Rn052015

That's so great to hear! Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for ??

Hi wondering how you are feeling about the change now? I've been in CVOR for 8 years and love my job, but have a 4 month old now and the call/hours is just too much! I'm also thinking about transferring to an outpatient eye center, and think I would have very similar feelings!

I am in a very similar position, got a job in CVOR 5 years ago directly after graduating from nursing school and have never worked the floor. As of now our managers are saying we would not be forced to work on the floor, only on a voluntary basis. A few have volunteered and been told they will be going to get a crash course orientation, but this has not happened yet. However, my area has not been hit hard yet, and I am terrified this could change. I am willing to help out on the floor, but the idea of being forced to take patients with little to no training is terrifying. I am hoping and praying it does not come to this.

@Jena- You are the exact reason I am so scared of night shift- I have heard some people are fine with it and adjust easily, and others who hate it and it makes their lives miserable. I am really not sure what camp I would be in; I am really not a "morning" person either, and honestly my dream shift would be somewhere between 11a-11p and 3p-3a. I have worked 6a-6p before, and I did not like that schedule at all. Not sure if I would feel the same way about a 7p-7a job. Also, maybe "rough" wasn't the right word to describe my hours.. I have no problem working the hours I do, it is just extremely variable.. My department is really feast or famine- some weeks we have tons of cases going late, emergencies, etc., and I end up working 60-70 hours. Other weeks, we have few to no scheduled cases, and there are times I have been mandated off to the point of working less than 20 hours in a week. None of this is by choice, it is all mandatory (because of on call) overtime, or mandated time off. I would enjoy having a more steady hours job; I wouldn't mind picking up extra hours or volunteering off sometimes, but so much variability can be hard. I also take 10-15 nights/weekend days of call a month, so this can be a big issue in being able to do things outside of work as well. Honestly, other than being offered my dream job, the only reason I would even consider leaving my department is because of the schedule. @Ruby- This was kind of the direction I was thinking.. I don't mind my current position at all, and I know a year is not long to work somewhere (it would be the shortest time I have ever worked anywhere thus far in my life). I also don't want to leave on bad terms by not being there long after my training. I really love the idea of working in my dream job, but I'm currently leaning in the direction of waiting a while longer to attempt this.

0I have been in my department (my first nursing job) for just over a year now, and am starting to think about my future and what I actually want to do. I got extremely lucky, and got hired into the CVOR as a new grad. I really love my job, and definitely would not mind staying in my current position, but I am not sure if it is really my "passion." The hours and call are also kind of rough (but it is first shift, just call on weekends and nights). I really like what I do now, but since starting nursing school, and throughout clinicals, I have always wanted to do labor and delivery, and eventually be a midwife. I have always felt that this would be my dream job, and still do feel like this even though I am in a position I really like now. There is now a position open in a different facility in labor and delivery. It is a further commute, and night shift (which I have never worked, so would be kind of scared about that). I am thinking about applying for this position, but am definitely scared thinking about if I actually did get the job. Is leaving my first RN job, that I do like, after only a year a bad idea? Anyone else been in a similar position and/or have any advice?

I have been in my department (my first nursing job) for just over a year now, and am starting to think about my future and what I actually want to do. I got extremely lucky, and got hired into the CVOR as a new grad. I really love my job, and definitely would not mind staying in my current position, but I am not sure if it is really my "passion." The hours and call are also kind of rough (but it is first shift, just call on weekends and nights). I really like what I do now, but since starting nursing school, and throughout clinicals, I have always wanted to do labor and delivery, and eventually be a midwife. I have always felt that this would be my dream job, and still do feel like this even though I am in a position I really like now. There is now a position open in a different facility in labor and delivery. It is a further commute, and night shift (which I have never worked, so would be kind of scared about that). I am thinking about applying for this position, but am definitely scared thinking about if I actually did get the job. Is leaving my first RN job, that I do like, after only a year a bad idea? Anyone else been in a similar position and/or have any advice?

I have had a few sit down meetings with my manager in which we have discussed the fact that the classes are hindering me from being in the department, and therefore slowing my progress. In the beginning, he was very understanding of this, but seems to be less understanding now. I have asked about the training I was told I was going to receive, and am told it will happen, but then it doesn't get brought up until I ask again and am given the same response. I do also usually have a talk with my preceptors at the end of each day about how the day went and what I could improve on, and though they do let me know what I have done wrong, they usually seem understanding and positive, just telling me what I need to improve on the next time; however, I am later told that they have given negative feedback to my manager, so this is also frustrating. I believe when I was hired, I was told orientation was usually around 6 months, and would be longer because of the program I am in. I don't think I am expected to be off of orientation at this point, but it seems that they are saying I am not "as far as I should be", although I am never specifically told (even when I have asked) exact goals/expectations for exact time periods, or what I can do/change to meet the expectations. I am just told "you need to keep working at it to progress" and "the goal is for you to circulate independently". Thank you for your responses!

Glad to hear someone else is going through my same experience!! (Although sorry you are having this issue as well!) I feel exactly the same way- at the beginning my manager seemed very understanding of my not being in the department as much, but it seems that I get further and further behind the "expectation" because of these classes, and now it is no longer acceptable. On the bright side, I only have a few more weeks of classes, so hoping things will improve once I am actually in the department full time! I have also heard the snarky comments- you have to do more than memorize, your critical thinking level isn't high enough... It's hard to get to the level of critical thinking when I am still learning the basics and tasks that need to be done! I feel that a person needs to be comfortable and confident in what they are doing before beginning to critically think about situations. Again, I am hoping this will come with time and confidence level. For the most part, my preceptors have been pretty helpful, except for sometimes at the beginning they would just do things for me instead of letting me know what needed to be done and having me do it, or I would do something wrong and they would correct it without telling me, so I was still doing it wrong the next time! With the exception of a few (who often answer with "I'm not sure, not something we specifically need to know for our position"), most are good at answering my questions. I am sure the difficulty with preceptors makes your situation even harder! I also want to continue to stick it out and keep progressing, but am also hoping I am given this chance

Going down to sterile supply to look at the instruments is one of the parts of training I keep being told I am going to do, but it has not happened yet! I do think this will be very helpful for getting a better grasp on the instruments. I definitely wish I could follow one person around for a week or two, but with differing schedules in our department, I don't think that this would be possible. When I have asked about expectations and goals, I get a very vague answer, mainly just saying we've never had someone in this program before, so we don't know exactly how it will work, we just want you to be an independent circulator. At this point, I do feel comfortable with most of the "tasks" individually (getting the room ready and patient info, interviewing the patient, prepping, hooking up machines, charting, etc.). It is more of just an issue of timing and knowing exactly what to do when. Especially during a case I have not been in before, when I am trying to understand the procedure and take notes on Dr preferences and such, it is difficult to focus on everything I need to do! My manager is also having me basically everything in a case with a preceptor in the room if I have questions or do something wrong, so it isn't really possible to focus on one thing at a time. I do feel that I am improving and becoming more competent/confident each day I am in the department, and am really just hoping that I can get to the point that my department wants me to be at!

I did just read the Tips article, and while it is helpful, I feel like I am already doing most of those things. I have a notebook that is full of little things I need to remember, important names and phone numbers, etc. I look at preference sheets as early as possible, and write down notes on those as well to look over later, and if I know what surgery I will be in the next day, I look up info on it the night before. I have books of instruments and sutures, as well as count sheets, that I have been looking over to try to get a more full understanding of these things, but I do feel that especially in regards to the instruments, it's hard to learn at home without the physical instruments to look at. I feel that more of the issue is multitasking/timing of things and forgetting small details. For example, I forgot to grab a chart from a patient room when I was transporting, and had to run back to the room to get the chart after the patient was in the OR. I understand that this takes more time and shouldn't happen a lot, but it is difficult to get negative feedback on what I feel is so minute and was eventually taken care of. These are the "little" problems I am having, and I feel like I am trying to concentrate on doing the right thing and what I need to do next that sometimes I forget little things such as this. I have been told that I need to think more about the bigger picture instead of focusing on each task, which is just hard at this point when I am still learning and taking notes. I do feel that I have gotten better at things such as this, but am apparently "not where I need to be." I do also feel that communication is an issue, as I have talked to my manager a few times, and the feedback is generally "just keep working at it and looking things up" "try to focus on the bigger picture" and "the goal is for you to function independently as a circulator." I do understand all of those things, and am trying to get to that point, just not really sure how to be comfortable with everything and get there more quickly. Thank you for your response and feedback!

0 I am a new grad RN-BSN who began working my first RN position at the beginning of October. I am in a surgical department, and before accepting this job, had never seen or been in a surgery before. To say the least, the transition has been extremely difficult. One of the reasons I wanted to get into this facility/position is because they have an "extended orientation" program for new nurses. However, after getting into the position, most of this "extended orientation" consists of going to classes that are not relevant to my department/are very floor-focused. Because of this, I have only actually been in the surgical department about half the time since I have been hired. It has been very difficult to get into a routine in my department because it has been so inconsistent. On top of this, the days when I am in my department are with a different preceptor each day, so again consistency with learning is lacking. I have also been told that I will be getting training on certain things (charting, instruments, etc) since I was hired, and have never gotten trained on them. At this point I am just learning and hoping I am doing things right without the official training I was told I would receive. I am now just over 3 months in, and am not "where I should be" according to my coworkers and supervisor. Regarding this, I am also the first new grad/person in the orientation program to enter this department. I feel that I am seen as having worked there for over 3 months, when really I have only been in the department about 6-8 weeks. I am just beginning to feel comfortable being on my own with more basic procedures, and do still sometimes forget small things that I later remember. I feel like every little mistake I make is highly held against me, taken to my manager, and I am in general seen in a very negative light. I do like the work I am doing, and want to continue to work in this department, but at this point I am starting to get worried I will be fired for not knowing everything and feeling comfortable quickly enough. I don't feel that my orientation experience has been very adequate, and not what I was expecting when I was hired, but at this point I am also beginning to doubt myself and my abilities. Anyone else that works in the surgical field, or even just in a specialized department they had never worked in before, had a similar experience?

I am a new grad RN-BSN who began working my first RN position at the beginning of October. I am in a surgical department, and before accepting this job, had never seen or been in a surgery before. To say the least, the transition has been extremely difficult. One of the reasons I wanted to get into this facility/position is because they have an "extended orientation" program for new nurses. However, after getting into the position, most of this "extended orientation" consists of going to classes that are not relevant to my department/are very floor-focused. Because of this, I have only actually been in the surgical department about half the time since I have been hired. It has been very difficult to get into a routine in my department because it has been so inconsistent. On top of this, the days when I am in my department are with a different preceptor each day, so again consistency with learning is lacking. I have also been told that I will be getting training on certain things (charting, instruments, etc) since I was hired, and have never gotten trained on them. At this point I am just learning and hoping I am doing things right without the official training I was told I would receive. I am now just over 3 months in, and am not "where I should be" according to my coworkers and supervisor. Regarding this, I am also the first new grad/person in the orientation program to enter this department. I feel that I am seen as having worked there for over 3 months, when really I have only been in the department about 6-8 weeks. I am just beginning to feel comfortable being on my own with more basic procedures, and do still sometimes forget small things that I later remember. I feel like every little mistake I make is highly held against me, taken to my manager, and I am in general seen in a very negative light. I do like the work I am doing, and want to continue to work in this department, but at this point I am starting to get worried I will be fired for not knowing everything and feeling comfortable quickly enough. I don't feel that my orientation experience has been very adequate, and not what I was expecting when I was hired, but at this point I am also beginning to doubt myself and my abilities. Anyone else that works in the surgical field, or even just in a specialized department they had never worked in before, had a similar experience?