Scared.....No Nursing?

[Name9335]

Hello All,

I have posted on here several times before, but in short, I am a relative new grad. Only a little over a year out of school. I have failed out of two med-surg orientations. I am currently working at a nursing home and it was going fairly well, up until recently, where again, I am being told I'm not good enough/my assessments are not up to par, I'm basically incompetent. I'm scared and angry..... Everywhere I turn, I am being told apparently nursing isn't for me. This is all I have ever wanted to do. So now I have a nursing degree and very little clinical experience to get into anything like informatics or..... So now I'm stuck. I don't really know what else I have an interest in. I don't know where to go next. I really don't want to be stuck at a desk job or sitting in front of a computer all day. I have a nice nest egg (financially) and I still have my job at the nursing home, (so I don't need to make a decision in the next couple of days) but I don't know if I will be staying. Any other suggestions on where I can turn to? I LOVE nursing. It hurts and breaks my heart to even consider walking away, but no matter what I try, I'm told that i can't do the job.

[Wlaurie, RN]

Well I know I've mentioned this before on other posts but I would try private duty care. I've worked LTC and had similar results as you. If you stay, I would want more details as to what skills are lacking. Examples please, I would ask. When I did LTC I knew it wasnt my thing so I was happy to go.

Private duty is one patient, slower pace and I do a high quality job. I actually get a lunch break too that is paid (bonus). I work when I want, no weekends or holidays. When I started this job I immediately felt I found my nitch. I have had good luck in that the families I've worked for have been great and appreciative of my work. I know that's not always the case, but if it isn't you can ask for a new assignment.

So, I'm not in the bloom where you're planted group if you don't think it's where you want to be. Sometimes the grass is really greener on the other side.

[shivv]

They should really being giving constructive criticism. Most of what you learn in nursing is on the job. Even the OR example someone gave was people expecting a new nurse to be completely experienced and know what they’re doing right off the bat. It takes time to learn and get comfortable. I would advise finding a mentor- is there a senior staff member or clinical educator or manager you can ask for help? This is what I did when I switched nursing fields and had to learn a whole new way of doing things. Good luck, and keep working hard.

[BarrelOfMonkeys, BSN, RN]

It seems like there is a lot of good advice here and so many stories of pushing through during tough times. You seem to have a passion for what you’re doing. You may just need to find a way to make that shine through. I know I had a tough time as a new nurse because everyone treated me as though I’d been doing it for years. Which means I didn’t get taught certain things or shown certain things because I was overlooked as if I already knew but the expectation was there. When it was very evident I didn’t have the knowledge or experience. So I buckled down, reviewed, researched, on my off time and I even ended up creating training material for other staff to utilize. That was the furthest thing from what I was trying to do. I was trying to survive my first year. In doing that, though, I was able to help my colleagues and got recognized as employee of the month. The point is in honing my skills and knowledge I turned my situation around. No, it wasn’t easy.

I’d recommend staying where you’re at and truly trying to strengthen your weak/challenging points in your work, now. You’ll come out WAY ahead in the end. Your heart is in the right place, you just need to get everything else aligned. ?