I_Scream

Hey you guys! I already am 4 days into my new job... I haven't hit the floor yet coz its 1.5 weeks for the classroom orientation, but im pretty excited already! :) I'll keep you guys posted. Happy Holidays everyone!

You did a great job really! I know how hard it must've been for you to be feeling alone, and now maybe feeling isolated. But I guess most would agree that you did the right thing. And talking to your manager if you know something isn't right may upset many people but in the long run, the whole unit might suffer from lack of teamwork. Or maybe teamwork is there, but the staff just needs direction, like who should tell who what to do.. I can totally empathize at how dreadful it is to call a code and be in a code especially for new grad. But sooner and later, everyone would go through that. That was your time. And you did handle it the way you should be. You have more to go and more to learn. When I took my CPR class, a sweet but tough nursing supervisor told me, "DURING YOUR FIRST FEW CODES, JUST STAND ASIDE AND OBSERVE THE MORE EXPERIENCED ONES AND LEARN FROM THEM. DON'T LET ANYONE PUSH YOU AROUND AND BULLY YOU AROUND WHEN YOU ARE STILL LEARNING." I'D never ever ever forget what she told me......

Oh thanks chuck! I hear ya :)

Hi LadyQT. As for me, I will be starting my new job on Monday. They took me in middle of November, but the hospital-wide orientation will be next week. That's why I had to wait. I heard that the job market here is better usually, but I'm not so sure about that too. Where and what units have you applied at LadyQT?

My advice is to you is to take each day at a time. You can never be prepared enough for the challenges that await you when you're actually there. School usually cannot compare to the real nursing... What I can say is just persevere, do your best but don't too set too high of expectations, especially for yourself. Remember always that you are NOT expected to know what you're doing. You are lucky to be in a residency program, that will help make your transition from school to the real world of nursing in a more supportive environment. Find someone you can regularly meet and discuss your daily achievements as well as your struggles....finding a mentor will really shape you as you begin your career. I want to stress this point of regular venting out because you don't want to be to fed up, drown, and quit. Learn to compromise. Don't be afraid to delegate. Prioritization is a skill more than a concept, you can never get the hang of it overnight. ABCs that we've learned in school is true, but sometimes you get really caught up and will be at a loss as to what to attend to first.... when this happens, take a break and breathe..coz you push yourself, you'll be in more trouble than not. Have a buddy at work. Enjoy your freetime and I mean, enjoy it! Have a journal, jot down your daily experiences, your everyday feelings (anxiety, fulfillment, etc), put in your journal any notes from your patients or just anything at all, coz later on in your career, you might just go over your journal and appreciate how far you've come even more. God bless you!

MAHAGE.. Thanks so much!! Yup, just do your job and keep going.. It's your career, not anyone else's! :) Aja!

I did Addie. And I was very upfront when I interviewed for this position that I will be working for. Honestly, I was very apprehensive that they wouldn't give me a chance. I followed up with them the week after and they told me, "we have another new grad that we're tracking down, but we'll call you soon if we've decided." I thought, oh boy..... but they did call me and the position was offered. It was mixed emotions, but I am actually more excited that terrified! You are right Addie, there will be many shoulda woulda couldas.. but there's no point in beating ourselves up for the decisions we made. No one can tell us we made the wrong decision, coz they were not in our place. I realized that we worry too much because of WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OR SAY. I'm tired of feeling that way.. all I have to answer to is myself. I also know that now that I'm coming into this new job, some eyebrows are raised, "are you sure you're gonna make this time?!" "well its still gonna be as hard as the previous one," etc. My take on that is, I now have a better outlook towards this new job. So que sera sera whatever will be will be.... Hang in there Addie. Did anyone already call you for an interview? How long has it been since you resigned?

My mom, dad, and sisters completely understand me and accept my decision. In fact, my mom was the one who told me BEFORE I decided to quit and was still afraid that I was going to make a mistake, "you are young. You have the privilege to make mistakes. But you have to make a decision and stand by it. People will raise their eyebrows, but you can cope with it. People can say things but why, are they there to take you off your stress at work??! we are to support your decision. Go!" But of course it's still hard to face to other people's questions. "Oh so you're not there anymore? Was it really hard?" Sometimes I just shut up and don't answer anymore.. I hate explaining already~ and I just let them say or think whatever they want.. who knows where we will be 5, 10 years from now.. we might just have retreated backwards to get a stronger velocity to leap forward.. hang in there guys! Im starting my new job this Monday!

lovendove, first of all, know that you are not alone. You are amongst thousands of novice nurses going through the same thing.. I did think that I love nursing until I came here in the US and worked my first job in a med/surg/tele floor. I hated every minute of it. And everyday I came home from work, I'd think to myself, I wanna be a nurse, not work like a dog! Like you, I was devoted to the profession, but I just couldn't change the circumstances that made the job unbearable. Yes, my co workers were great. Yes, everyone says it'll get better. But it was just getting worse and worse, and just like you, I was hating and hating nursing. I quit after just a little less than 5 months on the job, and looked for another job, hoping for another place to compare my previous experience with. My thought was, "well, if it's really like this, then it is. If its worse, then so be it, I just have to accept the fact that this is Nursing. But what if I'll find a better place?" In a week, I will be starting in a different hospital. I wouldn't say I made the right decision. There are days as I go over this website that I wished I stayed, since everyone else seems to be going through the same thing. Maybe it's really like this anywhere you go.... But well, there are decisions I couldn't take back. And I just believe that God always has reasons that reason does not know. So as for you, just hang in there. Find all the support you can have, and talk to your manager about it. Everyone has the right to a safe and fair workplace. Communication is key. Just maintain kindness to your nursing assistants. Compromise with them if you can, "do this for me, I'll do this for you." Exhaust every means to stay on your current job while also maintaining your sanity and well being. Don't quit fast enough like I did. Especially that the job market is pretty down at this time. Take each day at a time. Go home and leave the day's job as soon as you walk out the door. Always remember why you become a nurse in the first place. We still have more to go in this career.. Someone said, this is the hardest job you'll ever love. Good luck to us!

Hahah same here! It's painful to answer those questions. Sometimes, I even try to avoid them altogether. You can't explain the situation to everyone! and it kills me to look at them and see through them and think that maybe they think Im a loser or a quitter, etc etc. Well, the quitter part IS true. hehe. but still it feels embarrassing! especially that everyone had high expectations of me! I sometimes blame myself for quitting from that job, maybe, what if, coulda woulda shoulda.. but at this point, theres no place for regret and maybe I'll just suffer all the consequences.. My mom would tell me before I quit, "oh dont worry about what theyll say. they dont help you when your working your *** off there!"

To Cfitz and AddieRN.. I was recently hired in another hospital and will be starting this December. Though nervous, I have reaffirmed my commitment to become the nurse that I did want to be in the first place. Maybe this time I'll be tougher, and will be able to handle everything with a whole new outlook towards nursing. We are definitely not alone, although most of the time it feels like it, doesn't it? It can get depressing, even embarrassing! In my previous workplace, I have also heard many new graduates quit after a couple of months because of our very same reason. The transition is tougher than we expected, even if we expected the worst! That's why I think a good orientation program is very necessary. Some hospitals just throw new graduates into hot water.. Just like eggs, we need tempering when changing from cool to hot liquid, or else we turn into scrambled lumpy eggs and not a smooth mixture! I've also thought of doing physician offices. But then after being unemployed for a while, I was thinking about my future and where I really want to be years from now. I still envision myself up the ranks as a competent nurse.. and I guess the only way to go is to really suck up med/surg or any acute care experience first. And if I want to relocate someday, an experience in acute care will benefit me too in finding another job. I'd really want to keep in touch with you guys! you can PM me anytime.. maybe we can facebook or something. hehe!

Wow christy! I know this doesn't sound right but I'm happy to know that I'm not the only one. And I'm sure we're not the only ones! I also am feeling the same way as you do, sad and depressed and desperate when I think about it, but it was a decision that I couldn't take back. In retrospect, I tell myself that maybe I would've lasted, or maybe it just takes a little time to really get into the groove of all this nursing madness! As for me, if I'll be given another opportunity to work in a hospital, maybe I'd be tougher and more likely to just suck it up, thinking that I'm not the only one going through this. I guess I'd still consider getting another hospital job and I hope that comes. Hopefully this experience will make me/us better nurses in which ever area we will be successful at someday. Let's keep on going. I'm sure a lot of new grads get off to a rocky start, but it's up to us to take the next step forward. It's really hard to be optimistic now, but... hope is our only hope isnt it? Good luck and keep in close touch!

I know LadyQT, but it's ok. let's hang in there. I know we will find our place somewhere. All we need to do is do some good introspection, know where we really should be and what are future goals are, pray that God will provide. I know that it's tough, my, I'm also going through the same thing--stressed out and asking if we made the right decision. It was a big caeer move and right or wrong, we already did it and no way of taking it back.. maybe we can move forward from this. Let's hope for the best. maybe we can keep in touch to cheer each other up!

Thank you again Jolie! Yes, that was a rush position I must agree. That's why I didn't jump into it, so I wouldn't be in the exact same place where I am now. I am also happy hearing about other new graduates who have been through the same experience, quitting their jobs before a year, and have gained something positive out of it. I am thrilled and motivated that maybe there is also something better for me out there. Maybe next time I'd ask for a longer orientation program. I was only in orientation for 6 weeks. As a new grad from a foreign country with a different orientation towards nursing, I guess I needed a little more time. So maybe that's also what I'm going to look into with my new job. I am going for an interview for an Oncology Position in a community hospital. What are your insights about this field? Thank you.

Jolie, I really appreciate your professional insight. I know that you are far more experienced in this field and I totally respect your opinion. I did talk to my NM a few weeks before I resigned. I requested for my hours to be cut down a little so I'll have some room to breathe. She refused, saying that it's better for me to just get out there and do it coz I wouldnt get enough experience if I cut down on my hours. I was already planning to resign that time when I talked to her, but I stuck around hoping and praying that things will get better for me. But everyday since then, I still felt the same if not worse. I was not happy and fulfilled and lost interest in the job that I really worked hard for. I also talked to other new grads too, and it seemed that their experiences were not as bad as mine. You know Jolie, I've also dreamed to be a teacher, or something that had to know with project planning and management, counseling, etc. I know Nursing is diverse and can give me those opportunities, but not now for a 22-year-old like myself, I need to gain experience and get a strong footing before I can leap and reach my dreams. I am humble to admit that I left my previous job because it was not a good fit for me. Yes, you are right that I may have expected differently or I may have not been prepared enough for my new role, but that was a decision I had to make. If I am given another opportunity and it'd be the same as my previous experience, then I just have to accept it as it is and move along.

Great sterren! :) that's what I also told one of the employers that interviewed me, and they did understand where I was coming from. Only that I declined the offer since, as they say, "I didn't want get into fire from the fying pan." It's a loooongg drive given that the way is WITH the traffic and winter's is coming, is about 35 miles from where I live. Hopefully I'll be given a chance in one of my dream facilities to which I've applied to.. If I may ask, which state do you come from?

I must agree with the nurse who said that it really depend on your long-term goals, personality, and what you really want to do with your career. Med/Surg is FAR from BORING.. you deal with a wide variety of diseases. You deal with psych, some ortho, some OB, oncology, and everything else under the sun. It is a good training ground for sure. But it is also NOT for everyone. I'd say that before you jump into your first nursing position, step back a little bit first and look at the big picture. Sometimes we are so excited to just JUMP IN! "I wanna do ICU, I wanna do OR, I will I will I will!" but when you're already there, it's so much different. Nursing, I'd say, is one of the most challenging and difficult professions. Find your niche. Follow your heart.

I just think that we'd be able to help each other some more if we create support groups in every state/vicinity.. Meet somewhere, share experiences and just vent. I've seen that this category in this forum is the most viewed.. which means there are many many New Grad Nurses struggling and needing encouragement and direction. Maybe we can start out by stating which place we came from, see how many people are from the same area and maybe plan thereafter..

Great to know that! I guess there's NO one straight way in Nursing.. med/surg may truly not be for everyone. I'm glad that you sound happy with your new position :) thanks for the input! I really appreciate it, and happy too that when you left your previous position, you did find a better place for you..

Hi. I just want you to know that you're not alone. I hope that by itself can give you some confidence and encouragement, coz now that I am also going through the same thing, I get a lot of my "sanity" from this website where there are many new nurses who can empathize with me.. Not everyone understands and will understand. Family and friends may question that decision. People will either pat you on the back, give you a hug, or raise their eyebrows. But just keep in mind that when one door closes, the other opens. It's never the end of the world, and nursing is such an amazing, diverse, and "stable" profession. We will have our place in this nursing world. Let's just be committed to do our best with the next right opportunity that comes our way. Sometimes when we begin our journey, we may take the wrong route, the wrong direction. But our destination is not going anywhere, it will still be there waiting for us to arrive SAFE AND SOUND. It's never a mistake, in my opinion, to go back to where we started and choose the path that's right. It's not that we DON'T have a choice, because we DO. My mom would also tell me, "It's just a matter of time...." Let's keep our prayers and hopes together! We CAN DO THIS!

Thank you so much Sterren thats encouraging! It's nice to know that someone DID make the right decision of leaving.. Do you work in the same facility? How did you get your job now after you resigned from the other one? Actually I was already offered two jobs after I left.. But I declined both of them coz my gut wasn't really for them.. The first one was a psych position and the other one was another oncology/med/surg and also an ICU position (35 miles away).. I was so tempted to jump in and accept the offers, but now that I made the decision of leaving my previous job, I want to make it RIGHT this time and reaffirm my commitment to becoming a great nurse..so I want the job to be right too.. It's been two weeks.. but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and continue to believe in the Lord Almighty.

I've posted the same story elsewhere.. Anyway, I'm 22 years old and have been a practicing nurse for a little less than 5 months. I worked in a Med/Surg department and just like every new grad in this website, everyday I came to work I felt terrible. Although my manager and everyone else told me I was doing good, I didn't feel like I was ever going to be happy and fulfilled there. So I decided to leave my job, much to my manager's dismay. I was actually offered another job in a Psych Hosp before I left. But after I've resigned, the location and psych unit where I was supposed to work didn't seem promising, I took into consideration the fact that it didn't have any full time nurses working there that's why they were in dire need and took me in immediately. So I figured that no one really stayed and liked the place. That's why I decided to let go of it coz I didn't wanna quit again after 3-4-5 months just like my med/surg experience. Now I have been looking for another job.. maybe try med/surg again but in a different facility. I thought that if it was going to be as BAD as it WAS, then that's just how the way it is and I should just stick it out, but at least I gave myself a chance to broaden my horizons. However, now that I have been searching for another job, and waiting for calls, I feel down and question myself, "was it a good decision to leave or should I have just stuck it out?" Weeks before I left and have been contemplating on leaving, I was so resolute and so sure that I would take a bold move and resign. But now that I am not doing anything and just waiting, it just sunk in and think how my career will get back on track.. I'm concerned about the other hospitals giving me chance again. Although I'm staying very optimistic, sometimes I just can't help but feel depressed. I read Donna Cardillo's Your First Year As A Nurse and it gave me a lot o encouragement. It also said that it's good to stay and negotiate in a position, but if you feel that it's just not gonna work, then sometimes the only option is to leave. I just hope someone can relate to my experience and if anyone did succeed after such a big decision..

Thank you so much. I wish I knew this site since I started nursing. I wouldve kept my sanity :) I'm going to another job interview on Monday for an oncology unit. I'm concerned that if they knew that I quit my job because of how overwhelming and stressful it was they wouldn't take me in. But I just keep the faith and know that there will be a place for me.. It's hard to move forward from one decision to another.

Hi there! I can totally totally relate to what ur going through.. the only thing is that I don't think post-surgical and med/surg would have a lot of difference in terms of the pace and acuity of patients. i even feel that med/surg is even more intense since you get both medical and surgical patients. I was in ur position, and I left my med/surg job in just 2 weeks. If I do get another job, and it still is the same as my previous experience, then I'd most probably just stick it out, coz I know that wherever I go it'd be the same. But personally, I just decided to leave coz it wasnt healthy for me anymore.......Nursing should be gratifying, I see other people who are overworked but still passionate about their jobs and love what theyre doing.. Me, I'm overworked, but lost passion and drive to work there. So I just left.. good or bad, I just had to give myself a chance to breathe and regain footing as a nurse before I finally drown.

I so hear you and can totally relate. I quit my job after less than 5 months. I always tried to convince myself to stick with it and just reach at least a year. But I've been contemplating, and just can't do it any longer. So I quit. I still question if I made the right decision, but hopefully I'll find a new job and will light up the nurse in me again.. I don't know..