ChuckieRN

Hi asoldierswife05, I agree with Daytonite. There is nothing worse than a toxic environment for anyone, but especially for a new grad. A big part of what a new grad needs is being comfortable asking questions while you build your skills and confidence. I have seen the toxic environment and trust me, you do want to steer clear. There is nothing positive to be gained by the "hazing". In my opinion, you made the right choice. Best wishes to you.

Happy to hear that your experience is a good one!

Hi Everyone, My dogs are looking at me with their heads cocked to the side right now due to my howling out loud!! All of these stories are a hoot!

Thank you for taking the time to help this loving couple and share this wonderful story. You will be a great nurse. Best wishes.

Hi SchizoDsy, I am curious about a couple of things...How long was your orientation? Did you have more than 2-3 pts before going off of orientation? Please let me know. You will get through this and find an environment that is more supportive to new grads. Get back on the horse. Best wishes.

I am sorry that you are going through this. Five weeks of orientation is not enough and they should be ashamed of themselves. The pt ratio seems high to me. Also, who is above making a mistake? We strive to learn from them and move on. Again, shame on them. Do not let this experience define your nursing career. Think about what you have to offer to your next employer. Also, what attributes do they need to have in order for you to want to work for them? Try to insure that you get what you are looking for. I wish you the best.

Tweety: I always enjoy reading your words of wisdom. You are the best!! CONGRATULATIONS!! :nuke:

Thanks to all of you for the replies. Tweety (below is just FYI, not meant as a complaint for your input. I realize sometimes people don't perservere when perhaps they should), The unit Manager was pretty much absent and has since retired. I can count the times I saw him in five months on 1/2 of a hand. He has health problems and perhaps was fighting his own uphill battle at work and otherwise. I do know he wasn't present. The charge nurse was part of the problem. Up on the roof for fireworks and she heard what the secretary said and did not bat an eye. On more than one occassion I observed the nurse supervisor walking down the hall and look at each cluster of rooms and actually say outloud "where is everyone?", only to come to the end of the hall and find me at the med cart and no one else around. She had enough information to take action. I thought about addressing this head on but when I thought about it rationally; what was really going to happen? These people have been there forever. They are not going anywhere unless a patient is harmed, and luck has been on their side so far. The charge nurse has since been promoted to a clinical leader on another floor. Good luck to them. Really, where could I be placed that I would never run into these people? At some point I would float or they would. I feel certain that I would be labelled as a problem anyway. Also, there was no guarantee that things would be different on another unit. As I said in my OP, I have only touched on the tip of the iceberg. Another nightly occurence was the search for equipment. These nurses would run in and take the equipment that worked and hide it. Even after they were done taking vitals, I would be told I couldn't use the equipment if their clipboards were still in the basket. Give me a break. I am a mature adult with 20+ years of business experience behind me and have perservered through some incredible life experiences, perhaps more than one should have to! I went into nursing because I wanted to make a contribution through my work that had more meaning to me, and to give back. I believe I am realistic and knew it would be really hard work. However, I never imagined the hard part would be dealing with the nonsense I found myself trying to deal with. How could anyone possibly grow and develop in this environment, especially a new grad. I just got my license and I want to keep it. If I find myself in similar circumstances, I won't stay in them. If this is what nursing environments are like, I won't be nurse.

Although I don't know the specifics of your experience, I can only imagine how bad it may have been. Not because I have an over active imagination, but because I have experienced a toxic environment created by coworkers. I thought hazing was illegal. Quitting on short notice will not be refelected on your license. My former employer verifies dates employed and will not supply any information on rehire status. Are you comfortable asking your employer?

Hello Everyone, I am a new graduate RN and recently resigned my first nursing position on a 24 bed Med/Surg floor that I started on five months ago. Some examples of the environment: Every evening I would find myself to be the only nurse on the floor while the other nurses and ancillary staff had dinner together in the breakroom. One evening I was at the med cart preparing to address pain experienced by one of my patient as call lights were ringing in at the desk along with the phones ringing. Being new, I was focused on the task at hand. The secretary, the charge nurse and all other nurses were in the break room. The secretary came out of the break room and screamed at me " you know, you can answer these calls." No one in the break room batted an eye. I informed her that I was addressing my patient's needs and that I was not equipped to handle the entire floor. I could, however, cover my "partner" if he or she let me know they were leaving the floor. Also, the experienced nurses went up on the roof on the the 4th of July to watch the fireworks and left me and another new grad on the flloor alone. There is no communication, I must add, you just suddenly are alone. The other new nurse started a month before me and left at the same point in time I did. The few examples provided are just the tip of the iceberg. I could not even get a civil answer to a procedural question. It got to the point that I would spend more time wondering where the next coworker blow was going to come from than one should. The acuity level of the patients was extreme. I feel that a new nurse is in a vulnerable state under the best of environmental circumstances and I choose not to be in this type of environment. Has anyone had this type of experience and how did you explain why you left to your next employer? How would you have handled this situation? Thanks in advance for your input.