what is the shortest amount of time you've lasted at a nursing job?

scoochy · May 5, 2010

Three weeks...I was hired to work per-diem at an ambulatory surgery center with the plan of being part-time within 3 months. I was booked for 3 shifts/week; 2/3 got canceled the three weeks I was there d/t extremely low patient volume...the writing was on the wall; no job stability there..........

EmilyCCRN · May 5, 2010

I was hired onto a horrible 46-bed combined ICU stepdown/ medical telemetry floor right out of school. We took five patients each and had no CNA's, so we were responsible for all of our own vitals, etc. There weren't enough BP/SP02 machines to go around, so you had to rush out of report to try to "claim" your machine in order to do your vitals. :confused: There were no bedside monitors (and the tele packs did not have EKG screens), so you just PRAYED that the monitor tech was paying attention and would notify you if your patient, oh I don't know, went into V-FIB or something. :eek: Anyway, I took the job because it was offered to me six weeks before I graduated, and it was busy and offered tons of experience. ("Trial by fire" experience, but I digress...) Oh, and I drove an hour each way. After four months I "woke up" and realized that THIS.WAS.STUPID. There was a great hospital less than a mile from my house. I applied, interviewed, and was offered a critical care position on the spot. And I've been with them ever since. :)

mamamerlee, LPN · May 5, 2010

Four weeks - outpatient dialysis unit, poorly run. Felt like someone would just come in a snatch my license right out of my purse !!!!

cb_rn · May 5, 2010

two weeks, brand new nurse with freshly minted nursing license on med-surg/peds/tele/everything but a ventilator or drip floor at small community hospital. Three nurses called out on night shift and I was given 7 patients (I was 8 months pregnant as well) with no preceptor and 3 pts on contact precautions, 1 with explosive diarrhea and dementia. I worked my shift, everyone survived, handed in my resignation as soon as my manager got in that morning and was hired for a cardiothoracic stepdown at a major teaching hospital before the end of the week.

lpn87 · May 5, 2010

3 months!

I was hired at a 72 bed long term care facility that was more like a hospital there was everything there which was a lot of good experience but I had a total of 30 + pt's a night 3 of who had gtubes, 1 with a central line, 2 ivs, one pt with 20 wounds on his entire body that i had to dress every night and thats not including the other treatments i had to do on other patients, colostomies, urostomies, u name it it was there....and they were always short staffed! I finally said screw this and found a better job and ive been there ever since:yeah:

allnurses Guide · May 5, 2010

A year and one month, and that was a job that I actually liked pretty well and probably could have stayed with indefinately, but it was too far to drive from my house, the benefits weren't great, and it was eight-hour shifts only. So for those reasons, I left that job. I've had two jobs since then and am looking at changing again. I change jobs all the time. It's depressing. =(

bill4745, RN · May 5, 2010

3 weeks. Was hired for alternating 7a-7p/7p-7a. Showed up for first orientation shift and the schedule had 6 weeks of 3-11. Went to nurse manager who confirmed I would be straight 3-11. Us staff nurses worked our butts off while the traveling nurses played with their blackberrys, both games and negotiating their next "gig".

EmmyBee · May 5, 2010

My shortest job was 3 weeks. It was my first and last attempt at case management. It seemed like my dream job initially. Then when I realized how far behind they were on paperwork for that particular position, and the fact that they combined my job to do what three people were doing prior, and my knowledge that I was making about $8,000 a year less than the other LPNs, I decided to leave.

It was a very "cliqueish" environment, and the director was often unprofessional and played favorites. I was always uncomfortable there. I was still on probation, told them I was giving two weeks notice, so they let me go that same day. I guess they figured why bother train me, only to have me leave. :uhoh3:

RNperdiem, RN · May 5, 2010

13 months. I learned. I survived. I moved on.

Morning-glory · May 5, 2010

3 orientation shifts and 3 working shifts in a small rural hospital. They were hard work. 8hr shifts turned into 12 just because there were not enough staff to get all the work done on days or evenings. I was charge on my first shift and one of the docs ordered a linseed pultice. "You have got to be kidding me". CNA told me that I needed to go to the unit kitchen and the recipe was posted on the wall and that it took 20 minutes to make. I was supposed to be working with another RN who would do the po meds and I would do the IV meds and dressings. She called in sick so I was working with an RPN that was not allowed to give meds, so I had to do it all. The other person who was helping was a rocking CNA. We managed 8 day 1 post-ops, one gas-gangrene that was transfered out to the big hospital and I was to cover ICU while that nurse went for lunch. ICU had 3 fresh post MI's and I did not have a clue on how to care for them and monitor my own 12 patients at the same time. It was the hottest day of the summer with no A/C. I had an 18 month old asthmatic kid who was crying all the time so I strapped him on back for the shift and carried him with me while I was getting on with my day. The O2 tent treatments did allow me a break from the madness. 3 days of that and taped report at the end of it, and I was done.

roser13, ASN, RN · May 5, 2010

9 months. Ambulatory surgery center where, as soon as I started working, the narcotics started disappearing. Oh, and by the way, starting the same week was a new MD - Medical Director, actually.

Narc count off every AM and almost every PM. Old-fashioned lock-box, so we changed out the lock and of course gave the new key to the Medical Director.

Shortages continued, stress was high and the nurses felt the scrutiny. I hated to be the first RN to quit because I was afraid that I would appear guilty, especially because the narcs started going missing right when I started. But I couldn't take it and jumped at a PRN position that was offered out of the blue.

Oddly enough, the new Medical Director quit the next week and entered rehab.