job (only lasted 60 days). Actually, I was gonna post my own thread, but since this one's here, I might as well ride the wave, right? Here's the deal -- the unit had Accudose (like Pyxis) and MARs (med admin records). I have always had problems tracking from one place/ thing to another (like copying notes from a blackboard). Even with glasses, I could see the board, but I wasn't able to process quickly I love Powerpoint presentations for that reason only . I've got the MAR in one hand and I'm trying to pick a med out of a pocket (there's about 100 pockets of different meds). First I hafta find which pocket -- they're numbered kinda funky-ly 1-25 upper left hand corner; 26-50 upper right; 51-75 lower left; 75-100 lower right. THEN I hafta compare the pt's dose with the dose the pills come in (twice the amount, 1/2, etc) by going back to the MAR. Accudose on my floor, anyway, times out after 10 sec. (or something really quick like that), so I grab a Dilaudid IV, say, and I hafta remember LATER to 1/2 it before I go into the pts room -- I can't prepare it then and there or else Accudose times out (and the RNs waiting in line for the 2000 or 2400 meds start getting antsy). My preceptor checked the drugs I pulled after I pulled 'em out of Accudose but BEFORE I went over them again and brought them to the pt's room. She saw this as errors cuz I hadn't finished prepping them... Does anyone have advice? Are there any other med admin systems out there that don't need a quick-fingered nurse pulling out meds? Pyxis is about the same way, but it didn't matter so much when I was only taking care of 1 pt, not 5 (and I know that's a lite pt load!). Med admin sucks for me and I wanna improve it; going slowly helps some, but then I get hung up checking and double-checking (triple checking!) my work which I know I won't have time for. Thanks in advance for your advice -- this board ROCKS! :loveya:

Here's the thing... My primary preceptor caught several potential med errors in my first couple of weeks of orientation so now she's super nervous /careful when I give meds to anyone (by rights, I know)... I, too, am cautious ;-) I perform assessments well, interpret labs, educate pts, etc -- it's just the meds. Last week, on my 4th week of orientation, I hung vanco without checking to see if a trough was ordered and/or drawn (day nurse said she *thought* she ordered it... I got busy and *ass*umed that she did and I hung the vanco right after the lab should've come... anyway, I ordered the vanco to be done prior to the next dose on my shift and THANK GOD it was in a therapeutic range; otherwise, I would have "had the wrath" of the infectious disease doc per my preceptor. The whole time this was happening, my preceptor did not gently remind me about checking for the order or if the lab was drawn... (I think *I'd* do that). I am not sure what to do -- on the one hand preceptor says I'm just like any other new grad and doing fine; on the other hand, I get her wrath for stuff that I feel like she could help me avoid. While I definately won't make the almost misses / mistakes again, I feel like my job is on the line. The unit has a brand new NM and apparently she's pretty harsh (to be nice). She had the day charge nurse call to set up an appt 48 hrs from the call for a 30 day eval (on day 6o!). I stayed late that next shift, she caught me in the hall and we had a spur-of-the-moment meeting. It was all about how I needed to improve, but without specifics; she said she'd check w/ my preceptor and Nurse Educator for some. I am 5 weeks into my job and I feel like ****. I feel like people on the unit are on witch hunts for the "weakest links" and I'm one of 'em. I've heard countless times from people on this board and other places that I need to "stick it out" on my first unit, but I'm worried about getting fired. I feel like I should quit before this happens. I don't feel safe to divulge this information / ask for suggestions from anyone on the unit -- I'm new to the unit and to the state (RN educator noted that and appreciated that fact). The hospital is for-profit -- could the NM be worried about profits and trying to find reasons to cull staff? Please help!! Feel free to PM me ;-) .

Yes, I just discovered it on my own about a week ago. You actually have to apply to join some of the groups; others meet 3 or 4 times a year and I've found a couple that go out to different restaurants together... great tip, BTW.

Hi, Anyone up for getting together to just chat -- about nursing, life, etc? I thought about taking a class through PCC, but my schedule is so erratic and non- dependable I don't think I outta sign up for classes (especially during orientation). I'm in the Northwest and work at Northwest Medical Center. PM me if you want... I'd love to "take in the sights" like Old Tucson Studio, Museum of Art or even a show with someone (or a group -- even better!). I like to walk, so if you're up for it, we could take walks, too. I'm a new grad and just moved here about a month ago and I'm feelin' a little lonely .

My LL Bean rolly backpack has gotten me through 2 years of pre-reqs, 2 years of a BSN program and still rollin'. The handle goes up and down and you can put it on your back. I think at the time it was $70, maybe you can get it through llbean.com?