kitty55

I saw alot of LPN's that were fabulous, competent nurses fail out of my program. There were also people that failed out of the program last semester. I made it through the program and did not pass my boards first time. IT DOESN'T MATTER. It has no bearing on what type of nurse your going to be. I have been told by nurses that I very much admired that they also had these experiences. Go for it!! Your in my prayers. You can do it!!

I was just hired in an ER where a friend of mine (also a new grad) works. I interviewed with the director and oh my goodness!!! she answered every concern I had with out me having to ask the questions!!! Their orientation is very strong and everyone works together. I had never thought about ER but it is a small community hospital that I feel I will get alot of experience. I am still a little nervous but am trying to put my old job/experiences behind me. I'll let you know how it goes!! I just told her in the interview that I had worked on the unit for 2 years and after a short stent of orientation I knew that was not a good fit for me. I said that I loved everyone I worked with and brought up none of the negatives. I am still very resentful for how they treated me. I still have friends on the old unit and a few others have left as well!! I spent alot of time in prayer over my job change and I am looking forward to FINALLY being able to work as a nurse. Hang in there!! There are TONS of people in our situation as many of my classmates have changed jobs as well. There is no sense in staying somewhere where they are not supportive...there are other places to go!!!!!

That happened to me as well. I graduated then our school required a HESI test before we could take boards. I took the HESI 3 times and still left about 10 out of 30 students STILL trying to get out of the HESI. The HESI people say if you make an 800 you can pass boards but my school said you had to make a 950...not 949 but 950. I took the boards and failed and then passed the second time. I was working on my unit for 2 years so everyone saw my struggles and it did effect my confidence and I did feel like people were judgemental. Long story short....hated it and am now looking for other employment. I agree that some of the best nurses I know did not pass boards the first time. Now I will start somewhere new where I can be looked upon as a new nurse without all of the baggage. Just see how it goes and do what is best for you. I stayed on my unit for 6 weeks (orientation was also shabby) but I stayed 4 weeks too long. Time for me to move on. Good Luck!!

I have been told it may be a plus. Irecognized that it was not a good fit and left and some would view it as honorable instead of staying and quitting after orientation. I have spoken with many many nurse friends, some of them have nursed for 25+ years and they all say don't worry about it. I found out after I left that a few new nurses on my unit had actually come from other units because it wasn't a good fit. Evidently their NM's helped them to find another spot. My NM is not doing that but I have no hard feelings. Everything happens for a reason. There are so many nurses that are in our situation....alot of them on this site. The stories give me hope and confidence that I made the right decision. Many have gone on to find a good fit and a fabulous preceptor. It was a nightmare for me because I truly loved the people on my unit. There were many on my unit that completely understood my dilemma. One nurse friend said "sometimes you have to try on a few pair of shoes to find one that fits." My fear is that this will happen again BUT I am stronger and wiser and I KNOW this is my calling. The trials will just make us stronger. Please let me know how the next job goes. When I interview I will just say it was not a good fit and not say anything bad about the unit or my preceptor. I believe from this site there are many many nurses that want to see us be successful.

I am 52 and thought the same thing. I have lived a full life and experienced many things but trying to find my fit has brought me to my needs. I agree, if the next place doesn't work then it wasn't meant to be and I am learning lessons along the way. AND as someone just told me "Sometimes you have to try on a few pairs of shoes before you find the right fit" This site is so helpful and I sooooo appreciate Brian stating it. A life saver. Alot of folks don't understand that have not been through it but other nurses do!!!!!

what is an infomatics spot?

Thank you southernbelle08. I now have a new support system on this site. I'm grateful for your response!

Thanks mysterious_one and Picurn74 My first real experience with my NM was my first meeting before orientation. She said off the bat she was going to cut my time because I had worked as an extern on the unit. I told her that I really wanted my full time and told her I had zero experience with IV's and asked if she could arrange for me to go to ER for a few hours because I had a friend that did this in her training time. She replied "Quit trying to be Super Nurse." I just knew this was an issue for me and to get more experience would have made me more confident. I had gone to the PCC week 2 and said that I needed more structured (interperation..less playing, someone to teach) and talked to the NM. She cut me off short and said that I was with who she wanted me with. A few weeks later I had to have some hours changed and worked with a WONDERFUL nurse and those 24 hours were the BEST of my orientation. This nurse said that she was there for me if I needed anything and she taught me alot and did not seem to mind that I was there. I again told the nurse manager how great those shifts were and she said the same thing. I was told I would have a weekly review. Never happened. When i asked 5 weeks into training for a review we all met and she said she was disappointed in my progress and that I was not doing as well as another new nurse that was already out of training. I was floored. My preceptor said nothing. Honestly my preceptor was shoe shopping and Myspace paging 8 out of a 12 hours shift or taking breaks and socializing. Everytime I would ask her about my progress she would say"don't worry about it" At our meeting I was asked how many pts. I was doing and I said 3 and she said you need to do 5. So the next week I went in and did 5 but told the preceptor I needed the computer and I thought I did fine. She would ask me if I needed help but I said No I would let her know if I did. The first weeks she would say "you do this and I'll do this and then we can be through. She rushed through the paper work and admits and discharges and I was trying to get as much as I could. I went to nights and the preceptor there was great. She said that she would talk to me each week and go over strengths and weaknesses and my stress level. i was floored. She also did my paperwork at the end of the week. She took the first 5 weeks of paperwork to my other preceptor to fill out. No paperwork was filled out on me and I got no feedback but by then i was behind and because I feel it was known that I had tried to change preceptor's the games began and EVERYBODY had an attitude about it. I made a final meeting with NM and said that I felt the feedback would have been enormous for me and she took the paperwork from the night preceptor and said that I really didn't have to see the paperwork anyway. I had asked repeatedly how the whole thing was suppose to work and was ignored and always told that I needed to know and do things on my own. I did not step up and really do because sometimes the people training me would be out all night and once with one hour sleep I didn't feel AT ALL comfortable being around that. My NM would have a list of every little thing I did wrong and I did not trust her enough to say what was REALLY going on. They kept saying you should already know all these things but yet I witnessed my preceptor doing things and handling things in a way I KNEW was wrong, wrong, wrong. Some of the other nurses on the floor said DON"T SAY ANYTHING BAD about my preceptor because it would cause me ALOT of problems. I had also heard this from my new graduate friends. As it turned out even saying I wanted to change preceptors because it "wasn't a good fit for me" caused enough of an attitute that to say anything else would have been suicide. I feel discounted, disregarded and really beat up on. I knew it was a no win situation. It was heartbreaking for me because i loved so many, many people on that floor. Many of them said that they would not want to be trained by who I had. I know there are people with different personalities and personally I liked this lady but don't share her lifestyle. I just wanted to be the best i could be but can't do that without support. I now have to decide where to go and have a friend at an ER that had a great orientation time with team/work and support. I really hope it is going to be different. My confidence was at an all time low but I'm ready to start again and just chalk it up to just a bad experience. I thank you both for the reply. I had no one really to talk to. I have wanted to be a nurse for years and years and finally went to school and made it. I know God has a place somewhere for me. I LOVE THIS SITE. You have been a life saver. You just don't know what it has meant to me.

Thank you so much for the reply. I am hoping the next job goes better. I have applied for DE and I have a friend there that says the training is wonderful and there is a clinical educator that will work with me.

I had been on the unit for a few years as an extern and recently passed boards and started orientation. I had talked with my director about preceptors in the months before graduation. She put me with a nurse and it was not working. There were alot of things that happened. Many I felt were serious but I have been told repeatedly that you NEVER, EVER say anything bad about another nurse because it could cause you major problems. :argue: I did not feel like I was given direction, my questions were ignored about the process of orientation and my training in general. and quite frankly some of the things I observed the preceptor doing were just WRONG. This nurse has a reputation for playing on the computer, not providing pt care etc more serious issues I will not mention. I think the NM HAS to be aware because I know of complaints in the past that were made. A few people shared with me their surprise that I was put with her. I was so frustrated and approached NM several times to be moved. Well THAT seemed to cause a snowball effect and the weeks that followed were awful. I had great relations with 90% of the employees but the few that I had to deal with directly during orientation at the time I believe knew I asked to be moved and then the wrath rained down. Zero communication with NM at this point. :sniff:She was adamant that she had me with who she wanted me with and that SHE picked the preceptor even after mine polite attempts to say it was not working for me and not a good fit. I quit because there was no way out of a horrible situation and quite frankly my trust in NM was gone. I think if I had shared some of my more serious concerns it would have gotten alot worse. I am discouraged and feel so beaten down and betrayed. :banghead:I am hoping to find my place elsewhere. I hope it doesn't LOOK bad that I quit.