lpn2rn81

thanks for the list of potential scenarios! I still am confused about how to proceed from here. Assuming I get the interview but perhaps don't get the job, do i need to list my current job on future apps and interviews? How would I explain leaving current job so soon? Any of you ever left a job so soon due to horrible conditions? If so, was it easy to explain in an interview and still get hired somewhere else? I don't want to give up on my nursing career, I want to find a supportive work environment where I can practice nursing in confidence and give quality care. Thanks for all your insights and tips, everyone! I love Allnurses!

emergencynurse, that was harsh! I am not trying to be like that! I honestly wanted this job to work out. BUT I also believe in giving my patients safe care and protecting my license. The current job I have is horrible, and I'm not downplaying. Never in my life have I seen such disorganization and high turnover rates and lack of training for new employees. There are only 3 'veteran' nurses working on this unit, and the stress/disappointment they show and talk about is evident. They have all told me (and told the other new grad orientees) to find a better place to work! They know that we want to give good care, but it is impossible at this place. NO new grad or orientee that has started in the last year on this unit has stayed. It's not just me! I'm not giving up just cuz the job isn't perfect. I'm getting out because it's unsafe, the patients receive subpar care, can't get their meds on time due to the inefficent MAR system this hospital uses (also lack of pharmacy support), and I did not go to school to be a glorified secretary or waitress...... Please, if your son or daughter was a nurse, and they started at a facility where they feared for their license and received little to no orientation at a place where turnover is outrageous, would you tell them to just deal with it? would you want to see your son or daughter forced to be the only RN on a unit the first DAY off of orientation (it happened to the one new girl here!) I'm just saying. I know the economy is bad, but that doesnt' mean everyone should stay at their jobs and go home every day disappointed and fearful that they couldnt' give the best care possible. And it's not just cuz I'm new. The seasoned nurses that get stuck working this unit all end up going home late, and they ARE organized. It's just not possible to be a patient advocate at this job. The hospital is all about money, willl not hire any nurse aide (there are NO nurse aides in this hospital, and coincidentally, there are high nurse turnover rates.... correlation?), will not hire a unit secretary, and does not have pharmacy personnel after hours, so if we get a new admit, we have to hunt down the nurse supervisor to get the med for us. and if pharmacy doesn't have it? oh well.. Wow, sorry for rambling so long. I guess i want to say if you all are content to be in a job where you only have time to hypothetically say 'hi, patient X here's your meds, that's all i have time for today. bye'' and then scrambling around trying to keep putting out fires and hoping you didn't miss something critical, then I'm impressed for you. Really. It's just not happening for me. I did not go into nursing to be put into a job where I get substandard orientation and then am expected to be as fast as the 3 nurses who have managed by some miracle to stay on this floor. I don't want to sound ungrateful, I was thrilled to have gotten this job, but no matter how badly somebody wants to keep their job, if they don't get a supportive enough environment and a decent orientation, how can they feel comfortable and safe? Anyway, off my soapbox now. And this unit is desperate for nurses, so if i leave, any of you who think it's not that bad can have this job! when the 5 of us new orientees were walking on our unit tour, the one nursing supervisor actually said 'oh hey new nurses. great. i wonder if any of you will actually stay?!' yeah, she really said that. If you have the stomach for it, perhaps you'll be the first one that actually stays on this unit. Good luck, and hope you all have a great day.

Hello everyone, I dont' know if any of you guys have read my other thread that I posted, but I'll just give a basic summary :) I'm a recent RN grad, and for the longest time couldn't find a job, so I basically took the first offer that came my way. I'm on my second week of orientation, but I am doubting i will stay here. There is a lack of support for the nurses at this hospital, constant short staffing, lack of supplies, way too much paperwork (even the veteran RNs that work here complain about all of this..) and this is not my area of interest. I was basically misled about the job i would be doing, and none of the new grads this unit hired in the last 6 months have stayed! The PRN nurses are doing full time hours practically, and the place is miserable, even the physicians don't want to stay. If you all need more details, just check out my other thread about 'Orientation and job NOT what was promised...' ANYWAY... I have an interview for a hospital I used to work at (which has a better reputation than the current one i'm orienting at, and has a lot better nurse retention rates and patient satisfaction scores, etc), but on a different floor than the one I used to work. This interview is for a hospital that is only 1 mile away from where I live, versus 30 for the hospital I'm currently at. Overall, guess I'm trying to say that I'd rather go back to this 'good' hospital I used to work for. However, when I filled out my online application and resume, i didn't list the current job, because at the time I applied, I had only been at this 'job' one day, and honestly thought i would have quit before the week was over, it was that bad! Am I in trouble now? If I go into the interview, what do I say if they ask me about 'current or most recent job'? Do I need to 'fess up and admit that I am in the process of orientation, but the job is not a 'good fit', hence the reason for wanting to work at the 'new' hospital? If i do have to admit that I'm working somewhere else, how do i explain why I want to leave the job during orientation already? AND, I am scared because from the threads I read, employers can 'find out' if you worked other places, and if you don't list them on your application, you can be fired/not hired because of omitting this info........ but it's too late to go back and 'list' this current job on my application..... How do i figure this mess out???? I hope I made sense with how I worded things here! I appreciate any input, because my interview is next week! Have any of you been in a similar situation, and how did you handle it? Thanks!

Haha, cherrybreeze, I wouldn't say you're naive. Anyway, Just finished a crazy 12 hour shift. I Had 2 preceptors ( 1for each half of the shift) that shift and we were so busy with admissions and transfers and discharges and bell-ringers and q 1 hr accu checks and a lady with intractable vomiting..... I thought no place was bad to work at, until I came here. Both of my preceptors today told me they have complained and asked for many changes and help on the unit, to no avail. They told me how ridiculous the place is. I am not kidding about the turnovers. Even the physicians don't want to stay. there is no pharmacy after day shift ends, so if we get an admission(and we usually get at least 2-3 after hours)who needs meds after hours, we have to call the nurse supervisor to get the meds for us. We have to run our own blood and specimens to the lab.... there is no nursing assistant to help bathe patients, toilet them, collect trays, or answer bells. I am trying not to complain, just stating facts. We spend more time acting as secretaries, couriers, and waitresses than we do spending time doing nursing care. That is not the kind of care I want to give to my patients, and that is what frustrates me.. ah, I guess I'm done venting now. Thx for listening, everyone! oh, Johnny depp- I went to a vo-tech for the LPN, and went back to a community college to attend classes to finish for my RN degree.

Looking back over what you highlighted, cherrybreeze, I didn't realize how negative I was! WOW... and you're right, I did have jobs in the past that I enjoyed. I am applying to the hospital I used to work at. I am not trying to judge this new job by one shift. I guess I may have been scared off by the fact that the preceptor and other nurses warned me that 5 new orientees started within the past 4 months and none have stayed. Even the girl i mentioned who just got off orientation and was left alone on her first night, she is planning to quit. The experienced nurses on the floor are frustrated and leaving late from work d/t how crazy that floor is and how it's almost impossible to do all the paperwork they expect plus take care of all the patients with no nurse's aide, and, lots of times, lack of necessary supplies. The unit is mismanaged and inefficient, IMO. It's not just my observation. Many others have told me that they can't keep anybody on this unit. Again, I apologize to all for my incessant complaining. I have had some problems in the past and want to stay positive here, but it looks and feels bleak. I'll try my best, and I guess i will try not to be so negative in future posts.:doh::doh::doh:

Thanks guys! to Carol- everything you said is true and makes great sense. I will point out that i'm not 'wasting' time yet, as I have only had one day on the floor and was mostly observing. It was my preceptor who had to stay over 2 hours, and she said most of the other nurses have to as well! I don't really need the job financially at this point. i have some savings I can live on. I honestly do want to quit and I NEVER felt that way about any of my previous jobs, not on ORIENTATION> but this place is mismanaged.... we have ICu and medsurg patients on the same floor, and they both require a different chart and different flowsheets! there is NO medical attendant, so if we get a specimen, we have to run it to the lab ourselves! The hospital has no nursing aides, so we have to do all our own baths and vitals, in addition to regular RN duties.... and did i mention everything is all on paper?? there are no computerized charting or labs to look up.. the MARS are still handwritten and can't be found half the time... the bedside/flow charts are kept at the desk, but they don't have a holder, so they are scattered everywhere.. it's a mess... AND, the brand new RN who JUST got off orientation was left ALONE to be the only nurse on the floor on her first night off orientation.... needless to say, this floor has had EXPERIENCED nurses try orientation, and they end up leaving due to the inefficiency...... it's sad. I want this to work at this job, but I just don't feel safe, and I can't give my patients proper care when I don't have supplies half the time, or I have to hunt down specific papers for specific things I have to chart... UGh.. sorry to vent, but I just feel so disappointed. I wanted to work out here, but I honestly don't feel it can happen.. and as I said, if you read all my posts on this thread, I have had LPN experiences on other floors, and NEVER felt like quitting...... so, I'll do my best, IF i get an interview elsewhere, to explain why i'm leaving, but how do I best explain the situation I described above, to a new employer?? They are so short staffed, they said that since i am an 'experienced' nurse (haha) I may get pulled off orientation early?! I don't even know how anyone can handle this floor.. the nursing care is one thing, but having to run your own specimens to the lab, and having to hunt down papers and supplies and unable to look up labs half the time,,, yeah it's frustrating! i really appreciate your responses, everyone! It's helping me cope and realize it's not 'just me'.

Again, i appreciate all your insights and replies. you certainly have all been very helpful!!! :) I guess i will tough it out until I can find a new job, but my problem is, how do I explain to a new employer/interviewer why i'm leaving this job? I heard from other threads that it's best not to 'bash' your job, but I honestly don't know what to say if they ask me why I'm looking for a new job so soon. And, no this isn't an LTAC unit.. It is supposed to be ICU but really it's just med-surg/tele because our hospital is small and can't really handle the critical patients, so we ship them to another facility. I don't know why my unit is called an 'ICU'..... I mean I heard we do get occasional vents, and many drips, but nobody on propofol or with a swan-ganz or A-line.... I was hoping to get critical care experience, but this is just acute med-surg it seems......... with horrible staffing, no secretary or tele tech, and 5x as much paperwork as I have ever done in any other place I've worked!!!!!

Thanks for your reply about including it on my resume/application... From what i've read from other threads, it seems that it is best to not omit a job, even if held for just a brief period. Let's say I get called in for an interview next week. At this point my new/potential employer/interviewer will then notice that I've only been at my current job for 2 weeks... how do I explain why I'm looking for a new job so soon? i just dont' see a good explanation that will go over well with interviewers/potential employers.. even if i say that I enjoy this current job (which I don't, it's unsafe!) but want to work with a bigger, more respected hospital with better opportunities for growth, the interviewer might still say 'oh that's great, but why aren't you sticking it out with your current job for at least 6 months?'' Well, I don't think I CAN stick it out... it's not safe there, there are not enough regular RNs, let alone necessary ancillary staff (pharmacy, unit clerk, tele tech, etc.) to be able to humanly get the job done each shift and keep the patients safe. How do i get out of this jam?? I wish I woudn't have taken this current job and just explained that my lack of work history since graduation in DEC 2010 was due to looking for jobs!!!!

Ok, so now my question is: If I want to apply to other jobs, do I need to list this on my application or resume? I only worked officially ONE shift so far..... I know I can't stay on this floor. It's not because I'm a 'new grad' and need to learn to 'hang in there' or 'manage my time'... HOW can somebody manage their time to physically be in two places at once? I can't be preventing a delirious patient from falling out of bed while at the same time trying to toilet another patient and trying to adjust monitor leads on someone whose leads are falling off, and trying to hang an Iv abx on a pt whose IV line blew.... do you know what i"m getting at??? I have had hospital jobs in the past and I felt nowhere near the stress I had from this ONE shift at this facility.. but, again, do I need to mention/list this job on a resume/application/interview in the near future?? Thanks for all your help!!!!!!

I didn't officially quit, but I am seriously considering it~~~ I read your story, and don't let the negative responses get to you. There is NO way to fully appreciate and understand how physically and mentally demanding nursing is. I commend you for going after your dream, but realizing that it isn't a good fit for you. Nurses need to not be catty toward one another so much! I don't like it when preceptors or seasoned nurses belittle new grads for asking questions or needing help. They forget that they were new at one time! And, in today's world of nursing school, it's quite possible to graduate without officially inserting a cath or Iv in a real patient. It happened to several of my schoolmates! So when we new grads show up on a floor and have to admit that we may not have done something before, the nurses look at us like we're stupid or they say 'what, you didn't learn that in school??"...... it's frustrating.... anyway, i went a little off topic, but just know that you're not alone!

Oh, and I want to add..... I applied for a different position at this facility(not an Icu position). When I interviewed, the NM said that the other position might not be available, but that they needed help in the ICU.... she didn't go into details about the job itself, and I left the interview still hoping i'd get the position i origianlly applied for. the NEXT day, I got the job offer, but for 'ICU' and I was so excited to have a job offer, that I accepted over the phone.... then I did the HR paperwork, etc.....but when I get on the floor , I find out that it really isn't the ICU i envisioned..... we do get occasional vents and drips, but it is basically what would be a regular tele floor or stepdown in another hospital.. I accepted the job thinking i'd get great critical care experience and 1-2 patients, and then I find out that it is mostly med/surg/tele patients....... they only have like 3 real nursing staff that are full time, and they use the one per diem girl so much that she has over full time hours!!!! there are more new grads being trained on this floor than there are preceptors....... so, yeah I"m disappointed. I don't want to give subpar nursing care or risk my patients and my license........ I won't say they intentionaly misled me when interviewing/job offer, but maybe i'm to blame because i didn't ask enough questions about the job before i accepted....... blah...

Wow! I just wrote this post a few hours ago and honestly didn't expect so many replies!!! Thank you guys so much for your advice. You guys basically reaffirmed what I know in my heart. This floor is not safe. As for my LPN experience, I worked on a med/surg/tele floor for 6 months as my first ever nursing job. I had to quit due to being pregnant and having terrible morning sickness and unable to adjust to being on night shift.... So, after a while being off work, I started doing agency LPN work, mostly at LTC facilities, passing meds and whatnot........ it was okay, but there is no way to humanly do the medpass in the time allowed, but that's another story! I worked at that type of work for about a year.. THEN, my husband got abusive, I had to get a PfA, moved out of the area, and did private duty for nine months, with one client, a pediatric trach/vent case, which I liked, but ultimately I had to move again...... So, in early 2007 i began a job in an inpatient rehab facility for ortho/neuro...... I loved that job honestly. I was always paired with an RN and we had a max of 6 patients, usually only 4-5 though. The RN got to do the assessments and dr. orders while I did med passes, caths, etc....... and we usually got breaks and got out on time..... so, why did i leave that job???? Well,,,, i have a history of back problems. I had a back surgery (microdiskectomy d/t herniated disk) back when I was 20, before I even went to LPN school..... but mostly my back was okay.. however, doing this rehab nurse job, the lifting was getting too hard on my back and I ended up on light duty twice due to back injuries from that job............ anyway, I ended up pregnant, and that exacerbated my back condition, so I ended up resigning on good terms after 1 and 1/2 years on that floor. The staff were great and the working conditions were excellent. There was a unit secretary at all times during the day. We had no admissions on night shift, as we were not an acute unit, just a long term rehab. we had a 24/7 pharamacy if we needed drugs that weren't in the pyxis......... you get my drift.. these people were great, gave me a baby shower, a going away party, etc... and the unit manager said she'd rehire me in a heartbeat.... but my back can't handle ortho rehab so, in the fall of 2008, after having no job for 3 months, I landed a cushy dr. office job, no weekends or holidays,,, learned a different way of nursing, how to sort of 'triage' patients over the phone, how to call in scripts to the pharmacy, how to insert IVs for infusions, etc... I LOVED that job.. Problem???? STupid me, got pregnant again.... morning sickness again (i don't know how any of you can work when nauseous, but I CAN't. I'm sorry.. i have emetophobia, I don't mind other people vomiting, but I literally get panic attacks if i feel nauseous or vomity), so I ended up having too many attendance occurences.... the manager liked me and said that I could either resign or be terminated.... I chose to resign......... So,, i decided to focus on the pregnancy and then after the baby's birth in 2009, i went back to school and worked hard, and got my RN license in dec 2010... So, that is the extent of my nursing experience..... I know jobs are hard to come by... I've put in 40 apps, had 3 interviews, and only one offer, which is the job I have now..... I also have a hx of severe depression and anxiety/panic disorder but I worked hard to overcome those issues to finish school, but now feel my anxiety and depression creeping back. I want a new job so bad, but given my 'limited' experience.....do i have a chance?? especially since i haven't held a job for more than a year and a half... I mean, i do have decent reasons for leaving my other jobs in the past, but I fear that future employers will look at me as a job hopper.. i really wanted to do good at this job, i really did!!!!!!!! I know how to insert Ivs, i know how to do basic nursing care, but it is impossible to do when you are getting 6 admissions on a night shift, with NO secretary, no pharmacy to draw up an IV abx that needs mixed, etc..... and a patient on a cardizem drip, another one coming down off delirium tremens precautions and trying to get out of bed...... and this facility has NO computerized charting.... way too much paper, and my poor preceptor had no time to show me where anything was, or to explain any of the paperwork..... I know it was only my first night, but she said it's like that nearly every night, and she usually has to stay 2 hours over her shift to just finish charting!!!!!! I don't want to give up on nursing, but i am so discouraged. I became an RN because I wanted to do L/D or OB nursing, or maybe work in a same day surgery clinic or psych nursing.. I thought that having an RN license would make me able to get those type of jobs, but every place wants the year of acute care/med surg experience and I don't really have it, and honestly the way I hear things are on the medical floors today, i don't think it is safe to try to stick it out for a year........... I want to resign, but I'm afraid of being left jobless, and with all these student loans to pay back........... i'm at the point where i'd rather go to walmart, or as mentioned, go back to school for something less stressful, like cardiac echo technician or sonography. I want to use my medical training, but with one patient at a time, and not be expected to be a GLORIFIED SECRETARY or WAITRESS. Does that make sense??? I want to focus on my assessment and nursing skills, not have to do everything else as well with not enough resources... i did not go to school to do secretary type paperwork or waitressing..... I don't mind meeting patients' needs, but if i wanted to just do that, (toileting and bedmaking and fetching water) I would have been a CNA instead of an RN with a license that could be in jeopardy. Oh where do I go from here???:chair:

Hello all! I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place, so please forgive me in advance. I'm a relatively new RN grad. Dec. 2010. I had been unable to find a decent job for months. I have been LPN since 2003, but not worked steadily the whole time. I had always been interested in LD nursing/OB and potentially community health/psych/prison nursing, etc. I do not enjoy bedside nursing/med-surg as it is WAY understaffed in my opinion. Anyway, before I get off track. After a few months of not finding anything, i got hired for what I thought was an ICU job, so I assumed i'd have 1-2 critical patients, multiple drips/vents, etc.. and a chance to really LEARN and spend time with my patients.. Reality is....it is more or less a med-surg unit and not really an ICU, and on my first night of orientation, my preceptor barely knew that she had to have an orientee... She had no time to show me much of the equipment (iV pumps, monitor screens) or how to do any of the paperwork and whatnot. It was horrible....we got 6 admissions, and it was just her and one LPN, and 2 of us new RN grads.... all the nurses on the floor when I had my tour had quietly hinted that the staffing was horrible, and they hated their jobs, and that they had went through 5 new grads recently and NONE stayed. That should have been a RED FLAG to me. So, I just don't feel like this floor is going to work out for me. i went into nursing wanting to provide SAFE nursing CARE... but it seems that even the experienced nurses (my preceptor has been there 20 years) can't even keep their heads above water, so what hope do I have? It seems like there is barely enough time to assess the patients, let alone give meds, chart vitals, and other numerous things.... there is no unit secretary, NO tele tech, even though most of the patients are on tele, and there is no pharmacy personnel after hours..... basically, there is not enough support to safely take care of the patients, IMO. I do not want to risk my license just for the sake of having a 'job'.... I want to quit so bad, yes even after one shift, but how would I go about obtaining a new job? Would i have to list this one on my resume?? If so, how would I explain leaving this job to a potential new employer during an interview? Sorry if this post is disjointed and jumps from thought to thought. My brain is fried, my heart is aching, and I feel there may be no hope for me to find my 'niche'.. I don't think I can survive the requisite '1 YEAR' requirement in med-surg/floor nursing.... I want to specialize. I'd rather work home health/community/dr office/psych/prison.... Hospitals care more about the bottom line and don't care how short staffed the nurses have to work. I don't know how y'all do it, but I CANNOT be in 6 patient rooms at once!!! How can I safely assess/care for patients on tele/drips when we constantly get new admissions, no secretary, and way too many forms to fill out. There is not enough time and not enough ME to get everything done!!!! am I just a terrible nurse, or what?? I want to quit this job, I know it's not gonna get any better, but then how do I explain it on my work history?? What do you guys think? similar experiences anyone can share? Advice? HELP!!! I'm a mother of 4 children and want to provide for my family. I worked hard to go from LPN to RN, had a 4.0 GPA at graduation, and I love learning and love nursing theory, but in reality it is impossible to practice the type of nursing that goes by 'textbook'.. I don't like the idea of taking shortcuts and being unsafe. but it seems all the floor nurses are doing it, otherwise they won't get their work done in time before they have to start their next shift!!!!!! I could go on and on, but you all know what I mean.. My first night,,on orientation, I did not get a lunch break, and I only got to pee once........ i'm sorry, but I can't live like that.. maybe you all are martyrs and have bladders of steel and stomachs that can go without food, but I just can't survive like that... I get lightheaded and just feel horrible if I don't get regular sustenance. ARe there any jobs out there that don't require inhuman suffering, being pulled in twenty directions at once? I don't want to give up on nursing as I have invested time and money in this, but I do not want to risk my patients or my license...... if i cant' find another area of nursing, I'm thinking of going into ultrasound sonography or something........