Should I stay or should I go?

Nurses Career Support

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I'm trying to figure out if I hate my job because I'm a clueless new grad and a wimp and should just tough it out and stick with it until it gets better or if I should leave because my place of employment sucks. Would anyone be so kind as to give me their two cents?

Background: I'm a new grad (7 months). My interview was online because I was out of state going to nursing school. The manager who interviewed me was great (she still is a sweetheart. I love her as a person) and I was promised a 12 week orientation including a nursing residency program with classes every Friday.

Long story long, the place is a hot mess. The lack of organization started on day one. No access to the charting system, badges that don't work, the classes never happened, not one. I didn't get to be with my assigned preceptor until week two because he was already precepting someone else. And due to schedule miscommunication, I ended up a total of 7 preceptors during my 9-week orientation. My orientation was cut short as soon as I went to night shift after week nine (never got oriented on night shift). Floating is also an issue. We are floated on a weekly basis, sometimes two out of our three shifts.

I'm constantly being put in these situations I believe are unsafe. I feel like I didn't get the training I needed and that I was lied to about their nurse residency program. Am I overreacting? Is this normal? Is most of my anxiety just because I'm a new grad?

 I'm always on edge. I dread going to work. I can't sleep the day before my shift. It's been seven months and although I feel the anxiety has gotten slightly better, I still dread work every day. And recently have been wishing I get sick or break a leg or something, so I don't have to go back there. This is what has really gotten me to start feeling like maybe I don't have to tough it out any longer and maybe it's time to try to find something else.

What are your sincere thoughts? Don't hold back.

 

 

Ps.: I know this is super long and honestly I'm taking the opportunity to vent. So the next few paragraphs are extra info in case you are interested in knowing more.

When I say the place is a mess, it's a mess. Vital signs machines are few and far between and they are all so old the batteries won't charge so you have to wheel them in the room and plug them in immediately. When we have a lot of post ops, we have to cut short the post of vital signs because they need the machine for someone else. Broken beds, nutrition room and linen carts not stocked. WOWs (aka COWs) that are slow and loose charge quickly, and often log you out while you are in the middle of a task. We don't have enough IV pumps or channels. Our OR was closed for two weeks because, while preparing for a spine surgery, when they opened the instruments there was, and I quote, "fussy stuff on it" which made them realize they were having issues with  sterile processing.

Most of the medsurg staff are step down nurses who are being floated. I was floated on my third day on my own (while I was still supposed to be on orientation, mind you) to a unit I was never oriented on. I was already getting report when the day shift charge rudely told us to stop because it was my turn to be floated. When I arrived to the unit, I found out we didn't even have a charge because the only charge that night was in charge for both medsurg 1 and 2 and she'd be upstairs at medsurg 2 if I needed her.

I know these issues can be part of the hospital life, but my time is often wasted trying to find supplies or equipment and it drives me crazy. And time, when you are a new grad, is precious. I have worked at another hospital in the area as a tech and at least I know they were stocked and had equipment that worked. It's a community hospital (not a trauma center like where I'm at now), but at least I feel like there I'd be better supported and get enough training. Not to mention the pace there would be slower and maybe fit me better as an anxious new grad.

Specializes in Psych/Addiction/School.

If you can, stick it out for a year then leave and find another job. Actively start looking now for another job and if you are asked why you are leaving, say something like you needed to get the experience under your belt. Have you voiced any of your concerns to your supervisor or manager?

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