Quit during orientation

Published

what are my chances of ever working in that hospital again?

I recently quit this past week my 1st ever tech job as a Nursing student b/c i felt it was unsafe. I had to juggle up to 15 patients, some mentally unstable and some being total/complete care with not much help from the nurses/techs and unsupportive management. I thought i'd be gaining valuable skills but all i did was clean patients for most of the day. This was something i was already taught in NS, so i dont need the additional practice. i felt like i was doing all the grunt work. The nurses were mainly charting and giving out meds, but they too seemed busy but their work is alot less physical. I was thinking of just working at my friends dads company as an administrative assistant until i graduate. It pays more and its a lot less work....It was a nice hospital, id like to go back, but only as a nurse.

Specializes in Neuroscience.

Well, considering the OP just decided to quit, what type of care do you think those 15 patients are going to receive when they are short-staffed?

You can't change the organization in the first 2 weeks. You can't change the amount of patients in the first two weeks, but you can provide good care within your limited parameters to those 15 patients. You can learn to talk to your manager, figure out the work flow, and better manage time to provide the care needed. Do I think it's right? Of course not, but I think it's better to commit to the time, and change the floor as you go than quitting and knowing that those patients are suffering.

Work in LTC as a CNA, then tell me how bad the hospital was. Better yet, try putting the needs of others above your own, including giving a 2 week notice before you quit.

Just my two cents.

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Specializes in Trauma,ED.

.... Welcome to the world of nursing kid any kind of job in nursing you clean the pts and answer lights maybe you should find a new career i always help my CNA's and Techs but sometimes i am too busy charting or taking doctors orders thats why we have you to assist us infact in California its a requirement to have at least 6 months working as a CNA or NA before you can even graduate nursing school which is great so people like you realize how hard the job can actually be

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Specializes in ICU.

I think we all got your point. The point you do not seem to get is you have a very unrealistic view of what nursing entails. You just do. First, you say the hospital was great but you just want to go back as a nurse. Then it's unsafe with terrible management.

Then to say these skills are not necessary and you don't need practice is wrong. As a student, what we need is lots of practice on every skill. The other thing you stated was the pay was horrible for the work. You did apply for this job and accept the wage, right? This was all worked out ahead of time. Not all 15 of those patients needed total care if you were on the floor you describe, maybe a few did but it was not all. I honestly think you need some education on what nurses do. PT/OT usually work with the physicians, not nurses. You are on the move from the time you get there until you leave. Where I am at nurses and techs turn patients and do their ADLS. Techs got vitals and glucometer readings, while the nurses ran to chart, pass meds on time, change ivs, caths, answer call lights. Pull physician orders out of the computer, get test samples, read lab values to determine if the physician needs called, call those said physicians, oh did I mention the call lights? 9/10 times it's the nurse that has to handle it. Techs are great and an important part of the team, but you are seriously mistaken if you think the RN is a Cush job that pays a lot of money.

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Specializes in Psych.

Cleaning patients? Like cleaning your house? Cleaning your house? Imagine how you would feel if I were cleaning you... the art of nursing begins with empathy and you should start with thinking how it would feel if a nurse was cleaning you for the first time.

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I think you were coming at this opportunity the wrong way. Once you got past the learning curve and the time management aspect, I think you would have found this to be a valuable position. I've been a tech for 3 years and all through nursing school, and I just got hired as an RN on the floor I work on. It's like a free job interview if you show yourself to be a valuable employee.

If you get another opportunity, use your time wisely and really observe the nurses, ask questions, watch skills like IV's, NG's and foleys. Be a team player and really work your butt off.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I'll try to keep the criticism to a minimum here. The most obvious point [which I'm sure others have pointed out] is that you were hired to work there as a tech, which from your job description sounds like a nursing assistant position. You were not hired to be a student nurse and get paid to learn new nursing skills. That's what school is for.

You might have burned some bridges by quitting during orientation with no notice. There's a real good possibility that you are now on the "do not rehire" list which means any possibility of working there as an actual nurse is now out the window.

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Spot on :up:. You have quickly figured out the realities of hospital work Yep, you were doing all the grunt work, because you were the grunt. 15 patients to grunt with is outrageous.

I am disappointed with some PP that feel you must perform X amount of grunt duties to be allowed in the group.

Use the skills you learn as an administrative assistant on your resume'. Many will be applicable to nursing.

Your bridge is burned with the hospital, and that's okay. From your description, it's far from nice.

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Specializes in Med-Surg; Infectious Diseases; Research.

When we were short staffed and I had to do the "grunt work" as the RN, I was grateful for the tips and tricks that CNAs taught me. While you may have performed tasks in NS, I highly doubt that you experienced a wide variety of patients. Nursing is a lifelong learning profession, meaning, there is always something new to learn. I think you sold yourself short. As the delegating authority to CNAs, you need to have a complete understanding of what they do.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

With this mentality, good luck getting a job at ANY hospital. Best to work on your poker face....

Ty for the feedback.I do have a great deal of respect for cna's/techs, esp the 1's that do this for a living, i just personally could never do it longterm. If i was getting paid double what i was making, i guess i would of been more inclined to saty but the job i felt was just very unsafe and labor intensive. In regards to acuity, its a mix of medsurg/telemetry, a lot of older patients with alzheimers/dementia, morbidly obese patients, kidney failure, cardiac, etc....I was mainly cleaning patients, i would check vitals and do blood sugars, but ive done these tasks in my clinicals in NS, including cleaning patients so im very comfortable with doing these tasks, also i take care of my grandad and i do all these things for him. Also, i know nurses do more than charting and passing meds, they do health assessments, retrieve doctor orders, consult with nutrition PT/OT, yes i know nurses may perform basic tasks as well but i didnt really see that where i worked since they seemed preoccupied with their other duties and expected us to take care of the rest.
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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/LDRP/Ortho ASC.
elt like a chicken with its head cut off , trying to get tasks done on time otherwise id get in trouble for not finishing. I wasnt providing the type of care that i wanted to give, not to mention, i wasnt gaining any new skills that i could apply to being a future nursearrow-10x10.png, and the low wage, all combined, drove me to quit. .

Time management is a huge part of nursing and this was a great time to learn without having a license on the line. I know you think you know how to do everything because you've done it a few times in clinical but on the floor is where you learn efficiency. I don't want to hurt your feelings but I'm not sure what you thought nursing would be if not this. There is always going to be stress. There are always going to be unpleasant tasks. Working and learning to manage these things is how you overcome them, and it is quite helpful when you actually become a nurse. Signed, Former PCT turned RN

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You weren't hired to gain new skills. You were hired to do a job.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

OK - I am one of those nurses who will dive in and help a CNA when I can and even ask them - when you are ready to clean PT XYZ call me as I want to see the wound or do a skin check etc... I work with great group of CNAs and we respect eachother - but I have done every dirt job there is in the hospital and realize that CNA is often a thankless job. I work with one nurse who refuses to call the CNAs by name "Hey you! CNA!" I mentioned to him that they do in fact have names. to which he gave me the strangest look.....

Hppy

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