trying to help my fiance

[MarryingAnRN]

hello all....i'm hoping someone can help me and my fiance, mike, out? mike's not much of a techy, but figured there has got to be someone out there that has gone through this?

mike has been working on a tele floor for less than a year, and he's having a hard time with nursing. he graduated 2 years ago this may with his BSN, took his boards the following october and didn't get a job til last summer. yesterday he had his second meeting with the floor manager that he's been messing up. forgetting to write things down in patients charts, forgetting to sign out meds. he thinks he's going to have to have another meeting with the head of nursing and ultimately he's afraid he's going to get fired.

so what can a person do with a nursing degree? what other options are there for him other than working in a hospital? i think the floor he's on is too overwhelming for him...having 7 patients for 12+ hours a day seems to be too much for him and he's forgetting things. if he does get fired, what do you say on interviews?? mike and i are getting married in september, and we both need to be working right now. i want to be supportive and help him in any way i can....any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.

so sorry for the long post....and sorry for not being a healthcare provider on your boards....i just didn't know who to turn to.

thanks so much......~fiance to an rn....danielle

[JettRNurse]

A lot of nurses use a piece of paper to remember to do things. I'm not sure if that would help him, but there are several positions in nursing that aren't at the bedside. He could consider going into Psychiatric nursing, and work with teenagers, or home health nursing. A lot of nursing doing Hospice work will travel to clients homes to provide care. There are many options if being in the hospital just ain't your scene. I hope this helps, or at least gives you an idea of the directions in which you could start looking. Best of luck to both of you, and congratulations on your engagement:yeah:

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Mike is lucky to have you in his corner! The problems you list are very serious ones that could certainly be grounds for termination, especially if there has been a "pattern" noted.

I would also suggest moving to a less-stressful & slower paced environment. MS/Tele is just about the most stressful environment these days - very complex patients, tons of meds, rapid patient turnover & generally inexperienced managers ('cause the experienced ones won't work there). If at all possible, Mike should try to be pro-active and make the change before he is terminated or asked to resign. Prospective employers may not expect detailed references, but they always check with previous employers to see if the applicant is "eligible for rehire". Whenever the answer is "no", they know that it means they were terminated or left under negative circumstances.

When Mike interviews for his new position, he should just say that he is leaving because "it isn't a good fit". If he is asked to provide details, he could talk about wanting more time to interact with his patients, engage in more patient teaching, etc.

Good luck on your upcoming wedding.

[hunydew2262]

One thing I've been told is that nursing degrees are priceless. Just about any field has a niche you can fill with a BSN. One of my instructors worked for an attorney for many years in an advisory capacity. I think insurance companies often employee nurses, especially workers comp managed care. Research, teaching, etc. Good luck to you both.

[MarryingAnRN]

thank you all for your replies....it's killing me that he's so unhappy, miserable and on edge allll the time. he's worked so hard to get to where he is.....i think he'd be better off in a doctor's office or a floor that's not so busy....he gets overwhelmed and then things get forgotten. the thought that he could kill someone from one of his mistakes puts him on edge before every shift!

thanks again...and please, if anyone else has anymore insight, keep 'em coming!