Tips after unsuccessful first job

[rpn199]

About a month ago, I resigned from my first nursing job. I was given 3 weeks of orientation, at the end of which it was agreed upon with the educator, manager and my preceptor that I could use an extra two weeks. This meeting went very well and everyone was understanding and positive. At the end of this two weeks, I had another meeting with the same people and I was ripped apart for an hour. Prior to this meeting, my preceptor never mentioned anything to me that my performance was so poor. I She was nowhere to be found most of the time, when I asked questions she would often not know the answer, and when she could see I was struggling, instead of giving any suggestions, she would stand there and stare at me in silence. There were some good points made in the meeting, but most of it was nitpicking about things such as not being aware that plastic needle caps also go in the sharps. I was caught completely off guard and said little to defend myself. The conclusion of this meeting was that I had two days to fix all of the problems they had with my performance or I was done. I was doing well at first, but the last day was extremely busy and I did not perform well. Rather than waiting to be terminated, I quit.

I learned a lot from this experience and I realize there was a lot I could have done to make this situation better for myself. However, I'm feeling very unmotivated and dejected with nursing as a career and I'm worried that this experience will negatively impact me on my job search. I've been applying and writing cover letters but it just feels hopeless. The nursing journey has been very rocky for me and I'm starting to question if it's worth it to be in a career that causes me so much emotional and mental stress.

For anyone who has had a negative experience at a job, how did you stay motivated in nursing?

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

My first lpn job was very rocky. I made a major mistake the first 3 months and was put on a performance plan. I had may be 6 shifts of orienting to a LTC facility and was my own with 20+ patients. It was in a rough part of town and the patient population had complex issues so it was way too much, too soon. Thankfully I did have an understanding DON that realized my performance was a mixture of too little training and not enough confidence so she worked with me and I left on good terms. But the whole first 6 months was exhausting and mentally draining.

What kind of unit was this? 3 weeks is just too little and it sounds like you had a unwilling preceptor. I think this happens often enough that employers will understand why got left. Another poster has a similar thread and the responses are great advice, check those out as well.

Nursing is so hard the first year, I just got my RN and at least I have the knowledge now that this year I will learn a lot and most likely cry on my way home a lot.

Before I landed my first lpn job, I went on over 50 interviews with no luck. It was 2008 and my area was hit hard with factory closings so everyone and their family went back for their LPN which meant very few jobs. It was a very disheartening experience but it did teach me that being resilient in nursing is essential. Do not give up, not all jobs will be like your experience at this place.