What is the shortest time you've stayed at a nursing job? I know its frowned upon to jump ship quickly, especially after the facility spent the $$ to orient you, but I wonder how common it is. So, what was your shortest, and why did you leave?
My shortest was 15 months, and I left it because I was chaning specialties from cardiology to labor and delivery.
My current job in Community Health has been 5 months so far, but I'm still there, so I don't want to qualify that as the shortest time I have stayed.
Dang lightweights.....a week of class orientation and 2 days. Psych unit, went in for my 2nd day of precepting with a patient lying on the floor, people stepping over him. What's wrong with that patient? Oh he's been faking seizures all day. Went and assessed the guy, thready pulse, diaphoretic, irregular breathing-and oh yeah I was only 6 months with my new license and out of school. Told the charge nurse that this guy was in bad shape and needed to get out of here. Well whatever says the charge, told her to get the psych doc (they do have medical training), he looked at him again and said send him out. No response to sternal rub, sent him tot he ED next door, called later that night. Uh yeah, he had a fractured skull, subdural hematoma, and was on a vent, died later in the night.
I did a week of orientation plus one shift. It was as a student nurse intern, and I was doing my preceptorship for school at the same time. Between the two, I would have been doing 4-5 12 hr shifts per week. Normally not a biggie, but I was also dealing with a very sick gallbladder that I had to wait until graduation to get taken out. I talked to the manager and explained the situation and she was very understanding.
I was lucky to have been able to manage the 3 shifts with the preceptor required for graduation. In the end, I could not even eat grapes without pain. But, I graduated with my class and the ole gallbladder came out the day after pinning :)
10 months. It should have been a dream job -- an education position at one of the best NICU's in the country. But I was the first person from the "outside" ever hired for a leadership position in that unit and the politics were nasty in a lot of ways.
It was devastating for me. Great town, great institution, great pay and benefits, great staff to work with ... horrendous nursing management team. I learned later that after I left, the unit management team was "read the riot act" by the VP and told they needed to shape up so that they wouldn't lose good resources like me again ... the same VP who did nothing to help me while I was there, trying to make it work.
Many years later, I still ocassionally wonder ... "What if...?" That was a great opportunity that just didn't pan out for me.
Specializes in Med Office, Home Health, School Nurse.
I worked for a home health company as a private duty LPN shortly out of nursing school. They hired me (KNOWING I was an LPN) and I worked for about a month and a half. Busted my rear end because they were short handed and didn't have enough nurses to go around. After I had been there for 1 1/2 months, they hired four new nurses. I trained them and oriented them with the patient I was working with, and then got a call a few days later that I no longer had a job because I wasn't an RN and this particular company only hired RNs and if they didn't "lay me off" then they would get in trouble with the corporate offices! Ha!
Specializes in Neuroscience/Neuro-surgery/Med-Surgical/.
Let's see I have a couple:
1 week of classes/3weeks on the med/surg floor (hospital) where I was expected to take care of 7 patients during the dayshift, and possibly more on night shift. The final straw was when a fellow co-worker gave pt heparin shot (which pt was allergic to/ allergy band on wrist) and had what was close to anaphylaxis reaction as I have seen. Next night, different RN but same pt, again received heparin shot. Came upon the room to see the code cart, docs, RNs and pt's family standing there stating ' she got the heparin again?!' Finished my shift, left a hand written notice under the manager's door. Was begged to come in and meet with manager & nursing director to discuss my leaving, but I declined; list long of reasons were clearly stated in my letter.
Another one:
Travel RN in AZ hospital; left after 1 week classroom and 1 shift on the floor. I signed up for med/surgery, but ended up on ortho (which I had NO experience). Given 1 nite of orientation, took care of up to 8 fresh post ops, only 1 CNA to 30 patients. Oh, and they only used dial-a-flows, and hid the IV pumps. That nite had a multiply issues with patients, confused patients with restraints that pulled out foley, trying to figure out their computer system, and come upon a pt that reports she hasn't voided in hours. Pt fresh post op bilateral knee sx, foley removed in PACU (?why???) and the preceptor responded "oh just give her some time". Forget that, I went and checked her w/bladder scanner and she had 999ml + in her bladder. I placed an indwelling foley. The preceptor was miffed. I finished my shift, and called my recruiter the next day and quit; "for fear of losing my license."
1 shift as a home health RN. Went there and there was a violent felon just out on parole, domestic violence in the house, probable drug use, and many other issues. Just where I wanted to be for a 8 hour night shift. Not!
Shortest job- one shift at a LTC- saw the staff picking food out of serving containers aand eating at the same time they were dishing up dinner for residents. I was done.
After 2Hours on the floor I handed over the phone they gave me and said NO THANKS! This was last week actually. I am a new grad w/ only 6-7 months experience in mother/baby and we had to move. I got a job here on a med/surg floor , walked in for my first day, they decided to throw me in w/ NO orientation WHATSOEVER because there was no staff avail to orient me. I couldn't find the charts, and I didnt even have the code to the med room OR the pyxus to get meds.. they said "welcome to the real world" ...nice, but no thanks. They new my background, promised 4 weeks of orientation and changed their minds once I started and said "it's a new facility, everyone is learning"...I practically ran out of there. Find another sucker.
Specializes in med-surg 5 years geriatrics 12 years.
3 weeks. Hired at a SNF that sounded good...but wasn't. Phones turned off because of unpaid bills, no supplies for the same reason. I could go on; I gave my notice 3 days after I started. Never looked back.
Eight months after I graduated nursing school, I was offered a part-time (16 hours a week) job at a nursing home in a wealthy Boston suburb. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was experience. I planned to keep my non-nursing job (with health insurance and 401K) until I was offered more hours.
I started Martin Luther King Day. I was riding the T, so a 9-mile trip took 2-1/2 hours, including a 1-mile walk at the end. Six inches of snow had fallen overnight. Still, I showed up 10 minutes early for orientation, excited to finally start my nursing career.
I sat in the nurse manager's office for 20 minutes. Then she sent me to the day room to help the other nurse give out meds. I fetched cups and water and watched TV. Finally, the nurse manager sent me back to her office. She had some news.
First, 16 hours nights was now per-diem nights. Second, they couldn't afford 2 orientees at once (the nurse in the day room was also an orientee), so she was sending me home. She said I could call back Friday about my next shift. When I called back Thursday afternoon, she said the position had been canceled. My first nursing job lasted 45 minutes.
hawkfdc
159 Posts
Dang lightweights.....a week of class orientation and 2 days. Psych unit, went in for my 2nd day of precepting with a patient lying on the floor, people stepping over him. What's wrong with that patient? Oh he's been faking seizures all day. Went and assessed the guy, thready pulse, diaphoretic, irregular breathing-and oh yeah I was only 6 months with my new license and out of school. Told the charge nurse that this guy was in bad shape and needed to get out of here. Well whatever says the charge, told her to get the psych doc (they do have medical training), he looked at him again and said send him out. No response to sternal rub, sent him tot he ED next door, called later that night. Uh yeah, he had a fractured skull, subdural hematoma, and was on a vent, died later in the night.
Handed in my stuff the next day.