Should I look for a new job in this situation?

[treeye]

I'm a relatively new nurse with 15 months' experience.

One of my patient fell over the past weekend with no injuries. When the DON questioned the charge nurse, she rendered me incompetent to make a point that she is irrelevant to this incident. DON pulled me to the office and told me that they found that I have made so many small mistakes (overdue meds twice, wrong dressing once, dressing got loose once, "now" meds given three hours later twice, etc) and they think I may need help. They approached it nicely and made a little "plan" for my improvement.

I like my job and my patients really like me. I admit that I'm still learning new things everyday, and I still feel a little nervous about a complicated wound vac change and an iv insertion. I made stupid mistakes and smack myshelf on the head thinking "why I did that". My question is will the hat of "incompetence" hard to lift and I should look for a new job soon?

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

The hat of incompetence will go away for sure. Don't be so paranoid that you can't learn. I think having a second job (if you don't absolutely have to) robs you of strength and time you could devote to your family, yourself, and current job. I would concentrate your efforts of going with the plan. And seriously; how long does it take to upgrade a resume.

As far as complicated wound vacs...you're complicating it by letting it have the upper hand. IOW's, words matter. Don't look at it as complicated. Take a piece of paper and write down the steps to the dressing change, and what type of wounds get vacs, etc... Break it down and step back and breathe.

I may get flamed for this but there are some very good videos on YouTube showing wound vac dressing changes as well as other nursing procedures. I think I studied more when I was first starting out then I did in college. I still study and upgrade myself weekly.

You know whether your facility has your back or not. Unfortunately in today's world many managers don't have our backs. If you feel they have your back and are sincere about "the plan" then go for it. If you feel they are setting you up then go look for another job. You need to be keeping a journal of all this in case something does happen and you need to apply for unemployment. I'm just saying. You know whether they are sincere or not. Good luck to you.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I have a different perspective than others. I wouldn't resign at this point, however I think you should start upgrading your resume and passively look for a job. Always think the worse and have a plan. Worse case scenario is you'll be terminated if no improvement is shown, so make sure you have a plan B. Since I've been in nursing I've seen that it is a great idea to always have an updated resume and a plan of escape. You just never know.

I am in agreement here. My manager took me in her office frequently with plans to improve my performance, even though I did (and had been doing) things the way I was taught, and the way the other nurses did things. Even the nurse manager did things the same way. For some reason I was singled out, over and over. I knew I should look for another job, and was even told by the other nurses I worked with, but I neglected to do so. I was liked by my patients and their families and was often commended for doing a good job with my clients (I was a hospice case manager in a small branch of a larger hospice company)...

Eventually, she fired me for causing a "service failure". Granted, maybe I didn't follow our company expectations that time, but I was far from causing a service failure, in mine and other employees eyes... this "manager" made me attend office birthday celebrations, baby showers and wedding showers, and off hours "get togethers". Oft times, I was the nly nurse required to work holidays while the others did not.

I was made to "report" to her office every morning before beginning my day just so she could "see me", while others were not required to even go to the office before starting their day and was denied PTO or vacation days (and consequently lost 48 hours one year because she wouldn't allow me to take my time).

So your situation sounds dangerously like mine was at the beginning... just keep your eyes open and watch your back. Be prepared.

I may be completely wrong and they truly want to help, but I say to "keep your options open".

Best of luck to you! I hope and pray it turns out well!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Any updates?