RNitis

I felt the same way (still do a lot of the time!!) But I work in Long term care with some 30+ patients. I hate feeling like I'm just throwing pills at them (like you would a cookie to your dog!) But if u don't, u never get anything done in time and get spoken to "in the dreaded office"...kinda makes you feel like your in the principals office, all over again.

Mine was not A +P, but the second class in nursing (I honestly can't remember the name as it was a long time ago!), but I failed first try- fail was a C, I got a C -) anyway, it took a few semesters of a majority of the class failing and many students complaining that they were studying like crazy to no avail for the school to realize it was the instructor, not the students...after I took time off, I took the class with the new instructor and got an A. Big surprise, right?! (The original instructor was asked to resign, which she did. And it later came out she was intentionally making the class harder than its level to "weed out" who could and could not handle the remaining nursing classes...which was obviously not in her control). Good luck with everything!!

i never really understood this. Every time someone starts a new job, comes an orientation period, where the hiring manager will usually add "we'll see how orientation goes, then go from there". But in my experience, I've done orientation, where they threw me out on the floor after only 2 days of orientation, the third day, I was on my own (I know, most nurses can do that, but I just started working as an RN at a different per diem position, so I definitely don't have my routine down pat, yet! It's only been a couple months). When I realized I was unable to be free to them the entire week for a promise of 16 hours, I decided it would be best we cut our ties before I was off orientation. (I know, earlier I said I was off orientation, but I really wasn't. What had happened was they were short staffed, so they threw me on my own). For more reasons than one, I had decided it just didn't fit in my life at the moment (with young children still in elementary school and that I would have to quit my first shift job PLUS my other per diem position to be available to them). I spoke with them about how it just isn't working out in my life with my other positions, I got "well, will you still give your 2 weeks notice?"..I stated, "I don't understand why you would work me two more weeks on my own shifts, if I'm not even off orientation, yet!", "so you'll be resigning?", I suppose so, but I thought "we would see how orientation goes, then go from there"...oh, right, that means its all about your organization, not about whether or not its a good fit in my life! How could I be so naive to think they would actually consider me a person and the fact that I have a life too, how silly of me to assume that!!

Ditto....except to the nurses who truly are lazy.....you all know the "wait til you graduate, you'll never have to wipe a butt again" and walks away from a you and an assist of 2 covered in number 2....(CNA, now RN, if wondering)....

You earned your education as a service woman for our country. How's that free?

To fedide: thanks for clarifying for me, I appreciate it!! Didn't mean to cut into the original post, but thanks for answering!

Why would you not be able to get a pardon for it. (Not sure if state related): but in CT, after 5 years of the offense and completing the requirements, like probation, u can apply for a pardon. People usually use them to erase felonies, so they are quick to allow the pardon for a misdemeanor. (Unless, of course, u have already used it..then no)

Perhaps it's bc I work in long term care (or it's bc I was a brand new nurse-RN when they hired me, so they had to train me), but I don't get a "per diem" rate as u all talk about here. I get paid starting rate for a new nurse in the state of CT. Is that normal or did I short change myself?

When I worked on an oncology hospice floor of a hospital and a patient would pass and the family would cry, all I could do was put myself in their shoes and the tears would come. I would also think of those I've lost in my life and a time when I almost passed in a situation when I was younger. It would set me in a funk for a day or so. But at the same time, it would make me appreciate who I do still have in my life and that I am still alive and full functioning. On one hand, I would almost go through a bit of survival guilt, but on the other hand I would mostly just be grateful for all I have in life. I sometimes wish the negative people in my life could experience what we healthcare workers experience at times so they could see just how wonderful life really is and appreciate every minute of it without complaining of (what I see as very petty) things on a day to day basis. But then I remember, it takes a very special person to do what we all do day after day.

"But, I decided that it was too much risk to go to school and get a degree in a field where it's difficult to find a job." Really?!?! Definitely DO NOT go into nursing. It took me TWO years, my relationship with my boyfriend taxed and over, home in foreclosure, my car on its last leg, and $70,000 in student loans for me to find a nursing job (and pays at $7.50 less an hour than starting rate for new RN's."

At least you have your mother to fall back on! I almost lost my house (My fault...bad choice in partner I bought it with, I know) because I was unable to find an RN job for 2 years after graduating. (I'm still on the edge of losing it....hoping time finally goes in my favor) I just kept applying and applying. Be persistent, something will come up! I was able to find a part time job (but with way lower pay than I should receive-better than NO job...I was over qualified for jobs I had worked before my degree and no experience for a position with my degree) and a per diem job (that isn't stable money, so not able to use it to refinance my home).

Same here, just off orientation. I at least feel like I can actually do it now! But today I really felt like I don't know what I'm doing (when in reality, we just don't have the experience, yet)..OP explained it perfectly, going from task to task. It's just going to take time.

Yippee!!! I'm so happy for you!! :) I felt your pain when you wrote "fired after fifty" and I also wondered if that was what we have to look forward to at the end of our careers. Very happy to hear your going home!

It depends on the facility. Last year I got a job at an LTC (horribly organized and on strike-I realized why, really quick!) where I was thrown under the bus. I felt horrible for the residents, and the workers were "for themselves." I now work at a great LTC; the residents are greatly cared for, the workers are "team players," and it's a great place to work. It's not easy work, as the OP is learning (I, too, am a fairly new nurse). My only advice is to try not to pick up bad habits. I took what I could from the different people I oriented with and found a few tricks from all of them that work for me! (It still takes me 5 hours to do my morning med pass! They say, "I was the same when I was a new nurse," and "you're doing great! You'll be fine"). Just remember, if you're doing well and you keep doing the same routine, you WILL get quicker!

We didn't have drug testing while in nursing school, but when I was an aide, someone in the hospital I worked in stated they "saw me smoking marijuana in the parking lot during my lunch". (I do remember walking out to lunch that day and I was walking behind a visitor who wreeeeeked like pot! But it didn't even cross my mind until I was home the next day.) I told the nursing supervisor I smoke cigarettes and besides, if I smoked a joint to my head, I certainly would NOT have been able to return to work after! Got the rest of the day off and the next day, paid, too! With an apology, of course because it came back negative. I was ripped ****** and looked at everyone crooked after that for I assumed someone was trying to get my fired, assuming I did drugs. Not to mention, it was wicked embarrassing when the nursing supervisor and HR lady where insisting they would get me a cab or I could call someone for a ride home because they wouldn't want me to drive impaired!! Never found out who, wasn't able to be told, either, as their policy was "if anyone is suspicious of someone at work impaired, they may anonymously report them". I got over it after awhile!