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!
Op you speak from years of experience. You approach things cautiously as wise people with experience in life and work do. I think we all can point out posters who lack the intuition of tenure in life. Sometimes I think that there should be a minimum age requirement for nursing. A carnival ride, this is not. There definitely needs to be some evidence of developmental achievement. We do not base decisions in this field on the same things a teenager would deem important.
I just opened a huge can of whoop-a.. worms. Now to get pumkin and apple to make a few pies for tomorrow...
Apologies if this is a double post. My response seems to have vanished.
OP: If you decide to take your nurse manager up on the offer of a second try, I wanted to share that my first shift of CNA clinicals (so not even the job--just the student portion) left me so exhausted that I crawled into bed when I got home at 3 in the afternoon and slept for the next 12 hours. I was stunned and wondered if I had made a huge mistake.
The second day was better. By the third day, I was sailing through the shift, no problems.
What helped on day two and day three: staying hydrated (this was the biggest change from day one). Eating a little meat, cheese and fresh fruit at lunch, but no bread. This is probably just me, but bread at lunch makes me sleepy!
I wore good shoes all 3 days and that really helped. I'm hoping to start my first CNA job in a couple of weeks, as my next step toward nursing school.
I didn't officially quit, but I am seriously considering it~~~
I read your story, and don't let the negative responses get to you. There is NO way to fully appreciate and understand how physically and mentally demanding nursing is.
I commend you for going after your dream, but realizing that it isn't
a good fit for you.
Nurses need to not be catty toward one another so much!
I don't like it when preceptors or seasoned nurses belittle new grads for asking questions or needing help. They forget that they were new at one time!
And, in today's world of nursing school, it's quite possible to graduate without officially inserting a cath or Iv in a real patient. It happened to several of my schoolmates!
So when we new grads show up on a floor and have to admit that we may not have done something before, the nurses look at us like we're stupid or they say 'what, you didn't learn that in school??"...... it's frustrating....
anyway, i went a little off topic, but just know that you're not alone!
The day I started my orientation at an LTAC (only job I could find as a nurse....), another YOUNGER nurse started the same day. She lasted 4 days. Later, they hired a 20-something to fill that slot. She lasted 2 days.
I have been at this facility for 2 months now. My feet hurt BAD in the morning. (I work 3 - 11 and sleep from ~1am - 8 am.) I find it hard to even walk. Soaking in a tub helps somewhat. While working, I don't feel pain at all....it is only afterwards. As an FYI, I am 49 yo, 5'4" and weigh 122 lbs and like the OP, worked in a cubicle farm for 25 yrs.
What is frustrating is:
Orientation is a time for both employer and employee to figure out if this is a good fit.
Yet we are told:
DON'T leave that position too early!
Don't put that position on your resume...it will hurt you!
"Don't worry, you will find your niche in nursing someday."
Congrats on standing up to and abusive employment situation! (d/t illegal actions of mgmt)
Good luck finding another job!
etc....
While the OP may not be suited for this field, better the OP find out sooner than later (after investing all that money for NS!)
It is the closed mindedness of some nurses that enter management that frustrates the hades out of folks. The purpose of an interview is to find out more about the candidates. In my personal case, I am leaving because of management coersion to work off the clock or be "charged with theft of time" (with none of it in writing, of course)....not to mention - I learned that another nurse (with a history of going past clock out time) was told to LEAVE at 3:15 period, not allowed to stay off the clock to do her charting....the supervisor said SHE would do nurses documentation for her (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!)
I am blessed in that I have another very valid "reason for leaving" than the abuse of the management. My hubby is military and lives in another state during the week. We just got custody of his 15 yo son. It is imperitive that both of us be available for this boy d/t hubby's work which often takes him out of town or out of state for weeks at a time.
The biggest obstacle for those of us that leave during orientation shouldn't be getting an interview (pre-judged by NMs), but in answering the question,"How can you re-assure me that you will stay with this position?"
I certainly empathize with the OP. As a new grad, I've felt like quitting at least 25 times in the past 9 and a half months, for various reasons. However, my goal is to stay at least 2 years. We all feel like giving up at times, but the consequences often outweigh the instant gratification of saying, "I'm outta here!"
@joanna, the flip side of that is by putting up with abuse, the abuse continues....and eventually, the culture (stockholm syndrome) is created....and then those who won't put up with abuse then get treated as if they are less than nurse-like.
Abuse only continues when those with courage stand up to it. And believe me, CNAs ARE abused....they are treated like crap by less than understanding patients and family members, are disregarded by many a nurse, and management sees them as expendable. I have the utmost respect for the CNAs in our facility....God bless them for the work they do! :)
netglow, ASN, RN
4,412 Posts
Op you speak from years of experience. You approach things cautiously as wise people with experience in life and work do. I think we all can point out posters who lack the intuition of tenure in life. Sometimes I think that there should be a minimum age requirement for nursing. A carnival ride, this is not. There definitely needs to be some evidence of developmental achievement. We do not base decisions in this field on the same things a teenager would deem important.
I just opened a huge can of whoop-a.. worms.
Now to get pumkin and apple to make a few pies for tomorrow...