Quit after 4 weeks, now what...

eprn · Aug 5, 2005

Let me start by saying: Don't give up the ship!

It sounds like your old facility had a lousy training program. These problems should've become apparent long before now and should have been addressed. The nice thing about nursing (in most areas of the country) is that there are limitless opportunites for the nurse who wants to apply him/herself and is willing to find out what they really want to do.

Now, there's the hard part. You need to get some kind of basic experience under your belt before having access to all those opportunities that our profession can provide. You don't necessarily need to do med/surg, but you need to find something to do to get some basic experience. I'd suggest looking for a facility (and hopefully there are some options where you live) that is willing to provide you with an internship that will allow you to adjust to the stresses of the job. The stresses you encountered are common to most areas of nursing (at least they are common to all hospital jobs), but most of us learn to adapt to it. Once you have your skills--including those all-important time management skills down, the sky's the limit.

They were wrong to simply throw you to the wolves. That sucks. I urge you to not give up and to find a place that will help you get that vital base of experience.

Best of luck to you...

bluesky, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2005

I also advise that you find a program that offers at least 9-12 wks of felloship with a preceptor. Another environment with fewer pts such as tele or ICU may be better for you too.

psalm, RN · Aug 6, 2005

...any chance you could go to a floor that has 8-hour shifts? You stated you were going to work after another sleepless night. Could it be a day shift is too busy? I prefer nights, usually have more pts. per nurse but less hassle with comings and goings of meals, docs, procedures. We work very hard on nights and rarely have a quiet night, but less activity from outside pt. needs, less distractions from visitors

. Not all night workers are anti-social!! :)

...give yourself another chance, Friend. Reality nursing can be very hard on a new grad and most of us have felt what you did. See the posts above again. We're here for you.

Tony35NYC · Aug 6, 2005

Hi,

I'm new a new nurse, too. And I am here to tell you not to give up because every new nurse goes through some variation of this, but then we get past it in time. I think you should have been offered more than 4 weeks orientation, but since you're no longer working at that place it doesn't matter anymore. Next time you're interviewing, go for a position that offers at least 2 to 3 months of orientation.

Now is a good time to do some research into what area of nursing you feel would be a better fit for you.

grinnurse, RN · Aug 6, 2005

I am a new RN and had just 4 weeks of orientation in the Med/Surg dept. at a very busy level one trauma hospital. I was driving to work after another sleepless night for my third day 12 hour shift (really 14 hours). On the drive I started crying and just felt so overwhelmed with my mind on a negative spiral and the thought of the day ahead, the amount of work, the stress of "getting it", charting both paper and computer, unreadible orders from doctors, not having enough time to get something done, always many things to do at one time, so much to learn, the exposure I had to an active coughing TB patient (and hoping that the paper mask was secure enough), fears of being sued and stories from nurses that worked there and had been through a court hearing, stories of nurses with chronic back injuries, difficult patients and wanting to help people but feeling so out of my league. I turned the car around towards home and called the director and quit.
I am 44 years old, in my second marriage with two grown children and have just not felt this overwhelmed before. There are many things that I like about nursing but the constant stress is just too much. It has been a week since I quit and now I am wondering what I should do now... Do I try hospital nursing again or are there other choices that are a little less on the stress scale. I can handle some stress but a constant "10" for the 12 hours is just too much for me.There are many things that I do like about nursing and really do want to "make a difference" . I do not know if another hospital would be better or if it is me. If anybody has any ideas I would sure appreciate it. Thanks for letting me vent and listening.
(Running away to Tahiti and selling little drink umbrellas is sounding good but probably will not help my student loans)

(((((HUGS))))) and good luck in finding a position that is better for you.

Mandylpn · Aug 6, 2005

First of all, do not feel guilty about quitting. I am a December grad and I am on my third job. Hopefully this one will last, I am now in assisted living and it feels like a fit for me. I've worked in two LTC's and felt much the way you did, freaked out and quit. So don't give up, there are lots of opportunities for you. Maybe you could try assisted living, but not sure if that is less $$$ than what you made at the hospital. :nurse: Stop back and let us know when you get a new job. good luck.

daisybaby, LPN · Aug 6, 2005

December grad here, too. I quit my first job in June. It was my dream facility, but I was working full-time nights. I loved my shifts, but couldn't function the remaining 16 hours of the day. Sometimes I went right home and slept all day; other times I was sleepless for 24+ hours. When it got to the point I couldn't drag myself out of bed on my day off and didn't get out of my pajamas for an entire day, I knew I had to quit. Looking back, I sense the night schedule threw me so off I was heading into a pretty substantial depression. I caught a lot of attitude for only giving a week's notice, but I was afraid if I continued, I'd really be in a crisis.

I gave it another try, and am in a different facility/different shift. The atmosphere isn't nearly as great as the facility I left, but I'm back to my old self and feeling good- that's the most important thing.

So you give it another try. And another after that, if you must. You're a good, competent nurse- you wouldn't have made it through school otherwise. Keep looking until you find the right fit- it's out there for you. Best of luck to you in your search. The right facility needs you.

RN 2005 · Aug 7, 2005

I just quit my first job after 5 weeks.......I feel your pain. I was already used to the 12 hour shifts and I actually love that part of the deal, but the rest was just not the right fit for me....I think at our age we understand a bit more about what we can and cannot do....I knew right away I was in the wrong place and did something about it and so did you. I am second guessing myself now too because once again I am wondering about my future but that is OK.....I worked too hard for my license to risk losing it because they were short staffed and felt you should learn independence by figuring it out yourself. This is a hard time in our lives....Don't be hard on yourself but instead try to focus on what you may want to do. For me the hospital is still the best route, but this time I will find a department with a much longer preceptorship. Why one gives 6 weeks and the other gives 6 months I will never figure out!!! Push on and find your niche!!!! Don't let this get you down....I understand..... :wink2:

fergus51 · Aug 7, 2005

Maybe this is an obvious question, but were there any areas of nursing that you loved as a student? When you look back on your placements, is there one that you actually enjoyed? If so, that may be a place to start or at least give you an idea of what specialty you want. What age group do you like working with? Would you do well in geriatrics or a newborn nursery? What drew you to nursing in the first place?

I do think you've made a mistake by making this major decision in the heat of the moment and not giving them notice, but it isn't the end of the world. It may be helpful for you in future jobs to sit down and talk with a mentor when you're feeling overwhelmed BEFORE it gets to the point that you feel like quitting. Most new nurses have times when they feel overwhelmed, it doesn't mean you aren't cut out for nursing or even that your position is necessarily wrong for you. Good luck in the future.

SarasotaRN2b · Aug 7, 2005

I'm so sorry that you had to go through that experience. I know that the new nurses on our floor go through a 12-week orientation with their preceptor having maybe 3 patients to start. The nurses who are preceptors enjoy it and it is their goal to make sure that their trainees don't feel that overwhelmness that you evidently felt.

Were you able to talk with the director? Maybe if you contact her and let her know why you quit so suddenly, she might be able to offer a solution. If not, then just look into another job. But use this experience and let both human resources and directors know that you are looking for a position that offers a strong preceptorship program and that if it needs to be extended, it can be.

Best of luck!

sayitgirl · Aug 7, 2005

I am a new RN and had just 4 weeks of orientation in the Med/Surg dept. at a very busy level one trauma hospital. I was driving to work after another sleepless night for my third day 12 hour shift (really 14 hours). On the drive I started crying and just felt so overwhelmed with my mind on a negative spiral and the thought of the day ahead, the amount of work, the stress of "getting it", charting both paper and computer, unreadible orders from doctors, not having enough time to get something done, always many things to do at one time, so much to learn, the exposure I had to an active coughing TB patient (and hoping that the paper mask was secure enough), fears of being sued and stories from nurses that worked there and had been through a court hearing, stories of nurses with chronic back injuries, difficult patients and wanting to help people but feeling so out of my league. I turned the car around towards home and called the director and quit.
I am 44 years old, in my second marriage with two grown children and have just not felt this overwhelmed before. There are many things that I like about nursing but the constant stress is just too much. It has been a week since I quit and now I am wondering what I should do now... Do I try hospital nursing again or are there other choices that are a little less on the stress scale. I can handle some stress but a constant "10" for the 12 hours is just too much for me.There are many things that I do like about nursing and really do want to "make a difference" . I do not know if another hospital would be better or if it is me. If anybody has any ideas I would sure appreciate it. Thanks for letting me vent and listening.
(Running away to Tahiti and selling little drink umbrellas is sounding good but probably will not help my student loans)

I am 51 and I just finished one year of med-surg at a magnet status hospital. It was tough but I got through it. The worst part was the cattiness of the nurses. But the experience of working in the med surg unit will carry me the rest of my career. I was given the worst patients and offered no help. I came out a strong nurse with exceptional clinical skills.

You can do it. Stay there.Take it one day at a time.