Where to go from here: advice needed! (please) [long]

AddieRN · Dec 13, 2008

Well, first of all I want to tell you that you're not alone. I too started out on a busy, busy telemetry unit, and quit after 3 1/2 months. I just couldn't handle the stress of the unit. I was hired for nights, but nights was a full schedule, so daytime I went. It was so hectic, meds, assessments, charting, patients going for procedures, my phone ringing off the hook, pages of orders, pt. families with tons of questions, etc, etc, etc. I couldn't handle the stress. Felt like no matter how hard I tried to work on my time management, it wasn't getting any better. I couldn't find a preceptor that would really take the time to teach me. Anyways, I was bringing the stress home. It was affecting my relationship with my husband, family, and friends. I wasn't sleeping well, wasn't eating well at all. I cried a lot too lol. My preceptor would see that I was drowning, and would be reluctant to help me catch up. I knew I'd be on my own eventually, and that was understandable, but still. I have a really laid back personality, which just didn't add to the busy pace of the floor, nor am I an adrenaline junkie who likes the excitment of codes. I don't regret my decision to leave. My husband is very supportive about it. The commute was horrible anyways (1 hr.).

Finding another job has been the hard part, especially with the tough economical times and the holidays upon us. I found a very part time job as a consult nurse at the group home I worked at during nursing school, but it doesn't bring hardly enough hours. I also heard that alot of the hospitals are in a hiring freeze right now, and it should be easier to find something in January.

In the mean time keep your head held high. Telemetry isn't for everyone, especially not me. I do still have interest in it, and I don't hate it. Maybe if I get some experience on regular floor and can work on my time management and prioritization skills, I'll go back. It's tough when people ask you how your job is going. I just say that I wanted to find a job closer to home, or that it wasn't a good fight.

As far as applications and interviews just keep it to "it wasn't a good fit." I wouldn't go into a lot of details. I've worked with nurses who have ADD and they were great nurses too. Don't let that get you down or hinder you. Good luck finding another job, and keep us posted. Also check out the post new RN quit after 5 months. Sorry this was so long.

Wave · Dec 13, 2008

Thanks for the support. I felt a little silly when, after posting, all kinds of similar threads just "appeared". Still, I guess that it was still kind of cathartic. I have been trying to keep my emotions to myself, all bottled up inside (although I was doing a lousy job of that, too). My wife has been dealing with some postpartum issues and I didn't want to add to her stress with my problems. My parents kept saying that I would just have to try harder, get in earlier, stay later. I just couldn't get them to understand, so I just avoided talking about it. Really felt like I was all alone...

Wave

AddieRN · Dec 13, 2008

It's best not to keep it bottled up, it just makes you feel worse. It's hard for people not in nursing to understand why you're job didn't work out. Nursing is a tough job, no one said it was easy. The reality of it isn't exposed until you get that first job.

jjjoy, LPN · Dec 15, 2008

My parents kept saying that I would just have to try harder, get in earlier, stay later. I just couldn't get them to understand, so I just avoided talking about it.

I hear ya. If it were a simple matter of trying harder, staying later, etc, then I'm sure you'd be doing it. Some areas of nursing can be sink or swim and if you're sinking, trying harder doesn't cut it. It sounds like the job was affecting you negatively across the board and your deciding to quit wasn't about giving up. It was about taking care of yourself so you can take proper care of your family. What good is your paycheck to your family if you are dying inside?

Where to go from here? First off, don't be afraid to tell a potential employer "it wasn't a good fit." Most nurses are aware of the importance of finding a mesh between an individual's strengths and weaknesses and their colleagues. And who wants to work for someone who doesn't understand that? Next off, believe that it "wasn't a good fit." Most of us, in the right circumstances with the right kind of support, CAN be successful. While it would be nice if we were so amazing at something that we could do well in any environment, that's generally not the case, and as a novice, it's even less likely.

It IS difficult and disappointing when plans don't work as we hoped. But have faith that you made the right choice. Given how miserable you were feeling, it really sounds like getting out was the right choice for you. That doesn't make it any easier to deal with the stress of being unemployed and unsure of what your next move is. But being in that position does NOT mean that you are a "screw-up." Believe it.

Quilter0225 · Dec 18, 2008

Hello everyone
Need some serious advice/ guidance, please! Little background first: I graduated from ASN program end of May, took and passed NCLEX in July and became a licensed RN the same month. Started working on a busy cardio/ vascular/ thoracic telemetry unit. Needless to say, very nervous in the beginning which became worse after errors (2 med errors, few bad judgement/prioritization calls)[previous thread]. I had about 9 preceptors due to staffing issues. Management extended orientation from 12 weeks to 20 weeks. At 12 weeks, I felt compeled to tell management about my ADD (Sort of my last resort. Seems that they had kinda guessed my dirty little secret anyway.) Made some adjustments in med regimen (with good results) and changed from 8 hr days to 12 hr days. Towards the end, things seemed to be coming together, but apparently not enough. Management felt that I would not be ready to be on my own by the end of orientation. They couldn't say what would happen to me at the end of orientation (whether or not I'd be terminated or not). Still had two weeks left, but they would have to be perfect, mistake-free for any consideration of any kind. Decided that I'd had enough stress/ worrying at this point so I took my accrued vacation and gave notice. Really hated to throw in the towel, I'd been fighting this up hill battle for sooo long and I had worked sooo hard, but the stress was coming home with me and it was affecting my relationship with my family, especially my 2 1/2 year old son. I actually spanked him!!! I still cry about it when I think back to that incident. Sigh!
This is essentially my 3rd career. I was very excited about becoming a nurse and I hung alot on the line to made this change. Now, I feel like a failure, like I'm no use to anybody. I kept it from family and friends for as long as I could because I was so ashamed and embarressed. How am I supposed to feel when this was my FIRST choice and I got in, but couldn't stand the heat! I'm sure management had thought that they found a diamond in the rough, and instead what they got was a cubic zirconia -and flawed at that! I feel like I'm damaged goods. How does one recover from something like this? Is it over before it ever started?
I had started to feel better, trying to put those negative emotions behind me, but I need a Job! How am I supposed to honestly, truthfully answer questions about why I left after only 5 months?! (You know that they're gonna ask!) That I was a screw-up?!
Anyway, sorry for ranting and the really long post. I was hoping to get some suggestions on what kind of job I should try for next. Telemetry is all I know, but I don't want to put myself in the same situation again. Will anybody still precept me? or will they expect me to be independent? How about rehab nursing or a position at a long-term acute care facility. I also saw a pediatrics position available. Any links to previous posts about questions that interviewers ask or questions I should ask. Given the time of year, I'm feeling a little desperate, but don't want to jump into another mess. Thanks for listening and/or any advice.
Wave

Almost the exact same thing happened to me. I graduated in the top ten of 150 in my ASN program and passed the NCLEX on the first try. I started a telemetry job (my first choice) as an intern for 2 months before I got my license. I was in orientation for 12 weeks and they told me I made too many safety mistakes (had to be reminded to give insulin because it was late, forgot to wipe an IV with alcohol and flush it before I gave it once, didn't take a blood pressure immediately after a fluid bolus in a pt. with a low pressure), wasn't progressing as quickly as they wanted me to. I had no "write-ups" and no verbal warning that termination was even a possibility. Two days after the blood pressure thing I was called in to the office and given 36 hours to resign or be terminated. Now I have to figure out how to explain why I left after 5 months. I think my mistakes were typical new nurse mistakes, and that threatening to terminate me was ridiculous, but how do I say that to an interviewer? To make matters worse, I have a financial committment to this institution. I agreed to work for 36 months to get my nursing school tuition paid for. If I don't find another job there I will have to pay the tuition, and I don't have the money! I can totally empathize with you! I am applying everywhere, but no one wants a nurse with less than a year experience. I feel humiliated, even though experienced nurses who know about my experience tell me it was a problem with orientation, not with me. You are in my thoughts!:yeahthat: