EKRN2014

Don't underestimate yourself! Not everyone can "make a patient feel happy and comforted." That comes from truly caring about them, which not every nurse does (unfortunately). About the critical thinking part, when you are in a new situation, do you reflect and think what you could have done better afterwards? This makes you actually do better next time. Maybe organization is the problem with your report. Do you have a brain sheet where you write down important things. Then, you can say "at 0800 I assessed patient x and these were my findings" etc. Hope this helps! Good luck and don't give up yet.

Hi, I can't give you any specific advice about the hospital you're interviewing at, but one of the things that helped me was this YouTube video (assuming you're a new grad): At first, I thought her idea of ending the interview with saying that she was very thankful for the interviewer's time and how interested she was in the hospital sounded too desperate, but I tried it and it seemed to work. I think it's overall a good video. The more interviews you go, the better you'll become at them. The things that I try to most emphasize is that 1) I've done my research and I'm a good fit for the position and hospital 2) I'm dedicated to "customer service", nursing and improving myself as a RN and 3) I plan on staying at the facility long term. The hardest part is to relax! Every interview that I've been on has been different; some interviewers grill you on details and others do more talking than actually asking questions. A lot of times, you'll be interviewing before more than one person and they usually give you a tour of the unit. I think this is a good opportunity to show your interest. Good luck on your interview. Just practice sample interview questions until they come out naturally.

Angelica- It's too bad that your first nursing job has gone this way. I'm not sure of specifics but wish you the best. Even being fired from your first job, will not ruin your future. A "do not rehire" status doesn't show up on a background check, just your work history is on there. You can always explain at future interviews that it wasn't a good fit (don't go into too much detail). Many people have quit or gotten fired from their first RN jobs and still had a successful career. It just may take longer for someone to give you a second chance, but it's not impossible. If a job is causing you that much distress, then it is better to leave. However, there are a lot of options in nursing and you may just need to find the right one for you. Of course, if nursing really isn't for you, then leaving all together may be the right decision. This is only something that you can decide. My first nursing job didn't go well and now my second job is much better. Don't loose hope, try to stay positive and do what's best for you. I think the therapy idea is good, there's never shame in that.

This may be satire, and unfortunately some of your statements may ring a lot of truth for some unfortunate new grads. However, there ARE more positive, supportive nursing jobs out there. Sometimes, you just have to get through a job that isn't that way, get some experience and look for something that's better. Some are even lucky enough to start in a positive environments... Prettyboyswag, it seems like you are very unhappy in nursing (from your posts). I hope you either find the right fit for you in nursing or are able to transition to something you like better.

If this were my decision, I would look at each option closely. You have to ask yourself, how comfortable would you be in corrections? For me, personally, I know working in a prison isn't for me. Is pediatric nursing something you want to do? Pediatric nursing positions are hard to get without peds experience (at least in my area), so it is a great opportunity. Moving away to a place where you don't know anyone is difficult but doable (speaking from personal experience). I decided to move to get my career going and don't regret the decision. Good luck in your decision! Me personally, I try to worry about making the "wrong" decision. Do what feels like the best fit for you and remember that there are many routes to your ultimate goals.

I can relate to this! Don't give up though. What helped me was to set a goal for each day (mine was 2 application per day). Also, it made it faster to have all of my information in front of me (references, etc) and I just customized the cover letter instead of starting from scratch. Sometimes, I felt so sick of applying and hearing nothing back that I just gave myself the day off and did something fun but inexpensive.

Judo- If you want to stay in NY, then focus your job applications on the more rural hospitals. I never had luck with the Albany hospitals, for example, even though other people say they do get back to eventually. Here's a link to every hospital in New York State: Hospital. I went to the hospital websites and applied directly to many. I have heard it helps if you call the HR for Upstate hospitals to follow up on your application and express your interest (something that didn't work for me in NYC). Be ready to give an explanation as to why you want to leave NYC and work at their hospital (lower living expenses, hospital's reputation, etc). This is how I got my job (BSN but no prior clinical experience). Good luck again!

I agree with the previous posts. You're being too hard on yourself and dropping out of the program is excessive! Talk to your clinical instructor and see where you can improve. Follow up regularly with her/him and make sure that your meeting your prof's expectations and the course's goals. At this point, it's normal to miss things...that's why your clinical instructor is there. In my experience, everyone worried about failing but very, very few people actually did. You had to do something really terrible to fail (like deciding to go off on your own and give medications without your professor or being late to every single clinical).

I used the "Made Incredibly Easy" books in school and it really made a difference. I HIGHLY recommend them because I found my nursing text to be too dense (when I tried to sit through and read it without knowing anything about the topic, I probably only absorbed 50%). So, I would first read the Made Incredibly Easy book (before lecture), then study my notes and then read parts of my nursing text. The important thing is to UNDERSTAND the topics, not know everything in the book (which surprisingly isn't the same thing). Also, I did lots of practice questions. I used the Success series mostly (Medsurg Success-Davis' Q&A series, which is also available for maternity, peds, etc). Most importantly, you have to find what works for you. I like to be super organized, so I made a list of all of the topics for a test. I would go through and make a second list of the ones that I was shaky one. I would then go and find additional resources for that topic. I found a lot of YouTube videos that were invaluable in understanding the material. For me, things like watching the YouTube videos, practicing questions and making my own drawings/notes was a lot more helpful than the textbook. The key to succeeding in nursing school is figuring out how YOU learn. There was one semester, when I had a teacher like yours. Lecture was so boring and I didn't learn anything from her. However, I made myself responsible for my own learning (not saying that you're not) and sought out ways to learn the material. Hope some of my advice helps you. Good luck! If you still have the option of dropping one of the classes so that you can pull up your grade in the other class, that would probably be the option that I would take. Don't give up! It sounds like you just need to make changes in how you study that will work better for you.

Congratulations! I wish you the best in your residency program. It sounds like it will be a great opportunity and something that you truly deserve!

I wouldn't worry about the math. Yes, of course, you need to be able to do dosage calculations, especially for Pediatrics. However, my nursing program included a medical math class and made these EASY. Yes, at first they can seem a little overwhelming, but with practice it does become very doable. It really is just basic math-like what you had to do in chemistry. And, also, in my nursing school (and I think in most), you have to pass a math test (dosage calculations), every semester, so you're forced to keep on practicing. You'll do fine...it just takes practice :)

Judo- Unfortunately, NYC is very competitive for new grads. There are many, many nursing schools and this creates a surplus of new grads for the amount of jobs that are open to accepting a new graduate. It's too bad your school wasn't more open about the reality of NYC right now. Also, most hospitals will only take BSN's. So, definitely, get your BSN! Even after getting your BSN, it's difficult...sorry to sound discouraging! Don't give up; there are options. Think about "alternative" places of employment: nursing homes, clinics, assisted living, etc. Once you have your BSN and experience, things will be much better! In the meanwhile, the job search is a lot less painful if you're open to Upstate and out of state. So, if this is an option, look into it. Also, if you have to stay in NYC, network, network, network. You will need to get your BSN, but a lot of it is who you know. I wish you the best of luck!

I think the only real way is to actually get experience ...I'm a new grad and it is tough. However, your tone of voice and how you phrase things in the interview really does make a difference. Try to focus on the positive and why you would make a good candidate. Plus, use your previous clinical (LVN, tech) to emphasize that it will be an easier transition for you and that having worked as a tech on a medsurg floor, you know that you will enjoy working in medsurg and would like to be there longterm.

I would list your preceptor as a reference (that can actually be a great reference!). Also, you can use clinical instructors. I listed two of my clinical instructors who can speak positively about me clinically and personally. I also think a reference from HR from your last job is fine, as long as you have other references who can give a more detailed reference. Oh, and here's my advise about your current manager. You don't have to list him/her as a reference for this job (it seems like from the above suggestions, you should have enough references). But, you should talk to him/her when you get close to a new job offer and before your new employer contacts your current employer to verify your employment (which in my experience they do when they're ready to make you an offer). I would state that you really like working there and understand that they can't promote you because you're too new. Use this as a reason as to why you are leaving and state that you want to give enough notice, etc. This way you can leave on good terms and hopefully use your current manager as a reference for future jobs!

I would say yes it's worth going forward in terms of getting your BSN. You could also move forward with your BSN and get a job though too. I live in New York State too. For those of us with less than one year of experience, it takes a while to hear back but don't consider yourself "damaged goods." I'm not sure why you were terminated and understand you not wanting to post it here, but that also makes it harder to give advice. What I do know is that you will have to be prepared to explain what happened and it may be harder to find a new job, but it can be done. Some interviewers don't even ask about what happened, others will. Keep it short and to the point and then try to redirect the conversation to something more positive (if you say your last job didn't work out because it wasn't a good fit, then say how the job your applying for is a good fit).

There are unfortunately a lot of negative people out there. All that matters is what you think. I'm like you and have trouble tuning others out, but it is something that is necessary a lot of times. I'm a new grad too, but from what I have seen...what many people say about psych isn't necessarily true. In this job climate, any nursing job is better than nothing. Plus, you're lucky to have a job you actually like! There are opportunities in psych and I imagine you would have preference for transferring to a new unit/specialty within the hospital as a current employee once you're been there for a while (if you ever wanted to). Maybe you're coworkers went into the unit even though psych isn't really for them? Maybe this is why they are so unhappy.

First of all, sorry you're having such a hard time. Me too...it's been an uphill battle. I'm not sure where you are, so some of my advice might not apply to you. Do you have your ASN or BSN? Since getting my BSN, I have gotten more call backs, but it is still difficult. One option is to start in a nursing home or clinic, in my area (NYC) they seem to be more willing to give new grad RN's a chance. I have had more success with rural areas and have a possible job (they are checking my references and doing all of the other normal pre-employment stuff). It's hard to relocate to a place where you don't know anyone, but it's doable. What I did was look up every single hospital in New York State and started applying to the more rural ones and ones that people here in AN have said are more new grad friendly. Maybe you can relocate to a different area of your state? It will be easier to actually go to interviews and you will be able to visit family/friends. Also, other people on this forum have said that North Dakota will hire new grads. If you go to the North Dakota tab, you can find a thread that I think is really inspirational. I know it's discouraging, but don't give up! There are still options for all of us unemployment new grads, it just takes time and sacrifice. Good luck and I hope this helps : )

Wow, that is very unappreciative of any new grad/new employee to complain about having to work nights. I'm a new grad and I would be happy to just have a job! That being said, I think I actually prefer nights. I'm really not a morning person and I just can't think early in the morning. I would work any shift, but I think I would be happier starting at 7pm. Hopefully this works to my advantage once I do get a job?

Thanks for the post...yes, this is very important! This is something that I already knew (my first semester clinical instructor taught us to always assume that the patient can hear and understand us, even if it doesn't seem like it) but this was a good reminder as I start my career. You sound like a great nurse who really cares about your patients.

Thanks for your post. Very nice!

I say take it! RN jobs as a new grad are difficult to come by and this is what you want. Follow your heart. I think in this job market, you can't afford to pass up this opportunity. Besides, if you want to change at a later date, it's not impossible. I met a nurse in my clinicals who had worked in psych for years and then changed to the NICU. One of my classmates worked in a nursing home for a year and just landed a job in L&D. I guess it depends where you are somewhat, but I think you can change specialties once people know you and realize that you're a good nurse.

How about a nursing position in a non-profit agency (outreach-type program), developmentally disabled individuals or community health clinics? These are rewarding non-bedside positions. Non-profits may give you a chance with your background (this sounds like what you're already doing). In my area, the more rural organizations for developmentally disabled will sometimes give new grads a chance (and the necessary training). Community health centers are great too and offer the opportunity to move up, if that's what you want to do someday. I am not starting out in a hospital because it's barely an option here for new grads. However, I agree with you. I'm not sure bedside nursing is for me either and may end up in something like community health or a non-profit.

First of all you are not a failed doctor. It is difficult for foreign-educated doctors to become MDs here and most people are aware of this. My A&P teacher was a MD in her country, couldn't get a residency placement and started teaching college level science classes instead. I think you being a MD in another country doesn't look bad. For interviews, you could explain that you went to medical school in another country, then moved here, wanted to continue in the medical field and thought that nursing school would be your best fit. I know of someone who was a practicing physician in her country, but became a PA here (I think because of the same difficulties you faced). Good luck!

Congrats! I remember my first week of nursing school. It seems like yesterday, even though I have already started to work. You are very lucky to have a great clinical instructor. I had good ones and not so good ones (and one horrible one that set a great example of how I don't want to be an a RN). Just take it day by day, try not to get overwhelmed and congrats on the journey that you've just started!

Thanks so much for your reply! I really like your explanation for future interviews and will use that. And, yes, this has been a learning experience. For anyone reading this, what I learned is to be more cautious when accepting a job. I was so worried about not finding my first RN job (the job market here is still extremely tight for new grads) that I didn't question the "red flags" during the interview and just immediately said yes when accepted. Of course, it is true that sometimes we have to make a job work to get experience and that nothing is perfect, but it isn't good to get into something that won't work out either. Also from now on, I will ask for regular updates from whoever is training me. I'm still not sure how to deal with politics and being stuck between someone who isn't good at training and a not supportive nurse manager, but I guess this is something I will get better at with time.