youngphillynurse

I graduated May of 2010 (so my year anniversary just passed). I've only been working since December 2010 so, I've gained about 6 months so far. At first, I was traveling 3 hours away and staying in a motel just to work as a nurse in a small hospital in southern Delaware. So, when the call came from a nursing home to interview, I seized the opportunity. I've been in this nursing home since January of this year and I'm not crazy about my position. I've been applying to other jobs that interest me and have an interview in two days with an acute care psychiatric hospital in Philadelphia. I've always had a "thing" for psych and studying the way people think and why. I loved my psych rotation in nursing school. My grandmother (a 30-year veteran nurse) thinks I'd be crazy to leave the nursing home for a psych position. My mom just wants me to be stable and not move back home again (since my son and I lived with her for a year while I finished nursing school). My question is to those who've essentially "been there, done that" am I shooting myself in the foot to possibly go into psych and not have a more broad experience?

Hello, I'm a new grad and have been working at a long-term care facility for 3 days short of a month. I did have one job before this in a hospital several hours from me, but left when the long-term care facility offered me a job since it was 15 minutes from my house. Anyway, I work 3-11:30pm part-time at the facility. I was trained a little bit on 7-3:30 which was a little different than the shift I currently work. I've been being trained on my shift for about 3 weeks and have 20 "residents" to provide meds & treatments to and chart on. I just received a call from the manager to check up on me about how I'm doing. She said that she's hearing that I'm doing a great job, but am a little overwhelmed. Should I be worried? I am overwhelmed. I haven't taken a lunch/dinner for the past couple shifts that I work because I can't find the time to fit everything in. The manager said that isn't good and I'll burn-out fast. So, my question is, for new grad who was trained mostly in the hospital setting, is it normal to feel how I do? Should I be concerned with my progress?

You need to look into the policy of your facility (go to Human Resources). Seeking vacation time should be mapped out as to when you're eligible and for how long. Also, you have to try and be a spy/detective to figure out how you are viewed by your immediate supervisor in terms of your progress. Of course, they know that you're new, but also that you are human and have outside obligations. After the initial probation period, if you are at least where they think you should be, if not ahead, ask (in a "what if" type of way) about possible scheduled time off and go from there. Don't jeopardize your job, but your job should understand that they may be job #2.

As a new nurse, I can say that teamwork is definitely a huge deal and not well practiced in the facility that I just resigned from... so, talk about "what does teamwork mean to you, your peers, more senior nurses?" Definitely evidenced based practice is huge. If you can, go on the joint commission's website and search "NURSING SENSITIVE MEASURES." You'll come up with about 12 evidence based items that are specifically of interest to nurses because these issues specifically impact nursing (i.e. foley catheter related infections, falls, restraints, non-reimbursable nosocomial infections, etc.). Do a little research on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) because reimbursement is being changed and hospitals are losing money for certain reasons (preventable reasons!!!). ... make it a presentation where your peers can participate and you'll do fine. Show pictures of pressure ulcers and try to get your peers to stage them. Little games in between will hopefully break up the two hours and make it bearable for you and them. Best wishes!

... I wonder if your unit director was just a tad bitter about losing you... Is there someone else from management that could write this recommendation for you? A charge nurse or another manager from a different unit that you may have worked on when pulled? I think you must "feel-it-out" with the situation concerning your unit director and whether or not she is approachable. If your gut tells you that you must tell her (in a professional, non-defensive way) that you know of a negative comment she made in your recommendation and were concerned, then do it. Otherwise, hope that whoever will read the recommendation for the new position knows that all of us (nurses and otherwise) have room for improvement and is able to see this reference from an unbiased standpoint - especially since this person is not necessarily working with you on a day-to-day basis. Just to be on the safe side, have those other recommendations as a counterpart to show that 2 positive against 1 negative shows maybe that there's a bit of a personal conflict (on the director's behalf).

I agree with Berean4ever. Dig deep and find out where your passion really lies. You can definitely go back to school for nursing a little later in life if you must (and right about now, with the new graduate job situation being what it is, I can see why someone would do that!). But as someone stated earlier, you may at that point have other obligations which makes school just that much more difficult (speaking from experience)... not impossible though. I'd say if basketball is a once in a lifetime thing, do that and see where it goes, even if for a semester. If it doesn't work out, you'll be one muscle-chiseled nurse!

I know where you are right now, because I am in the same situation. I recently graduated from nursing school (an associate degree program) and became licensed in July 2010. I had to leave my job in a field that was unrelated because I was not given the time off that I needed to complete my finals and study for NCLEX - so that left me jobless while looking for my first RN position. So, I pass (YAH!!!!!!!!) and apply, apply, and apply some more. Finally, about 4 weeks ago - I started getting interviews (YAH again), but when I'm sitting in the interview, I'm asked, "So, why have you not worked as a CNA?" And here's the other big question: "So, what made you want to work with gerontology?" The truth is, I don't necessarily prefer gerontology, but I prefer that over unemployment! So... not to go on a tangent, but I wanted to give you my background to make the point that in the face of disappointment, I still find reasons to smile. Yeah, I'm struggling, but I'm still alive. You WILL find a job and you have to believe that. Go get the book "The Secret" from the library and other books like it if you can. You need inspiration right now. I also find that reading the Bible, particulary Psalms and Proverbs, helps me a whole lot. Don't let this economy get you down. YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't care how these recruiters try and make you feel; I don't care what people say to you about what you must be doing wrong with your resume - it's the companies' ways of protecting themselves by excluding us. It may sound so lame, but there's this song I listen to with my son that is sung on a show called Yo Gabba Gabba - the lyrics are "Keep trying. Keep trying. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't stop, don't give up. Don't stop, don't give up." Just thank God for your blessings before you have them. Thank God right now for the RIGHT JOB. Not the job that's 2 states away paing $12/hr, or for the job that you know you don't want close to you. Keep an open mind. Pick the brains of everyone you know (friends on Facebook, people in the grocery store wearing scrubs, staffing agencies, professors.... EVERYBODY) and be positive over all. You (and me and every other new grad in our position) is going to get through this on top with wisdom of this sad, sad time we just made it through. PLEASE be encouraged. We're all rooting for you!

I agree. I don't think that you can't attend college and succeed because you struggle with reading-comprehension. Maybe there's some form of dyslexia that you're struggling with or attention deficit disorder. Contrary to what you may think, the fact that you WANT to do something about this issue (it's not a problem if you don't let it be) let's me know that you'll be fine. Definitely get some testing done somehow - if you're in college talk to an advisor and they should point you in the right direction. Best wishes!:redbeathe

Congratulations. I'm a new grad myself and haven't had that experience yet... of getting that far in the applying/interviewing process. Did you know someone to get your job or was it just the luck of the draw? Did you work in LTC in another role prior to becoming a nurse? Again, I'm so happy for you - right now, you're the needle in the haystack!