RN work experience, what not to do

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Specializes in ER/ float.

Hello all. first post on this site however have been an avid reader for many years. I would like to start with getting my RN in 2007 and one week following graduation accepting a position in a small ER in northern wisconsin. ten beds and I was the only RN on duty.After a thirty day orientation I was on my own and let me tell you what a crash coorifice in ER nursing it was.

Studied and recieved my ACLS, PALS ect during this time also. After eight months of this experience my wife decides she needs to move back to kenosha,wis. I turn in my two week notice and except a position at Aurora in their ER. During my preceptorship I was pulled in the office to be told by the supervisor I was functioning like an old nurse who had been there for years and I should be more enthusiastic about learning the ropes.My preceptor was also quitting and found another job and did nothing but bad mouth the facility.

Then the supervisor thought it may be a great idea for the nurse educator to shadow me for a day to add her two cents. (I forgot to mention that during this time my wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor and her and I were beside ourselves). I mentioned to the supervisor I was under a bit of stress and I did not need a nurse educator following me around as I knew my job. Back into the office the next day where we agree'd I may need a more relaxed dept in their facility. Here comes my first error, I decided to let my emotions runith over and emailed the director of nurses with why the ER was going through help like bandaids. Ranting on about how I would never run a dept without empathy and campassion for both employees and patients.

Afew days later my Aurora account was disabled and email shut down.

Back up north to that small ER driving 320 miles per week. I worked the weekend program and drove back down here for the week days. This was all fine until I decided to become a patient advocate and address to the supervisors and CEO one of their physicians was causing patients undue physical pain and not believing the pt's statements of such. I was told by the management it was not the physicians fault and these pt's were known for causing problems.

Error #2 I became so angry with them protecting this so called doctor and not the pt's I gave them two days to call in a casual nurse to replace me and told them I was done. I never went back and cleaned out my locker either.Burned that bridge big time.:o

Well that brings me up to date as that was 5 months ago and I am finishing my BSN and still unable to get a job.

I have had to hire an attorney and found out my little hospital was telling employers I only worked there a week.

Imagine that.:o Could be why I am getting all these dear John letters?

Moral of this story and yes it feels good to get it out on paper or cyberspce is I feel as if I destroyed everything I worked so hard to get through a couple of stupid choices I made. I am an emotional person and have learned recently to keep my big mouth shut and act excited no matter what.

Sorry for the long rant. I just want to warn others not to do what I did,,,. rntim

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I am sorry to hear about your experience. I am a LPN and graduate in the Spring (RN program) God willing. I have been working as a LPN for around six months. I have learned very quickly that you have to watch your mouth. If I have issues at work I vent to my mom. I don't complain about anyone and clock in, do my job then head on my way when I am finished. There will always be cliques and being the new Nurse is very hard. There are very few people at my job that I trust. Per my director we have a gossiping problem but she is the biggest culprit. It sounds like you may have to move to another city? I hope that your wife is hanging in there and that things start looking up for you. I never realized how small the nursing community was until I started going to school- you are very wise about advising us not to burn bridges. You never know what situation you will find yourself in.

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OMG I keep hearing all those terrible things about Aurora in Wisconsin,I applied there (I'm from Illinois) and thank God I didnt get a job there..Sounds like a very poor envinronment for nurses--too bad since it is such a big major health system in the Wisconsin state.

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Specializes in ER/ float.

As hard as this whole ordeal has been on me, I have trouble blaming anyone but myself. Now I spend my time saying to myself if I had only acted more excited, stayed out of politics I may have still been working right now. I was proud to work at aurora and would go back in a minute. I am permanantly blackballed as I have tried unsuccesfully to re-enter for almost a year without so much as an interview. I most likely will try out of state next. rntim

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Yep, my biggest problem at all my jobs has been knowing when to keep my mouth shut. As my husband likes to tell me, just because I have an opinion doesn't mean that everyone wants or needs to hear it. :) I'm STILL working on it.

Good luck in your job search!

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

Never a good idea to mention specific places in these threads. Not even a specific town, if it has only one hospital. I was fired from a job that I loved and had received many quarterly awards because I opened my mouth at a staff meeting. I know I have been blackballed in my city.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.
Yep, my biggest problem at all my jobs has been knowing when to keep my mouth shut. As my husband likes to tell me, just because I have an opinion doesn't mean that everyone wants or needs to hear it. :) I'm STILL working on it.

Good luck in your job search!

I have the same problem too. I usually have the hardest time with it when I am mad.

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Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

A wise manager once told me (long ago when I was young) that if you are angry about something, or have something very important that you would like to say to a co-worker, write the letter (now it is email) and just sit on it for at least 24-48 hours. Go home, go to sleep, think about it, get up and look at it again to make sure that you don't want to edit it first. Anything that important can wait 2 days to be sent. You would be surprised at how much you decide you DON'T want to send. It is a good rule of life in general. I call it the 24 hour rule.

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Specializes in ER/ float.

Kat, that is an excellent idea and one that would have saved me alot of hardship and grief.:cry:

I will consider that my new rule also for now on. very wise manager indeed. tim

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I am not yet an RN, but it saddens me that we cannot let upper management know of someone not doing their job properly without fear of losing our jobs. The pts deserve the very best care and I think there are several RNs and Drs that are no longer happy in their job or are burnt out and need to move to a different position. I have seen a few RNs not treating the pts with the up most compassion and it is very hard for me to watch. Maybe it would have been better to write a hand written letter, not necessary mention the names of the professionals, and mail it in anonymously.

I said a prayer for you and your wife.

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I did not mean that you were not compassionate or didn't know your job, I was more referring to the upper management of the dept.

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Specializes in OB, Med/Surg ,Homecare, Teaching.

We all make mistakes. The important thing here is that you learned from yours. Best wishes to both you and your wife.

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