Quit While in Orientation (New grad)

[SillyFever, ADN, BSN, RN]

Hey everyone,

So, as the title says... I am a new grad and just quit my first nursing job with less than 2 weeks on orientation. Just a little background, my first nursing job was as an ICU float RN at a level 1 trauma center rotating days/nights every 2 weeks (full time). While I was excited for this opportunity, I was not thrilled about working downtown which was an hour away from my house. I have a close hospital near me (about 25 min) that offered me a position in their Medical/Surgical ICU. I have had clinical there before and was comfortable with it, knew some of the nurses and doctors as well. Well, I decided to quit my job to accept the one closer to me. I talked with my manager and said that the commute was just more than I realized and was not having a great experience thus far. However, I feel as though I am going to be a "blacklisted" candidate or on a "do not hire" list with this hospital even though I was an "at-will" employee. Which, I never wanted to happen because they have a children's hospital that I eventually would love to go work at.

My plan was to work adult ICU for a 1-1.5 years and then work in the NICU/PICU whichever one I felt more drawn to. I now feel like that is not going to be possible as I feel they will never want to rehire me for their children's hospital (its attached to the one I was working at). Does anyone have advice for an anxious new grad who just wants to get into the specialty they want? How do I know I have been blacklisted with this company? I feel very dumb at the moment because I think I ruined my chances of ever working there again.

Please be nice in the comments. No reason to be rude! & thank you to those in advance!

[speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

You have already resigned so that is done. Most people are not considered “do not hire” unless they just didn’t give proper notice. For now- I wouldn’t worry about getting in the unit that you prefer or desire. Right now, you need to get job experience during a time where the economy is fairly lousy and even nursing jobs are few and far between. Once you get some experience, then start looking for the job you prefer.

[Katie82, RN]

Why in the world do new grads think they are ready for the ICU, ER or L&D right out of nursing school? I blame the hospitals for this.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

9 minutes ago, Katie82 said:

Why in the world do new grads think they are ready for the ICU, ER or L&D right out of nursing school? I blame the hospitals for this.

She didn't say she couldn't handle the job, it was the commute that she couldn't tolerate.

I started as a new grad in a large (103 bed) Level IV NICU. Nearly all of our new hires are semi-trained new grads. They are either former NICU Capstone students or Summer Externs (paid one-on-one preceptorship).

[Emergent, RN]

I think level 1 Trauma Centers are quite overrated as being the hot shot place where a new grad, or anyone else, should have on their resume. It may sound prestigious to name drop, but the reality is that there is a lot going on in any Hospital.

I'm currently working at a level 5 ER, and I have never seen as much action, since it's a critical access Hospital that is remote.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Your chances of being blacklisted are up the the manager. If you feel decent vibes from the split you may be okay. You could ask the manager right now, so you know what is in store.

"Please be nice in the comments." Nice is not always what's best for you and don't expect nice in ICU.

Good luck

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

There's more than one children's hospital in the world, although honestly you may have burned a bridge with your first employer. Sounds like your current position could be a good start for you. I would recommend hanging in there for two years before moving on...

[Wuzzie]

1 hour ago, Been there,done that said:

Nice is not always what's best for you and don't expect nice in ICU.

Ain't that the truth. ?

[SillyFever, ADN, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, Been there,done that said:

"Please be nice in the comments." Nice is not always what's best for you and don't expect nice in ICU.

I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t mean one nurse should be rude to another ??‍♀️ It’s a post not the ICU.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

22 minutes ago, VitaminSea said:

I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t mean one nurse should be rude to another ??‍♀️ It’s a post not the ICU.

Bottom line is you need a thick skin everywhere in nursing. If you are already trying to deflect comments here, you sound like a delicate flower.

Again, good luck.

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

Hard to say whether or not you will be on the "do not rehire" list.

You were only there for 2 weeks so there would not be clinical basis.

It may not be up to your manager as to being placed on the Do not rehire list, it may be an organizational decision.

Unfortunately sometimes the decisions we make do have consequences. You have stated two things.

1. The commute was more than you anticipated

2. You were not having a great experience.

I think both the manager and HR might be questioning, why you took the job in the first place with an hour commute.

As to not having a great experience, recognizing that now may have saved you heartache and stress down the line.

Couple of questions

1. When did you realize the impact of the commute?

2. Did you just walk up and talk to the manager or how did you approach the situation?

3. How did the manager respond?

4. What about the experience wasn't so great? You have to be so careful about saying something like this as it could come across negatively.

I realize you have already resigned, but I would have asked ahead of time about the potential consequences of my action

[JKL33]

13 hours ago, VitaminSea said:

Does anyone have advice for an anxious new grad who just wants to get into the specialty they want?

1) Stay put for awhile now. Even if it is difficult and not ideal.

2) Concentrate on learning as much as you possibly can.

3) Worry about the rest later.

There is nothing wrong with making choices that we believe are in our own interests for our own personal reasons. We just have to accept that there may be trade-offs.

I would have said no to q2week shift rotations from the outset. That's crazy. So...I think you made a great choice in more ways than one, and you might as well have done it before they spent even more time and money training you. But now that it's a done deal....relax and focus on the job you have. Don't spend your time daydreaming and fretting about something that is down the road. (And I personally wouldn't lose sleep pining away for an organization that "needs" nurses to rotate shifts q2 weeks.)

Good luck!