scott5698

Tried to give two weeks, but due to hiring company taking longer than either of us expected (no change in start date) there wasn't enough time. No position requires any length of time, though I acknowledge some need to provide notice. Not sure why companies feel that this issue isn't a two way street as are most other issues. I stand by my comments.

I no longer feel guilty about doing anything that is in my best interest and not the companies best interest. If the shoe was on the other foot, you'd get no notice. They hired you because it was in their best interest not yours. It pains me to say this, but after some tough spots in a long career, I've changed my tune. Two weeks is more than enough notice given your pay and staffing. They have made a choice about how they want to run their business, they need to live with the consequences of that choice, just as the rest of us live with ours. Don't waste time feeling bad about doing what is right for you and your family.

I am in a similar boat. have a previous career and resume that has always gotten me callbacks. currently working med-surge. have (I thought) changed and adapted resume down to one page, focused on current skills while blending in my management background. not a single callback in the latest 100 applications. meanwhile, overwork from med-surge is slowly killing me and sapping my interest in nursing - I mean, who really wants a job where you work 12's, can't pee, never get lunch, and are behind from the moment you clock in? meanwhile, the patients constantly tell me they think Ive been working for years, refuse to have others for a nurse, and claim to tell mgt that I'm the best. I've even seen them tell the docs that I do great, they love me etc. though I feel like I never do enough. Any ideas about how to capture that and the associated skills would be most appreciated!

Try a prn position a couple days a month and see if it scratches the itch you have!

Not that I'm aware of. I work med-surge in a small community hospital and we usually have 6 patients, sometimes 7. I don't feel that it's safe but everyone keeps saying I'll get used to it. I don't want to get used to it!

You are exactly correct DrowningNewGrad. Make a mistake because your employer allowed you to be in over your head and they will cut you and not think twice about it. I've seen it happen at my facility. Then no one talks about it, like its a secret. And administration wonders why nurses are leaving - and not just the newbies, but those with years of experience too. Strange thing is that they are running no ads to replace them, just pestering the crap of the remaining staff to work overtime. Guess they can't grasp that after months of working overtime, those left will also succumb to the pressure and move on. Wonder what happens when they don't have enough staff to handle the patient load? I worked too hard and spent too much money to earn my degree to let a company drown me and kick me to the curb… keep searching and you will find your place in nursing. It does get easier, but it sure is miserable until then. :)

Personally, as a second career RN, I have no real interest in waiting years for the miserable to maybe vanish if I'm just miserable long enough. I continually wonder what kind of people it takes to feel this way for so long, and then sit back and watch others struggle in the same fashion and not really do anything about it, all the while preaching about patient safety and concern for their employees. I can tell you I never, ever let one of my former subordinates continue to feel this way (different industry though). And everyone wonders why nurses burn out early and leave the floor after a few years. Guess I'm just tired of hearing the 'ol "that's the way we always did it, you'll just have to get used to it" speech.

Something has to change, and since the schools and employers call the shots, I expect them to step up and do it. I work med surge, got a 12 week orientation, and continually got told I was doing great, even though all of the work couldn't possibly be completed correctly by a newbie. Now, off orientation, having not experienced many things (how could you?) and having 7 patients, they want to come to me and ask why things are being missed?? Did you really expect to take me from a know-nothing student to an experienced RN in 12 weeks? I'm amazed that there are aren't more problems.

Well, we need something other than 12 weeks, especially in light of horrible clinical experiences that don't really show us the experience. if 60% of nurses are quitting before two years (and there is no way I'm gonna work med surge for two years as its currently structured) there is clearly something wrong with both the educational and orientation systems we currently have. The real question is why all the RN's in hospital administration who are always preaching about everything (safety, costs, etc) aren't doing anything to fix it. It's clearly too expensive to be allowed to continue, yet it has existed this way far longer than a decade.

Mike, I agree with the above poster's last paragraph. I went to school at 49, completed in two years, graduated with honors. Had a great career over the last 25 years with lots of management and field experience. And then reality set in. It counts for nothing, really. School taught me how to write papers, sort of, which doesn't apply to real world nursing. Our clinicals were mostly CNA duties and not real world nursing responsibilities. No disrespect to CNA's at all - we certainly could not do our jobs without you - but that isn't what I paid all that money to do during clinicals. Now I'm being told I'm lucky to get 12 weeks of preceptorship instead of 8 to prepare me for the 6-7 med surge patients I'll have. I can tell you, you better make sure you really want to do this because 7 med surge patients is overwhelming when you are new. I'm not convinced it's safe, but "you'll just have to get used to it". HA! You may enjoy volunteer work more than nursing unless you find a place that really gives you time to care for your patients instead of just pass meds as fast as you can and chart after your shift is over. I'm sure it will improve as my skills improve, but when you see long time nurses abandoning the floor due to the demands of management, its kinda hard to believe them when they say its all because you're new and you'll eventually get used to it. We'll see what it looks like after the shock and fog of being new clears...

Can you give us an update? It's been a year and I am a new grad wondering. I got a position on a med-surge unit and so far, it isn't really all its cracked up to be - the ratios run 6/7 patients to one nurse. completely overwhelming when you are trying to go from newbie to full fledged staffer in just 12 weeks. considering some other positions, such as urgent care and would love to know how this worked out for you or others!

well said and still timely. Thank you!

I believe, in most cases, its a combination of the above mentioned things, with neither side being able to recognize their own issues. My current employer (I'm a newbie) told me that they have surveyed the surrounding employers and that they pay equal to or more than most of them, along with better bennies. Yet, after interviewing around, I found them to be lacking. About 2 bucks less is salary, and 3 weeks less paid vacation. Tuition reimbursement was half as much and you had to work twice as long to qualify. The list goes on, yet they believe that they are at the top but can't figure out why they have such a time finding worker bees. Hmmm. I've worked at many large companies over the years and find this quite often. Couple this with some poor policies, sprinkled with a few bad habits, and if someone has standards or aspires to improve things, its easy to see why there is enough dissatisfaction for both sides.

Sounds like great advice to me. I am starting my first job April 10th and know that just like having kids, even when you think you are ready, you're really not. Still, you have to have faith and take the leap at some point, knowing that you will come out the other side of that first year wiser and more knowledgeable than ever. I think my credit/collections experience and tough skin will help.

So far, there is nothing affordable about the ACA. I like some of the ideas in it, though I like the premise of the original idea brought forth by the Heritage foundation back in 1989. I don't think obamacare will improve healthcare since it was designed to reform health insurance. If you look at socialized medicine in other countries, there is worse care for more money and lots of inefficiency. I used and paid for healthcare for a couple years in the UK and I can tell you that most of the folks in the US have no clue what it will cost them or how much they are going to miss the old system, especially the 10,000/day retiring baby boomers. I have heard that it will add nurses because hospitals are going to transition to more acute care and the less acute care being farmed out to many more clinics, thus providing for more jobs. time will tell.

I've always operated under the policy that honesty counts. you don't call in sick if you aren't sick. you know when your days to work are, plan your life accordingly. I worked at one place that got so bad, they just eliminated sick days altogether for anyone not on salary. no work - no pay. if it became problematic, and it did pretty quickly, you just got fired. end of story. the folks fell in line pretty damn quick. I valued my job, so I only called out when it was really necessary, and because of this, I also earned some leeway with management. I think I called out sick less than a total of 7 days over 9 years.

There is no shortage of nurses, especially here in Florida. I think the for profit nursing schools keep pushing this line just to make money. Florida pays about 21-25/hr for new nurses while many other states are far more. I think there are just too many of us out there, no employer has to pay more to get a body to fill the slot. Can you tell I'm a previous econ major? If there really was a shortage - meaning more slots than people to fill them - it would force the compensation to rise to get the best candidates, but it isn't happening, at least not here.

I learned a long time ago not to worry about what someone called me. If its inappropriate, it will come out and reflect on them, probably at the worst possible time for them. If it does bother me, and it sometimes does, I stop the conversation RIGHT THEN and correct that person. It rarely happens a second time. When it does, I just inform them that if it happens again, I will make a formal complaint. I have never had to do that. people respond to expectations. set your expectations and then show you aren't messing around and things will fall into place pretty quickly.

The land o lakes dean is no BS! if you are serious you will do well under her, she was at tampa when I started. I graduate in December and have passed the predictor test to graduate. Let us know what you decide!

Its exciting and terrifying at the same time. I went back to school at 50. It can be done! Best advice I can give you is to do the work. all of it. those that struggled in my class were always working, tending kids, traveling, etc. instead of doing the work. Guess I'm old fashioned, but its worked for me. If you put the effort into it, you will do just fine. Best of luck to you!

Well, someone should wake up the boards of nursing! I don't feel prepared either, mostly because we aren't. Maybe a little less time on papers and apa format and a little more on skills. Really tired of hearing "read the book" as the solution to everything. When you have crappy clinical sites, there isn't much you can do...

Man, this hits it on the head! Poor clinical sites with absent teachers, teaching that amounts to "read the book, you're in nursing school", and real restrictions on what we can actually perform at clinicals. I am one of those second career individuals and I find the attitude of some of my younger classmates appalling, yet I know experience will usually teach them just how awful their attitude was. I'm tired of hearing how my previous 25 years of experience and degree don't matter. I WANT to do the best job possible, realize that I'm limited by my experiences and loyal to those who teach/train/prepare me for the real world. If only we could get the corporations to realize it.

I am still in school, but I understand that most RN's get about 20-25 per hour unless you have experience - not sure how much you need. we moved here in '04. schools are rated A-F. there are few A schools in the tampa area - Hillsborough county. we moved near one - Newsome High School. Good school, but waaayyy to rule happy. Last son graduated a year early because he was sick of the BS at school. Nice area, nice beaches, our neighborhood has lots of stuff for kids to do - many pools, activities, etc. check out Fishhawk Ranch. Best of luck - moving is a pain.

Our school uses ATI because they (the professors) all seem to say it has the best results; that practicing the questions is the key to passing nclex. my plan is to just keep taking the questions and reviewing the rationales until I really know them. we have to pass a predictor test before they will release us to take the nclex anyway. Do you have access to ATI? It is probably expensive if you don't already have access, but I would just keep doing a couple hundred questions a day, and if there is any way to focus them on the areas you are weak in, I'd do that. Best of luck to you!

I will be 51 when I graduate this December. I've already had one successful career - at least until the economy imploded. Just make sure that YOU want this. It is hard work, but I made up my mind to spend the money and get it done. Doesn't hurt that I get bragging rights over my kids - nearly your age - for getting better grades than them :). Once you set your mind to completing a goal, don't let anything get in the way!