RN new grad let go within 90 days and searching for new job, advice?

[celizabeth17]

I graduated from a BSN program this past May from a top nursing school with a nearly 4.0 GPA, and began a position on an intermediate surgical floor at a large, prestigious hospital within 3 months of graduating. I had thought that I was doing well but my manager didn't think it was a good fit for me due to the multiple services on the floor and me not being able to handle a 4-5 patient load. I had about 9 preceptors during that period, and was originally hired for a 6 month orientation. At the end of my 90 day probationary period she let me go since she thought it wasn't a good fit, and she said during my exit interview that I should act like I never worked there and start applying for new jobs within the system. She said I should leave that job off of my application/resume because it would look bad to other managers. However, when I went to apply for new positions in the company I realized that that wasn't something that could go unnoticed. I contacted the nurse recruiter and she said that I should reapply for jobs at the hospital and let her know when I applied for them, but that I needed to put that I worked there on my resume.

Needless to say at this point I was scared that I wasn't going to find another job, and at that point and time there weren't any new grad positions open, so I would've had to wait about a month to reapply. From that point on I applied at multiple different organizations, but had taken my nurse managers advice to leave that job off of my resume. It turns out that I interviewed and was hired for a position at a small pediatric clinic within a week of being let go from the previous job. At first I thought it was going well, it was an extremely small clinic with only about 5 employees, and I thought that was something I enjoyed. However, there was not much good communication with me. Apparently some of my measurements had been wrong, but no one came and talked about it to me or made me aware of it, until about a month after being there when I had to go to someone and asked about certain things to improve on. After that no one came to me again and told me that my measurements were wrong, so I assumed I was doing better. There was always a lot of gossip about me being slow when I was there, but no one really came and talked to me about it much at all. The physician would often time blame me for things that at times weren't necessarily my fault. When I met with one of the nurses after a month of being there she said there were a few things that needed to be fixed, but didn't communicate to me that they were having major issues with me. Needless to say, I was just let go from the practice after being there for 2 months. I am in a very bad place right now, and am worried that I'm not going to find another job. I'm starting to think I should just give up on nursing since no one is going to hire me after what has happened, even though I've happened to be in 2 bad situations.

I've always had a passion to be a neonatal nurse, but now I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to be able to find a job as a nurse, and am not really sure what to do. Do yall think I should just find another career at this point or what should I do?

[mrsboots87]

Before looking at another career, look at yourself. Being let go from 2 positions with management that is aware that you are a new grad and not too notch yet doesn't look good. Maybe it was just circumstance and you are fine, or maybe you need to take a deep look at yourself and your abilities and try to see what you could have been doing wrong. You said you measurements were off. What was meant my that. Were you unable to mark the lines on paper and use a ruler to measure for infant hight? Were you weighing them wrong? Were your pulse counts off. Like what measurements were off so much that they let you go? R is there more to the story that you are not lettin on. In a new position, anywhere, not just in nursing, it is your job to ask what you can do better if no one is communicating with you. If you feel you aren't getting adequate training then speak up. If you haven't gotten a progress report in a while, ask for one so you can improve. At your next position, be your own training advocate and make sure you get the support you need by asking for it. Also, what does your school and grade have to do wht it? Good grades and good school do not necessarily mean that a new grad is a top notch one. Some great nurses don't do well on NCLEX questions but there real life practice is great, and so on. Dot rely on your school grades to say you are a good nurse. Show it.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

What was the "feedback" when you asked?

Also, you said you couldn't handle a 4-5 pt load; what were your challenges? were there "near misses", time management issues? Was there an action plan?

As far a "missing measurements", what were your challenges in making, basically, errors that could lead to missed and med errors? What was the remediation?

At this point, you have some options, especially given to you during the feedback you were given during both your employments; it will be up to you to find a position to help you combat this.

[dulcet]

I just wanted to give a virtual hug. I don't have any advice specifically but I've heard of this before for other professions as well. If you are struggling in the beginning (which is understandable) the employers won't communicate with you but just after a period of time they will just fire you. Sounds kind of unfair to me

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I agree with the above poster that you need to take a good, long look at yourself and what you've contributed to losing two jobs in six months. Perhaps you just passively waited for someone to come and tell you how you were doing instead of actively seeking feedback. Perhaps you've made the same mistakes time and again without learning. Communication is a two way street. You cannot blame others -- "unfortunately there was not much good communication with me." You knew that you were new and had a lot to learn -- you needed to make the effort to ASK how you were doing rather than waiting for someone else to initiate the conversation. If it is "needless to say" that you were let go after just two months, why weren't you actively advocating for yourself and your learning experiences. If it's needless to say that you were let go, you must have known there were serious problems from the get go. Otherwise it would be needful to say.

If you're lucky enough to get a third job, please make an effort to be proactive with your learning needs and your communication with others.

[empatheticRN]

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I am a new nurse too ... Only 6 months. I had a really rough start and I felt like a failure. Forget all about the grades because they don't mean a thing. I was great in school and never had to repeat a class. Look closely at yourself and don't blame others for your shortcomings. Improve on the mistakes that you have made at your previous jobs. It's ok to make mistakes but don't make the same mistake twice. Personality goes a long way because I'm a bit of an introvert and it was tough for me. I found that breaking out of that shell, being friendly and polite will help. I'll give you an exemple: a nurse at my job was always so mean to me and would complain about not necessarily my nursing skills but Petty things like me not refilling the medication cart with supplies like spoons, pill containers, alcohol pads etc. It's not my job but it's just being courteous to do such things. I started doing these things and I would hang an IV or two if she is running late. One day I had done the pt/inr levels and forget to write them down in the pt/inr binder. I called from home and she was the nurse on. She willing did them over for me and didn't report me. Basically what I'm trying to say is be nice and don't walk around with your nose in the air. If you develop a good relationship with your team mates they will be likely to tell you when you mess up. But at the same time CYB (COVER YOUR BUTT ) because some will turn you over to the KGB in an instant. Don't give up because some of the best nurses weren't great from the start. Pay attention to Good nurses and learn from them. I work at a nursing home and will be trying my hands at a Prison next week. Try these places because they are good to new grads. One last tip when a patient complains/ is experiencing something, there is always something you can do as a nurse even if it means calling the MD. Chin up dear you can do it :)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Closing per OP request