ChloBear

To make a long story short, my manager wants me to come in before my next shift to discuss "something that happened over the weekend." I'm not sure what she's talking about but I can only assume I missed something important with a patient, judging from her tone. During the shift in question, I was given what I considered to be an unreasonable assignment considering I am pumping every 3-4 hours (I recently returned to work after having a baby). There were times throughout the day when I asked for help and my charge nurse was unresponsive or responded too late. My question is, how do I document this to protect myself? Do I put my experience in an email and send it to my boss? Do I put it in writing and present it to someone in hr? I am a relatively new nurse and I'm not sure how to handle this.

So to make a long story short, I am about 20 weeks pregnant and have been at my first nursing job (full time staff RN on a labor and delivery unit) for 1 year and 3 months. By the time I have my baby, I will have about 1 year and 8 months of experience, just shy of my "2 year" mark. I know for certain that I don't want to go back to my current job after I have the baby. I'm hoping to find something less stressful and probably less hours than I currently work. My question is am I going to totally screw myself if I quit my job when I have the baby and start looking then, with just shy of two years experience? Or do I take my 12 week unpaid maternity leave and then just go back to work after the baby and stick it out until I am able to find something new? I'm just really nervous because it took me over a year to find my first nursing job after graduating from nursing school (BSN). I really don't want to have to go through that again, but it just seems silly to take my unpaid maternity leave and go back only to turn around and leave once I find something new. Unless, of course, it ends up taking me say 6+ months to find a new job. So I guess I'm also hoping to hear from nurses with a similar amount of experience who have started looking to leave their first job. Is it going to be just as hard as it was the first time? I am looking in Chicago. Thanks so much! As an aside, it anyone is interested in the details, I am basically unhappy with my current job because some individuals have made my first year of nursing extremely unenjoyable. I love women's health, but I have come to the conclusion that bedside nursing may not be for me. Partly because it took me so long to find a job in the first place. I just feel like I am so behind and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier. I don't know how I am going to manage feeling miserable at work while also taking care of a new baby for the first time. I will probably look for a full or part time position in Mother Baby at a different hospital (if I decide to stay in bedside nursing) or maybe a doctor's office or community nursing position. But that's a whole different post. Thanks for listening!

I only chart the description if I actually saw it. Otherwise I just document frequency. I don't think we are required to be more descriptive, unless of course there was something out of the ordinary. Also, all of our babies room in with mom. We do not have a normal newborn nursery, only a Special Care Nursery if there is an issue. So we usually aren't the ones changing diapers, unless mom had a c/s, needs extra help for some reason, or if I'm feeling extra generous. :)

Wow, you sound just like me. I am a new grad nurse and I just had my Nurse Manager tell me that she's "concerned" because I'm "too quiet" and she's worried that I don't feel passionate about nursing. I calmly explained to her that I'm just introverted and I may come across as being uninterested because I'm not as animated as some of the other nurses, but that doesn't mean that I'm not just as passionate about what I do. I actually love my job and I was really hurt and offended that she questioned me like that. She responded by saying that "this is not an introverted business" and this is your "identified weakness that you need to work on." My jaw nearly hit the floor at how closed-minded such a well-educated person could be. Being introverted is NOT a weakness for crying out loud!! We get the same results in different ways. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You can be a great nurse, but you have to be prepared to educate people along the way.

You can call a unit where there is an opening and ask to speak with the Nurse Manager. Before doing so, come up with key reasons why you think you'd be a good fit and don't be afraid to ask for an interview directly. You can also join a professional organization and go to meetings where you can meet other nurses who may be able to put in a good word for you. This shows interest and initiative and may be all it takes to make you stand out. I went through the same ordeal after graduating in May, 2010. It sucks. I'm not in CA, though. From what I've heard things are a lot worse in CA than other states. It may be necessary to work in a nursing home or relocate, unfortunately. Personally, I wouldn't let more than a year go by without doing something/anything that utilizes your nursing skills.

I'm a new grad on orientation in L&D/MB. I'd like some feedback on how to effectively advocate for patients in the delivery room in situations where I (and/or my patient) don't agree with the physician's decision, i.e. cutting episiotomies routinely, sectioning a patient because they are in a hurry, etc. In nursing school, I always promised myself that I'd be a good patient advocate but it's certainly easier said than done in the "real world." I'd love to hear how other L&D nurses handle this.

I'm also on orientation in L&D/Postpartum (new grad). I understand that it's best to tailor teaching to each patient, but I think that's challenging when you're first starting out and you're not totally comfortable with the material yourself. I think that's where the need for a "speech" comes in. Do you have access to CareNotes at your facility? They are written instructions that you can give to patients. You can also use them to help you remember which teaching points are most important. Patient teaching, like most things in nursing, is something that just gets easier with practice. Don't be too hard on yourself if you stumble a little in the beginning. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Yes! I joined as a student and stayed involved after graduation while I was looking for a job. I actually got a couple job leads by attending events and talking with nurses who were already working. When I finally had an interview for an OB position it was great to be able to say that I had been going to AWHONN events and reading their journals/magazines, etc. I ended up getting the position and I think my preparedness helped a lot. It shows that you have a genuine interest and dedication to the specialty. In this economy, Nurse Managers are looking for candidates who will stick around long-term, so it's important to show that you have taken the time to learn about OB nursing beyond what you learn in nursing school.

I'm a May 2010 grad looking to gain experience as an RN. Like many new grads, I haven't had much luck with hospitals and I decided to extend my search to include other settings such as nursing homes. I spoke with the DON of a nursing home in my area and she said that the only way they will consider me as a new grad is if I sign a 3-year employment contract. Is this normal? Has anyone ever entered into an agreement like this? I've been out of school for a year now, so I'm pretty anxious to get some experience under my belt, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

HOH-RN- Sorry for the delayed response. I just saw this now... I have to take the hearing aids out in order to use my stethoscope. It's annoying, but it hasn't posed any problems for me. I do worry about losing them, though. I don't know of any hearing aids that can be used together with a stethoscope.

I just got offered a position in an LTC for children and young adults. My question is, what is the norm as far as length of orientation for a new grad nurse in an LTC? During my second interview with the DON, I asked about orientation and I could have sworn she said 2-3 WEEKS. But the woman who called to offer me the position today said 3 DAYS. Many of the residents are on vents. 2-3 weeks seems more reasonable, but you never know. Thanks!

Don't take it personally. It sounds like they did it to save money. It sucks, nonetheless, but at least you were smart and kept your old job. If there really was a problem, they would have been saying things to you all along. Or it could be that your preceptors knew they didn't do an adequate job orienting you and it was better for them to blame it on you than admit they were at fault. Either way, don't let it hurt your confidence going forward. Since they didn't give you fair warning, I'd at least run it by HR and see what they have to say. At the very least, you want to know if you are still eligible for rehire at that hospital.

Interesting post... I'm leaning more towards unethical considering not all patients are good candidates for elective surgery. I'd be more comfortable with some sort of "year end bonus" for the nurses if the center reaches some predetermined goal.

> After discussing my difficulty in finding a job (I'm a new grad) with a past instructor at my school, I was basically told that the ONLY way I can hope to find a job is by networking. Today's new grads are not using their connections to land a cushy job, they're doing it to land ANY job. Filling out online applications just doesn't cut it anymore. I WISH I could just land a decent job based solely on my own merits, especially considering I worked my tail off in nursing school, but it's just not happening that way. So I have to resort to asking (begging, really) people I know for help. The alternative is basically giving up on nursing altogether because I'm not in a position where I can move to a new location for a job. Sad but true.

My situation was slightly different. When I registered to take boards, I wasn't married yet, so I used my maiden name. I passed the test in September and got married in October. I purposely waited until after I changed my name to send in the application for the actual license because I'd have to change it anyway. It didn't matter that I had registered with my maiden name. I just sent a copy of my marriage license along with my application. In your case, I would register to take the NCLEX using your married name, since you have already legally changed it. But if, for whatever reason, your school insists that you use your maiden name, you should still have the opportunity to change it when you apply for your license after passing boards. It sounds like your school is misinformed, though.