Quit after first day of orientation!

[FLg8r]

has anyone quit after their first day on the job? i just did!

i thought i wanted to be a nurse - my whole life really - but never could afford to not work and just go to school. then, as luck would have it, i was offered a position at a local hospital, who also paid your way thru school and a stipend to live off of while attending school. perfect! (or so i thought)

so, as luck would have it, i had to drop out of lpn school the very first week, due to my mother being hospitalized. the stress of taking care of her and trying to study was too much/stressful, so i dropped out of the program. to my surprise, the hospital wanted to keep me on as a cna - which i have never worked as before but had recently obtained my license when i decided to pursue nursing.

so, i had my first day of orientation and quit that night! i feel like a loser, but i didn't quit because of the job really, but more on the physical demand it took on my body! i could barely get myself out of my car after an 8 hr shift! now, i've always had issues with my back because of numerous car accidents, but it has never bothered me like this until now. i really think it bothers me more because for the past 25+ years of my working career, i sat behind a desk -- and not on my feet for 8+ hours.

has anyone else dropped out of nursing all together for these reasons? does it get better? should i have stuck it out and tried to make it work? it just kills me that i've given up on something just like that ..... when it i was something i thought i've wanted to do my entire life.

thanks for listening and thanks for any advice or for anybody else sharing their experiences to commiserate with me!

[kanzi monkey]

"so, as luck would have it, i had to drop out of LPN school the very first week, due to my mother being hospitalized. the stress of taking care of her and trying to study was too much/stressful, so i dropped out of the program. to my surprise, the hospital wanted to keep me on as a CNA - which i have never worked as before but had recently obtained my license when i decided to pursue nursing."

Did anyone read the OP's post? She has minimal nurse training. She's a CNA--first day on the job-- and had, apparently, an extremely physically demanding day. She has family issues and a history of back problems.

So don't many of us.

OP, there is no reason you could not become a nurse someday. Just consider the physical requirements for the job you take, maybe look into a setting which doesn't require back-breaking labor. Talk to your friends, family--anyone at all that you know personally--to get advice about pursuing nursing. Forums can be useful, but sometimes people jump on the bandwagon to diminish another person's experience and efforts due to their own insecurities. Walking out on a job is never a good idea, and never recommended, but also not a reason to abandon your life goals. Figure out why you did what you did so you don't repeat it, and make a plan that works for you.

And good luck!

:)

[ChuckE]

This is a little off topic, but still related in a way.

As a beginning nursing student, I've noticed quite a few people anywhere from overweight just downright FAT at our school. A vast majority of these people actually ride the elevator up ONE level - we only have 2 floors.

My thoughts are that if you can't even walk up ONE flight of stairs, how are you going to be on your feet all day as an RN? (Some of these people are in school for respiratory tech, radiology, etc.)

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

As a beginning nursing student, I've noticed quite a few people anywhere from overweight just downright FAT at our school. A vast majority of these people actually ride the elevator up ONE level - we only have 2 floors.

My thoughts are that if you can't even walk up ONE flight of stairs, how are you going to be on your feet all day as an RN? (Some

I'm sure they can walk up one flight of stairs just fine, but choose not to for whatever reason. It should have nothing to do with body size.. I'm a runner, and I talk the elevator at work many times just because I'm too darn tired at the end of my shift to take the stairs.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

Whoa. Did I misread? I think the OP has not yet been to nursing school. So steady on everybody. I would imagine she feels like poop anyway.

To the OP:

If you really want to be a nurse you need to get fit. Just get to it. The benefits of getting fit will be more than just being able to work in nursing or related field.

As for the quitting. My opinion is it was a mistake but I don't know the whole story.

Good luck.

[2bnursejacksonrn]

wow dude. i mean i get ur logic a little, but i've seen nursing student eighty pounds ask the guy on the golf cart for a ride to class 50 feet in front of where they are. So its not a fat thing. I dont think that girl ever said she was fat. Thats kinda insensitive and offbase.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

So what, its a job people! It's not like she tossed out a winning lottery ticket! Now that would have been disasterous! And! Where are all these all-star triathelete nurses? I'll have to have somebody point one out to me, cause I haven't seen any qualifiers.

[linzz]

Hey op: I know how you feel in regards to the physical demands. Nursing is very hard work esp in hospitals and LTC. I have been having back problems and I have just finished physiotherapy and I was told that my pain was due to poor posture and a weak back. I am really trying to sit up straight at all times, do my excercises for my back and working out a few times a week. I have not needed any pain meds (non narcotic) in weeks, which has not been the case for many years.

I really recommend physio and massage therapy and really making the time to relax. The older I get the more I am seeing that I can't go without some effort in self care or I become a nasty, miserable person. Good luck to you.

[CandyGyrl1985]

This is a little off topic, but still related in a way.

As a beginning nursing student, I've noticed quite a few people anywhere from overweight just downright FAT at our school. A vast majority of these people actually ride the elevator up ONE level - we only have 2 floors.

My thoughts are that if you can't even walk up ONE flight of stairs, how are you going to be on your feet all day as an RN? (Some of these people are in school for respiratory tech, radiology, etc.)

This is off topic- but responding to another poster

Wow! That was pretty judgmental. As a "fat girl" I would like to say - that I have 3 small children, I take care of my mother, and I work five 12 hour shifts as CNA. I have many reasons or excuses for being overweight... None of which are relevant to anyone but myself. However, I can say that I can not only pull my own weight, but the weight of other people I have worked with. I might just look like "the fat lazy girl riding the elevator" but in reality it will be me you call when you have a 400# patient you cant roll and it will be me who over hears you whinning about how tired you might be. It is sad when someone just assumes that an overweight person should be taking the stairs or an overweight person will have a heck of a time as an RN. I may be fat - fluffy - over weight -chunky - or whatever you might call it - but I am also able to stand on my feet for 12 hours - five days a week - turn around come home change diapers, make dinner, clean my house, give baths, iron my clothes, do the shopping for a family of 7 and start my day over again. I may be "fat" but just because I take the elevator DOES NOT mean that at the end of the day I cant do laps around someone who is a size 2.

Off my Soap Box now... And of coorifice to clarify I am not saying that all overweight people fall into this category. Nor am I referring to all people smaller than me having less on their "plate." I am just saying that the clear judgement of this person was made with little thought of other factors in life.

:offtopic: :hdvwl: :oornt:

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I am not going to say if what this woman did was right or wrong. I guess she had to make the decision that was right for her. But I will say that before you make a commitment to an employer (especially one that is giving you this kind of an opportunity) you need to take a step back and look at what the work is going to be like and make an assessment of your physical and mental ability to do that job. I also have very severe back problems. It limits me greatly in my work as a nurse but fortunately in the job that I have allowances have been made to accommodate my needs. Going from a job where you sit all day to a job where you are on your feet for 8-12 hours takes some time to transition into and that won't happen in one day. One might want to prepare in advance for making such a move.

[ChuckE]

Aren't we a little touchy?

I don't care WHY, or even that you're fat at all, overweight, obese, overly-dense, pushing maximum density, etc., and I wasn't making a judgment call. If I was making a judgment call, I would have stated that fat people COULD NOT do the job. But I didn't did I?

Now go stabilize your blood sugar and relax.

FWIW, I also have "thoughts" about skinny people going to the gym and getting on the Stair Master, then riding the elevator up at work too.

And I also take care of 3 toddlers too, so big woop.

This is off topic- but responding to another poster

Wow! That was pretty judgmental. As a "fat girl" I would like to say - that I have 3 small children, I take care of my mother, and I work five 12 hour shifts as CNA. I have many reasons or excuses for being overweight... None of which are relevant to anyone but myself. However, I can say that I can not only pull my own weight, but the weight of other people I have worked with. I might just look like "the fat lazy girl riding the elevator" but in reality it will be me you call when you have a 400# patient you cant roll and it will be me who over hears you whinning about how tired you might be. It is sad when someone just assumes that an overweight person should be taking the stairs or an overweight person will have a heck of a time as an RN. I may be fat - fluffy - over weight -chunky - or whatever you might call it - but I am also able to stand on my feet for 12 hours - five days a week - turn around come home change diapers, make dinner, clean my house, give baths, iron my clothes, do the shopping for a family of 7 and start my day over again. I may be "fat" but just because I take the elevator DOES NOT mean that at the end of the day I cant do laps around someone who is a size 2.

Off my Soap Box now... And of coorifice to clarify I am not saying that all overweight people fall into this category. Nor am I referring to all people smaller than me having less on their "plate." I am just saying that the clear judgement of this person was made with little thought of other factors in life.

:offtopic: :hdvwl: :oornt:

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

Aren't we a little touchy?

I don't care WHY, or even that you're fat at all, overweight, obese, overly-dense, pushing maximum density, etc., and I wasn't making a judgment call. If I was making a judgment call, I would have stated that fat people COULD NOT do the job. But I didn't did I?

Now go stabilize your blood sugar and relax.

FWIW, I also have "thoughts" about skinny people going to the gym and getting on the Stair Master, then riding the elevator up at work too.

And I also take care of 3 toddlers too, so big woop.

I think your content and tone in this post and the previous are uncalled for.

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I did not mean to offend anyone. I don't believe that I said anything about anyone's weight, did I? All I mean is that if you are not used to being active, it is hard to make that transition. I went from a desk job back to the floor and it was HARD. It just about wore me out. I did not think I was going to make it. But I tried to hang in there. They finally asked me to take the 3-11 charge nurse job which took me, for the most part, off direct patient care on the floor. Although I still help out on the floor, I do not have to be on my feet for the full 8 hours.