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!
I imagine "orientated" wouldn't sound as harsh on my ears when spoken with an English accent...
I think oriented is 15 minutes of rushed here’s here everything is if it goes to hell and orientated is a little bit why you need to know where the “0h, crap!” Supplies are at!
Why would you except a job offer an hour away from where you live if you thought the commute was going to be too much? You can’t tell us the thought of the commute NEVER crossed your mind before you accepted. ?
Why would you except a job offer an hour away from where you live if you thought the commute was going to be too much? You can’t tell us the thought of the commute NEVER crossed your mind before you accepted. ?
? Good thing that isn't what the OP said.
People should give careful consideration to something that has the potential to become too much. Maybe that's what you meant to say.
However, there are a lot of things (like a little bit longer commute than ideal or a little less pay than ideal) which are tolerable and acceptable if the overall experience is good and worthwhile. In other words, they're willing to commute or willing to accept lower pay in exchange for availing themselves of a good experience. If the experience isn't good then those concessions immediately are no longer worth it.
Why would you except a job offer an hour away from where you live if you thought the commute was going to be too much? You can’t tell us the thought of the commute NEVER crossed your mind before you accepted. ?
They probably didn’t think the commute would be that hard. I did the opposite: bought a house a further commute out, which turned out to be a lot harder to manage than I thought it would be.
I discovered pretty quickly that the closer options either were miserable or so low paying that the commute was worth it or at least worth it enough to put up with it for several years. I lasted 5 months at a local hospital before finding a job on another unit at my previous hospital.
I guarantee you the OP and I aren’t the only two people in existence to have thought “well, that will be tough but it won’t be too bad” to discover “oh no, the lived reality is actually way bad.” Maybe some day you too will have the misfortune to regret a decision.
To my knowledge, as a “float” nurse most of my hospital nursing career, the float nurse is the first to go to any other unit they are qualified (or can be backed up for what they are not by a nurse who is for that patient) to work when a nurse is needed elsewhere in the hospital. Being an ICU nurse-you would be more than “qualified” for Med/surg-but as a new grad nursing is tough-most hospitals wait 6 months to ‘float’ new grads-but your position was ‘float’....this would be scary when trained only for the unit and then,poof! Of to the floor you go for Med/surg/tele with 8+ patients....you may have made the best move yet-I have seen seasoned ICU agency nurses freak out when they came to our hospital with 7 patients to start on day shift on the floor because they didn’t need them I. The unit so since they had a contract-go have fun in hell. I would of felt bad for her if she wasn’t such a jerk to the nurses around that could help her.
At places I’ve worked with specialty float pools, an ICU float would float to different ICUs. Same with ED float: be assigned to different ERs in the system. They wouldn’t have a home unit but would go where staffing was needed within the specialty.
Years ago I quit my first ICU job after two months. Training was 3 months. I never looked back and neither should you. There are tons of hospitals that will love to have your skills. If that one doesn't want you don't worry about it. You will find one that will.. Good luck! You will do great!
Specializes in 8 years Telemetry/Med Surg, 5 years Stepdown/PCU.
On 8/26/2020 at 11:17 PM, Michellelizz said:
I hate when nurses say this. There is absolutely no reason to be doing med surg for 2-3 years when your goal is to be in an area like L&D or NICU. I’d argue that training a new grad, who isn’t set in any specific ways, may be beneficial to certain specialties.
And I’ve seen some pretty bad mistakes happen with these new grads in the ICU and ER. And they burn out very fast. 1-2 years & they are looking for something else
And I’ve seen some pretty bad mistakes happen with these new grads in the ICU and ER. And they burn out very fast. 1-2 years & they are looking for something else
About 20% of new grads leave their first job within a year so leaving a first job after 1-2 years doesn’t horrify me. Plus isn’t the med surg first advice to get “a year or two” before moving on?
Tell me more about the not great orientation experience. Why wasn't it great, and how brutally honest were you with the manager about it? Sometimes you genuinely don't have a great picture of how a commute will feel until you're making it, but if you completely bad-mouthed their orientation...well, even if you're not officially ineligible for rehire, word gets around. When you reapply to the same hospital system, they will probably be able to see your two weeks of employment in your record, and may or may not be curious about it.
What I'm reading in your post is that the first hospital and the children's hospital you want to work at are basically in the same location, right? How realistic will it be for you to live close enough to the children's hospital once you apply? Definitely consider that before you accept another position. Just because it's a specialty you're interested in doesn't mean an hour on the road each way isn't going to wear on you.
Finally, nothing wrong with gaining peds experience in your current hospital after earning your stripes on your current unit. Give it a couple years and see if you can transfer to their peds, NICU, etc. internally if possible. I can understand the impulse to work for a specific hospital, but you may find you like this hospital, want to keep your benefits, etc. If they have those units, might be worth considering.
As another new grad it’s nice to read your kind words of encouragement. Thank you kindly for sharing.
I hate when nurses say this. There is absolutely no reason to be doing med surg for 2-3 years when your goal is to be in an area like L&D or NICU. I’d argue that training a new grad, who isn’t set in any specific ways, may be beneficial to certain specialties.
Agreed! Much of what RNs do in med-surg is not applicable to NICU or L&D. Most of the disease processes the med-surg nurse is used to managing are completely absent in NICU or L&D. In contrast, many of the things a NICU or L&D nurse needs to know are not touched on in med-surg. Neonates are not small adults, and if you go into NICU or maternity thinking of them that way, it's not going to work. Laboring and postpartum mothers are usually healthy women going through a very specific phase of their lives. While there are new moms with comorbidities, caring for them is not like taking care of acutely ill 80-year-olds.
That said, most nurses CAN adapt to new specialities. I don't think med-surg is a drawback to becoming an L&D or NICU nurse. There may be a few "set in their ways" RNs who can't or won't make the transition, but most RNs are perceptive enough to figure out where their background knowledge is an asset and where it is not applicable. So I don't think med-surg experience is a detriment, just not necessary for the RN who wants a career with mothers and newborns.
ust 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).
Seeing this job description alone is enough to set off alarms,for a first job ?That is insane,also stop second guessing your ex employer,you do not owe them anything.I would not even bother putting this creampuff horrror inany resume,no need to,concentrate on getting experience,lots ,and you will find a better place.Do not bite off more than you can chew so to speak.It is over and you will have other opportunities.
NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN
1,599 Posts
I think oriented is 15 minutes of rushed here’s here everything is if it goes to hell and orientated is a little bit why you need to know where the “0h, crap!” Supplies are at!