osamejrn

I appreciate your thoughts on my post. But, I just wanted to add one more thing. The same nurse that was irate when I missed a blood sugar (which I should have made more clear, I got it before change of shift, but it was high). himself left 3 blood sugars for me to do one morning several weeks later. Did he forget..no. Was he too busy to do them....no. Was there a legitimate reason for him to leave these for me....no. He let his certification expire and was not able to use the meter. He was working with two others (another nurse & an aide) who were still certified to do them, The reason they were not done was because was fighting with them and not speaking to them. His co-worker told me that either one of them would have gladly taken the blood sugars for him had he asked either one of them to do so. But instead, he left them for me instead of asking someone for help. I do agree that part of earning respect comes from knowing what you are doing, and doing your job well. However, after only 4 months in this position and being a new grad, I'm not able to do everything as quickly as they are. I can prioritize my responsibilities until the cows come home but I am still going to be slower at the job. After reading the other posts in this forum, I'm realizing that I am not alone. Each one of these nurses began their careers as a new grad, working hard to get to the point where they are now. However, many of them seem to forget those first few months on the job and learning not only the actual nursing end of it, but all that goes into a new RN position. I have to learn names of drs. their group, their personalities and handwriting. I have to learn the ins and outs of all departments that I deal with, computer programs, nursing students, and hospital policies. Add to that only being there just a few months (now it's been 4 months-but it was only a matter of weeks in some of my instances mentioned above). When one of them makes a mistake it's rarely given a second thought, let alone someone belittling them or intimidating one of them over it. And yes, a couple nurses have too, put patients in a dangerous situation. I want to learn how to do my job efficiently and be very good at what I do, but this will only come with time just as it did for them.

I am currently working as a new RN in a small hospital. After being there just a few weeks my preceptor would talk about people to her "clique" about people being dumb, stupid, annoying, etc. Of course, the clique was doing the same thing. As I have learned, there aren't many people working there or that they talk to that aren't "idiots", "stupid", or "worthless" in some way. After a few weeks of working there, one of the night shift nurses was incredibly irate that I missed getting a blood sugar and as luck would have it, it was greater than 500! Following protocol, it required extra work for the next nurse to do (calling docs, re-checking the sugar, etc). The next day the nurse was belligerent and out of line when giving me report, picking out all of the mistakes I had ever made and making unbelievable comments to me during report all with an over powering attitude. Needless to say, I couldn't control my tears after several minutes of this and was incredibly shocked and offended. I felt like a small puppy brutally attacked by a pack of wolves. Just after coming off of orientation, I was incredibly busy and missed signing off some orders, plus I still had some to take off that weren't emergent. I was pulled aside by another nurse following me on the next shift and was told about it as though I was a child. I felt belittled, however not nearly as bad as the last time. This time I was able to push back the tears, unfortunately I think this person still knew. For about 4-5 weeks, the nurse that was my preceptor has been giving me looks when I become flustered and/or ask "stupid" questions/make mistakes. She has been snapping at me and I also have the feeling that a few of them are talking about me now since it's pretty much all I hear them doing in their clique. I even hear members of the clique talking about each other....ironically!!! I don't want to be a part of a group that is that heartless and all out mean. However, it is difficult at times knowing that something I did because I'm new and haven't worked there years like them is either going to get me a dirty look, yelled at, talked down to, or talked about behind my back. Plus, I still have questions that I MUST ask to be a safe nurse! I dread coming across new situations and having to ask questions and find myself feeling stressed when something comes up instead of being excited that I have an opportunity to learn something. Is there anyone else going through this...or any advice on how to proceed? I love my job and my patients but I will never fit into this clique. Why are nurses who are supposed to be compassionate, and who really are to their patients, so completely opposite to their co-workers?

Welcome! I am sure you will be glad you discovered this site. Absolutely a fantastic place when there is no one else to turn to.

I am so sorry that you are going through this right now. I too went through feelings similar to this during my final semester of college. They weren't as bad as yours sound, but, they went away the closer I got to graduation. However, I had the advantage of already being a LPN for close to 10 years by that point. So, I had a different perspective on what the field of nursing is really like. Also, I went back to school to further my education to find employment in acute care. That was my goal in life and still had doubt about my decision. I remember during a clinical day going after something in the clean linen closet when it hit me. I had a lot of emotions from "why did I do this again" and "I don't like this field anymore" to "maybe I can switch my major and never look back!". Being a student nurse isn't ever the best place to be in life! You will NOT be railroaded into acute care, especially with 2 four year degrees. You have so many possibilities at your fingertips with that behind you. Have you considered pharmaceutical work? You are also employable in insurance companies as well. The list of possibilities also extend to further your education in a specialty such as Legal Nurse or Forensic Nursing. Of course, you may have to put in your time at least one year in acute care for some of the positions so that you have that knowledge base. In this economy employers are extremely picky just because they can be. Since you haven't been getting a lot of sleep, try to work on that. It must be your priority even though it's difficult. Once that falls into place, things won't look as bleak. You could speak to your physician for solutions to not sleeping well and your emotions you've been feeling. Would you be interested in shadowing a nurse in acute care or another setting to see what it is actually like as a RN on her own? Maybe you would benefit from seeing the profession from a completely different stand point? Try to call around to see if your are able to schedule a couple of hours to shadow a nurse in a field you are interested in (possibly the community health field you spoke of). When I have been on interviews, I have never had trouble when asking if I could shadow for a couple of hours. It's also done with high school students who are considering a career in healthcare. There is nothing like helping someone who is unable to help themselves. When you watch someone evolve from being ill to returning to their former self (or close to it) it's a tremendously rewarding experience. Also, there's nothing like the first time one of your patients returns to you to thank you for what you've done or the mother who puts her child in your arms because she is scared to death that her child is seriously ill, just because you have RN behind your name. Not every day is delightful or horrible. You have stressed out co-workers and grumpy doctors or otherwise to contend with. But in spite of it all, it feels good to make a difference in someone's life, sometimes a significant difference. When you feel this, all the BS in college will take a back seat. My advice is to stay in school and get your degree. You can keep in the back of your mind that a BSN doesn't mean hooking up IV's and pushing meds for the rest of your life. You will have a multitude of options available once you get some experience and you probably don't even realize it just yet. I kept telling myself that when I would start to feel like I wanted to run away from everything. Hang in there, you WILL be glad you did.

Nursing school is grueling and I can't even think of anything to equate it to. The instructors are supposed to be "rude" because if you can't cut it in school, you are definitely not going to cut it as a nurse. My advice is to study, make note cards/flash cards. Watch YouTube videos to help reinforce or add a new twist to things. There are also websites with mnemonics to help you memorize things like the 12 cranial nerves or the 10,004 signs and symptoms you're being tested on in two weeks!. If this hasn't scared the "you know what" out of you yet you'll need to give up a huge part, if not all, of your social life too (that is if you don't have a photographic memory).......sorry! You'll also need to learn how to prioritize everything from practicing skills check-offs to blowing your nose! I purchased a NCLEX review book and an app to practice questions (while waiting in line at the grocery store to waiting for a doctor appointment) from a relevant section before an exam. They helped me learn but also helped me to get used to answering the questions they ask on the exams. Good luck! It can be done! I did it while raising 2 kids and working (part-time).

Well, I sympathize with this nurse and am very sad to hear this! I had a similar requirement prior to beginning a job. I had to do 20 toe touches, lift weights that were made progressively heavier, push and then pull a cart stacked full of weights, push the PT lady around the unit in a w/c, and squeeze a hand grip. I had my blood pressure checked prior to the the toe touches and after. I had a monitor in place for my heart rate to be monitored before and after each of these activities. I was offered an RN position through a hospital but not in the actual hospital. My position was going to be in a clinic for worker's comp/walk in clinic. I was notified about a week later that they were rescinding their offer because my heart rate was too high and was too out of shape. I was stunned! I have worked in other offices without so much as a drug test let alone a strenuous PT assessment! Prior to going for it, I heard that it was quite a work-out and others were shocked at the expectations of the hospital. So, you don't have to just have a slight grimace while lifting 50lbs. to lose out on a job offer. I had taken cold medication without a clue that they were going to monitor my BP and HR. I even stated that to the PT lady (who was giving me attitude right from the beginning). Thanks to that, I am now excluded from a whole facility with a lot of offices as potential employment. The job I have now required a PT assessment also, which made me very nervous as it is hard to find a job as a new RN and have loans to pay. I passed it thankfully and I work in LTC where I actually am lifting people and have more physical requirements than I ever would in a clinic. Go Figure! P.S. Mechanical lifts are used to lift those who aren't weight bearing-not people

I was an LPN for 9 years when I graduated with my RN degree. It took 4 months to find a job that is 4 days per 2 week pay period and in LTC. I have been trying to land a hospital job for 10 months. Also, I have been trying to find a job to fill in my days off that will work out with my LTC position. So, you need to strongly consider how tough the job market is right now. Nursing programs have flooded the market and I've applied to over 70 jobs in all types of nursing (I've heard of others applying to more). Oh, and the icing on the the cake is all the money I owe for a job I can't seem to get! Somebody somewhere should do all prospective nursing students a huge favor and NOT encourage anymore people to enroll in nursing degree programs! I feel really bad for those who are recent grads like myself or soon to be new grads.

During my final year of my ADN program I studied wildly and for hours at a time. I made note cards, read over and over, referenced other books, and emailed questions to instructors when totally at my wits end! My closest friend studied occasionally. She would still go on with her life, and seemingly never altered her regular pre-nursing school routines. Once she studied only the night before an exam and I scored higher than her by only 2 percentage points after I studied relentlessly for days! What a slap in the face that was!

I took it a few times until I finally had enough! After a few years of nursing under my belt I had an on-call physician call my unit one afternoon and ask for a nurse that didn't work on my floor. I explained this to him and he insisted that I was wrong. So, I went around to make sure I wasn't mistaken and a pool nurse wasn't actually on. As it turned out, the regular staff was on and I again explained to him that there was not a nurse by that name on that floor. He then became very angry with me, insisting that he received a call from my floor! He had made me angry as well with his attitude. But, I can usually keep myself from becoming belligerent with someone, something he obviously had not mastered yet by what came out of his mouth next. He then said, "Well you can call me back whenever you finally get your stuff together!" I totally lost all composure with that man and said, " I DO have my stuff together, YOU need to get your stuff together! I told you there isn't a nurse by that name on this floor!" He hung up on me.

wanderlustgirl-This is worrisome to say the least. I would much rather have a nurse caring for me that knows from experience how a DVT or transfusion reaction presents than someone who read about it in a textbook. Granted we all need to start somewhere and I was there as a new LPN. But grabbing up new grads just because you work well with a friend/family member of theirs scares me. I started out as a new grad LPN in a busy family practice. The doctors pulled us aside to show us interesting cases when they arose. I loved working there because you never knew what was going to walk through the door. How can any textbook and extra credentials compare? Thank you to everyone who posted and for the great insight! LadyFree28-I am applying to other institutions as well to be more rounded. Congratulations on your new position! I wish you the best and you will be glad you had the opportunity on that very difficult unit. Thank you HouTx for the advice on the resume! I definitely will tweaking mine before sending off anymore. I may have been emphasizing the wrong areas. BostonFNP-I know that the positions are mostly filled this way. However, unfortunately it not enough to know someone anymore. It is about who you know and what pull they have. I have had a few people try to help me get into their facility to no avail.

I am a recent ADN RN grad and a former LPN for almost 10 years. With the economy the way it is, I am having a difficult time finding "my dream job" which is in a hospital on a med/surg floor. As I apply over and over (going on a year now) to hospitals for anything that I think I can be hired for, it's so disheartening to find that others that graduated with me are already in hospitals. I even opened up my chances by getting a license in another state. I have applied to positions over an hour away. Being a LPN for almost 10 years, when I graduated with my RN degree and felt that I had no problem and the others in my class would be the ones that would be in my position (only d/t the fact they had no experience and the economy the way it is). Almost all had no experience in healthcare at all and their backgrounds varied from waitress to no working experience. So, as it turns out I ended up being lucky to have found a job in LTC (which I took b/c my loans were coming due) and is where I was as a LPN before graduating. I have had connections try to help me get into a hospital with no avail. So, I am wondering if it is due to having a LPN background? Also, I can't help but wonder how someone who has zero background in nursing can be hired for a position in the hospital over someone who has almost a decade in nursing. There are things experience teaches us that cannot and is not learned in a book/classroom/clinicals. Is it safer to hire a new grad without any background in healthcare vs. someone with a background albeit as a LPN? I understand the concept that facilities like to train new grads to their way of doing things, but when comparing the options it doesn't add up to me? At this point in my job search, I can't help but wonder if the years I spent as a LPN is killing my chances at any position in a hospital and worse yet, since I was only able to be hired by a LTC facility an a RN am I completely out of play for my dream job? A friend of mine just tried to help me land a position on a floor she used to work on, but she warned me that the manager doesn't like LTC nurses. After what I thought was a decent interview, sending Thank you notes to HR and the hiring manager, I unfortunately wasn't offered the position. Is there anyone that has an opinion on LPNs becoming RNs and landing a hospital job or any comments/advice at all? Also, I have noticed that job openings aren't just asking for applicants to have 1-2+ years experience anymore they are specifically requiring 1-2+ years experience in acute care, etc. So, what does it take?