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!
Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.
I'm not going to flame you by any means but I do want to say that in nursing you need to be careful about burning bridges, even if you choose not to stay in this field. You never know who you might need in the future. I quit my first nursing job after 5 months. Now, looking back I wish I would have stuck it out. I wish you the best of luck in whatever field you choose.
wow babe. it seems like everyone is letting you have it. in a way you deserve it, but you are brave to admit such a thing on this site. i hope you find your way, and dont take the criticism too hard. just pray long and hard about what it is you really want to do and ask yourself what it was about nursing that made you want to persue it. maybe you can take on different aspects of healthcare. good luck to you. keep your head up.
i am responding to the only kind person on here .... thank you. but while i am not a "spring chicken" as some of you like to call it, i was a paralegal for my first half of my career, police officer for the 2nd half of it ..... i figured it i can hop over a 6 foot fence chasing crackheads down, then i should be able to stand the physical demands of nursing! and i am not old by anyone's standards ... i am only 46!!! but sitting behind a desk and sitting in a patrol car are way different than standing on your feet for 8 hrs/ day.
and i did speak with my nursing manager -- who told me to reflect on the day i had and get back to her ..... she understands .....oh, and by the way .... i also had zero sleep the last two weeks wondering if my own mother would live or die! so, hey ,,,, thanks to all of you who i thought were professional for your lack of compassion! my mother spent 5 days in the icu the week prior to me starting, and i still went to work as scheduled! 5pints of blood later, she is finally on the long road to recovery!
so, again ... thanks ... it's nice to know all of the fellow nurses on here have so much compassion for someone just looking for others to help them out in their time of need! i have no family here in florida -- i'm all she has, so i had to do it all ---- by myself! i am just so irritated that i came to this board for help and support, and yet i got none!
oh, and to the "hater" who said, "good luck finding a job"..... i had one starting today! the judge i worked for hired me back -- on the spot -- no questions asked. so, as you can see, i do have high morals and standards - and excellent work ethics as well. but when you can clearly see that your body cannot handle something, the key is to get out before you sink .... not stay and let your fellow co-workers suffer ......
and i hate to tell you, but just as all the other overweight people on here are thinking ... YOU ARE WRONG! i am physically fit, work out 5 times a week - to be a cop you have to be fit! and i am 5'5" and a slim 118lbs .... but hey, thanks for thinking i was "fat" just shows how much you really care about your overweight coworkers ...... unreal!
Thanks Mamma.
My prereq instructor told me that the nursing dept had no sense of humor but I thought he was talking about the teachers. Some of you need to put yourselves on the organ donor list for a sense of humor transplant.
I never called anyone fat, certainly not the OP, nor did I attack anyone personally. What I did do was note my personal observations.
To the Op, I do think you made a mistake. If you do ANYTHING for the first time, it's going to hurt. If it didn't, it wasn't worth doing.
And, yes I am new to Allnurses and I have posted elsewhere that I am still a nursing student, so what?
Some of you people need to work on your reading comprehension.
Show me where I called ANYONE here fat!
I wasn't even THINKING you are fat - that's what "OFF TOPIC" means - that it's not related to THIS topic.
One last time, SHOW ME WHERE I CALLED YOU FAT!
and i hate to tell you, but just as all the other overweight people on here are thinking ... YOU ARE WRONG! i am physically fit, work out 5 times a week - to be a cop you have to be fit! and i am 5'5" and a slim 118lbs .... but hey, thanks for thinking i was "fat" just shows how much you really care about your overweight coworkers ...... unreal!
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.)
My reading comprehension skills are just fine. Maybe you need a communications class. Correct me if I am wrong but you words were: "...I've noticed quite a few people anywhere from overweight to just downright FAT at our school..." followed by "majority of these people ACTUALLY ride the elevator up one level..." then followed by "how are you going to be on your feet all day as an RN?"
Your words not mine. From what I read you categorized overweight people + riding an elevator = difficulty working on your feet as an RN. If you are still having problems comprehending why you are receiving posts about your attitude maybe you should consider a people skills class also...
And on a lighter note - I can understand why you are so uptight & rude... That stick has been wedged up you
a $ $ for a while hasnt it? Sorry - maybe its my blood sugar talking again.
To the OP - sorry for deviating from the topic. I wish you the best. Every situation is different and I truly hope you find you niche. It might not have worked out well with this job, but that does not mean the end of your career. Nor does it mean that all nursing jobs will be just like the one you tried. Keep your head up and keep going.
Some of you people need to work on your reading comprehension.
Show me where I called ANYONE here fat!
I wasn't even THINKING you are fat - that's what "OFF TOPIC" means - that it's not related to THIS topic.
One last time, SHOW ME WHERE I CALLED YOU FAT!
True..you didn't call anyone fat outright..but you did mention the "fat" people you see at school everyday(and put it in bold letters too, might I add). It was implied that you think that those that are overweight are less able to handle the physical demands of nursing.
There was a certain tone in your first post and the ones following it. For someone who supposedly has a great sense of humor, you come off as defensive and hostile. Writing every few words in bold letters isn't helping this perception any.
Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.
OMG, how discouraging it is to read these posts. We are talking about someone who made a decision not to go into nursing. That's the sum of it. I give her credit for putting the wheels in motion to at least look into it. Yes, she is an older woman. So was I when I got my nursing license at age 50. Aches and pains, you bet! I've got nearly 5 years in.
I have a question. This judgmental attitude that is so much a part of our profession... is it a learned response because we get beaten down on a daily basis by the demands of our work, or are we born with it?
i am so sorry i even started this post. i did so, because this site was one of the reasons i decided to try nursing as my 2nd career! i had so much help and support from fellow nurses, but this post is now out of control!
yes, i tried and decided it was not for me. did i fail? no, i did not. i proved to myself and my son - who by the way is only 8 - oh, but i'm old -- i proved to both of us that no matter what, it is never too late to pursue your dreams! i thought i wanted to be a nurse since i was 16 years old. my sister, six years my senior, became an rn by starting as a unit secretary at our local hospital and working her way up. 30 years later, she has retired from the hospital, but enjoyed nursing so much, she is now an elementary school nurse, as well as spends her entire summer as a camp nurse. so, as you can see, she was always my inspiration.
my junior year in high school, my paper was written on "what i want to be when i grow up" as that of a nurse. i did not come from a wealthy family, but my family made too much money for me to qualify for school loans/grants. i was an illinois state scholar and had a full 4-year scholarship to the university of illinois, with hopes of obtaining my bsn. but the scholarship did not cover the expense of books, fees, costs, and dorms. my parents struggled to help me afford to go there, but being that i'd have to move over 500 miles from home - sadly, i could not afford to take the scholarship.
so, at the age of 21, i moved to florida with my parents when they retired here. i've lived on my own ever since. i've only had me to take care of me and had to work to survive. i was unable to attend nursing school at that time for several reasons, but mainly because i had to work and could not afford to go to school full-time -- which was all that was offered to us "old folks."
so, say what you will .... there were some on this post who were very supportive and to you, i thank you. i know not all nurses are as cold as some of those posting on this, but i still believe and have more respect than ever for nurses. it's like the saying, "walk a mile in my shoes ..... " anyway, thanks for the kind words and to those who only have mean, hateful things to say, "god has a way of dealing with you!"
the nurses i have met on here are some of the nicest, kindest, people on the earth -- and yes, some are actually real friends who i speak with on the phone, via email, etc.
and to those who think i burned bridges: my nursing manager called me today and wants me to come back to work at the hospital! so, again, i must re-evaluate my life, but as you can see - i did not burn any bridges. my personality, work ethics and the caring/compassion i have shown to not only my patients, but my co-workers, speaks volumes!
so put that in your pipe and smoke it! and may god bless you!
SunshineBaby
77 Posts
I'm not going to flame you by any means but I do want to say that in nursing you need to be careful about burning bridges, even if you choose not to stay in this field. You never know who you might need in the future. I quit my first nursing job after 5 months. Now, looking back I wish I would have stuck it out. I wish you the best of luck in whatever field you choose.