So I wrote a few months back about how I had 3 weeks of orientation and was feeling overwhelmed, not getting breaks most of the time etc...
I hate this job. I was going to say I hate nursing, but I don't. I love my patients and I love being their nurse. What I don't love is being overwhelmed with too many responsibilities, not being able to have time to double check orders or think about what I'm doing etc... It's like I'm racing around putting out fires from one patient to the next and have no time to give them quality, SAFE care. Certain skills still freak me out, I'm not great at IV starts for example and foley caths on women are a challenge for me... some of the staff are supportive when they have time, some are pretty condescending...
All of these things are probably normal for a new grad so I've hung in there telling myself that with time it would all get better. But the reality is I look around and I see experienced nurses stressed and running too. This is not the kind of job I want. I am not happy in this environment and I really don't think I will be.
How bad does it look to a future employer for me to quit hospital nursing after 4-5 months? I'm thinking of looking for a clinic position, something with a different kind of stress load to it. At some point anyway... I don't have to work right now and would like to take a "break" between jobs if that wouldn't look bad. Mainly because I live in a rural area and there are very limited options here, so I may end up not working until we move to a more populated area in about 12-18 months.
I was where u were at. I still havent found my niche. I quit after four months in a hospital and found a job in a clinic. stayed there for about a year.....i'm still there...but i'm looking for something better. dont ever stay at a job if ur not happy. they want u to think it will look bad but the reality is that nurses have the upper hand. there is a shortage of nurses so we can pick and choose.
In some areas of the country this is true, other areas (especially if there are a number of new grads looking at once), employers can be a bit more choosey. In a rural area, jobs can be plentiful or nonexistent.
My first job was a freaking nightmare. I began applying elsewhere, was hired, and gave my notice. So I was at my first job for four months. I've now been a nurse for over five years, have no regrets, and it's never been a problem.
Bluehair
436 Posts
In some areas of the country this is true, other areas (especially if there are a number of new grads looking at once), employers can be a bit more choosey. In a rural area, jobs can be plentiful or nonexistent.
Check out this thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/f153/what-bleep-happened-shortage-335581.html