Should I stay or should I go

[Headache]

I have been a nurse for just over a year. I feel like I am getting worse instead of better. My floor has some nice people on it but they all talk about each other behind everyone’s backs, so I don’t feel like I can turn to anybody in particular without it becoming everybody’s business. I had almost 20 preceptors during my orientation! It was awful and confusing for me. When I addressed this I was told I should feel lucky because there are many different ways to do things. I also have to learn to deal with all different members of the team so having multiple people teach me is good and I should be grateful! This also makes me feel like I could not turn to leaders for help. They did not listen to me, I felt they were making excuses and being dismissive. I am afraid to look for another job though because what if this is how it is everywhere? I’ve never worked on another floor or in another hospital so I have no idea if this is how it is everywhere. Is this normal? I think I could be a pretty good nurse but I definitely don’t learn on my feet by myself like some of my colleagues do, this frustrates the more experienced nurses.   Sometimes when I ask questions I am told to just use my nursing judgment. I don’t always know what that means in every situation. I think with the right guidance I could be a decent nurse and that is what I really want. Should I continue to stick it out or should I look for a job somewhere else? Is this how nursing is everywhere? I feel so Insecure and depressed!

[Milky7126]

I’m sorry you’re being thrown on your own like that. It’s not fair to you or other nurses coming in. 
It definitely isn’t like that everywhere you go. Maybe you could float to other units to see how they work. In my hospital different floors have different cultures. Maybe you could also talk to nursing friends or classmates about how their work culture is. Another thing you could do is stick with the nicest coworkers you know and match your schedule with theirs if you feel close enough to do so. If you have a nurse educator on the floor, maybe they could provide guidance on skills and judgement calls. 

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

Some floors have more drama and what I call “floor politics” than others. Not all units are created the same. Personally, I would advise staying out of it until you know what you’re dealing with. No need upsetting a good nurse who could be a resource for you because of some drama. To deter it, you can always say something like, “I don’t know anything about that” when confronted with gossip. All else fails, walk away.

The preceptor thing is less worrisome to me, only because with staffing the way it is right now, it can be really hard to find a consistent preceptor for a nurse. I would just double check that they’re not giving you different preceptors because of complaints, etc. Sometimes we try out different preceptors if the orientee is really struggling to determine if it’s a constant issue or if the preceptor is the problem. Sometimes we like to get several different perspectives on what is going on with a nurse, if we feel like they’re not doing well or need more help.