Hello all. I am a new grad and I have been working in the PACU for a month and I already hate it. I like what we do for the patient and my role as a nurse, but it is NOT at all a welcoming environment or conducive to learning. Me and two other girls were the first new grad to be hired there so we are the guinea pigs. The one girl made it just fine, and the second girl feels the same way I do. The staff is very negative except a few people. I started out with a bad taste in my mouth... I wanted an ICU but waited to long to apply so new grads were not being excepted, I was told we would be doing 4 10's and in fact it is 5 8's... so I did start on a bad foot. I miss my old job where I was a patient care tech... I don't like commuting to the area where my current job is. I also do not want to be a quitter... I AM VERY CONFUSED!!! SOME ONE PLEASE HELP!!! Just an opinion on the situation please or any advice! Please spare me the "do med-surg" I have been a CNA for 4 years and the floor is boring to me, while I know it is different, I just don't want to do it.
Emil
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September 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Well, I would begin by talking to your boss/manager about how you are feeling so she knows what is going on. Therefore, if you decide to leave she will see it coming and have an idea that you were feeling that from the beginning. I would give it a few more weeks and see if it gets any better. Are you on orientation still? Also, talk to your manager about the hours and what you expected from the beginning. Just a few ideas….good luck and things WILL GET BETTER!
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Try to just focus on the patients and not the negativity around you. I think it is great that you are able to see beyond them and enjoy what you actually get to do for the patients. Rest assured also that you are getting GREAT experience – especially if you want to later transfer into ICU. You will have good experience that will be valuable to them. Many ICU’s are now doing some of their own recovery’s – your background will be an advantage.
If you can wait it out long enough, you will no longer be considered a “new grad” and may have a better chance of transferring into an ICU if that is your long term goal. Hang in there and look at the big picture, your long term goals, and focus on gaining as much experience as you can right now. Even your experience coping with difficult people, making a difference, and rising above the situation will be a huge asset to you wherever you end up! Your character can only grow if you allow it to stay strong and positive despite the negativity around you:) hang in there!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
Thanks for the comments. I am still on orientation and will be through October. I want to hang and ride it out, I am going to do my best. I’m just trying to suck it up and learn!!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Sorry to hear your work life is so difficult right now. As others have said, you are getting some experience that will serve you well when you decide to transfer, but that doesn’t solve the problem right now. Can you focus on achieving some short-term goals, making it a bit easier to weather these first few months? Also, I’d encourage you to talk with the person who is making it “just fine.” What is helping her to cope? Try to associate with the people around you who are not so negative. That negativity is deadly and hard to not “catch” from others. You obviously have some good experience as a PCT and know what it feels like to like your job. What were the factors that made that job work for you? What needs to change in your current position? Are those changes possible or do you need to put a time line together to begin exploring other options? Finally, are you taking care of yourself outside of work–getting enough sleep, having time to do some things that are fun for you, etc.? Your situation is not easy. Do take care and I certainly wish you the best in this journey.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Emil, I do appreciate your feelings and wish there was a way to make it all better. But that is not life! I do think the ideas shared with you by others are good ones for your consideration. I do think talking with your unit manager is a good idea. However, I would approach that talk with a request to talk with her about some of your concerns and ask her/him for assistance in managing these difficult situations. Unfortunately, Emil, horizontal/lateral violence is alive and well in the workplace. Given the fact that the environment is not friendly, I would guess that you may be the deposit for inappropriate behavior by colleagues. I would STRONGLY suggest that you identify a mentor (an experienced nurse; former manager; faculty person) to talk with about your work situation. Then the two of you can sit down and talk about what you can do to handle the difficult situations that you are experiencing. I think it is admirable that you do not want to be a quitter; to do that, you need to work on strategies that will help you cope with and improve your work experiences. Best wishes.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Emil. I was reading over your comment and I’ve been in a similar situation as you. You said that you’re the guinea pigs of the PACU orientation right now. Therefore, it’s extremely important for you to talk to your manager that way they will know that something is not right. It costs too much to hire someone just to lose them in orientation or shortly thereafter, they’ll be receptive to it and promptly change it. Tell him/her that you really want to try, if they could assign you to a preceptor or a different shift, also your 4/10s are important to you. I know it’s a frightening experience for a new grad but once you do it, you will feel good. Also, managers talk and if they know you are willing to talk about how you feel, they might be your strongest advocate when you decide to move over. Just my two cents.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Emil – there will always be people who are not very friendly to the “new grad” coming in. I dealt with this as a new grad going into an ICU setting and why they did this unwelcoming is really their own insecurity.You have to stay like you are, strong, and not quit. This role that you are participating in now is only going to make you a stronger and better nurse. I was already easily intimidated, praying every day that I would not hurt a patient, and still learning as you don’t stop learning out of school. So you show up every day into an environment where you feel your not welcome and that just makes the job harder. There were many days I wondered why I went to school, if this was how it was in the “real nursing world”. I think back about the people who treated me this way out of school and just remember that you take a little bit of each person with you to learn from, whether you use it or not is up to you. I am glad that I didn’t quit because I wouldn’t trade this job for the world. I now precept new nurses and love it and always take into consideration that I was once in their shoes.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
For the next two weeks I will be in a SICU rotation and I am already dreading going back to PACU. The more I think about it the more I just want to quit and find a new job… traffic was terrible today, as always, just to add a little cherry on top. After 6 months, which would be february, I can transfer… but I think I also don’t like the institution. I know I have only been there a month (oh geeze haha) but I don’t see room for me to grow. It is a very “tight” managerial and administrative facility… the nurses talk crap about it all the time… I guess I’m looking for the “quick” answer and result and I know that’s impossible.
=( I’m just very very down. Down on myself for settling for PACU b/c I had originally want an ICU but I waited to long to apply so all the new grad positions were taken… I’m just down.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Emil, Most nurses are compassionate, understanding, caring people. However, there are some out there who are just not cut out to be preceptors. Make sure that your Nurse Educator, Nurse Recruiter, and Nurse Manager know what you are going through. You have your first job now, and not only do they want to keep you, they want you to be happy. Happier nurses are just better nurses. They WANT and NEED to know what is going on and they CAN help you. I read the comments of others and it is true that time tends to make things better, and with time and experience you will be accepted by your colleagues. Still, the right people need to know what you are going through to fix the problem and prevent it from happening to others in the future. Take care and keep your chin up.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Just curious where you are that they hire new grads for ICU? I’m in a similiar situation on a telemetry floor. My work ethic is that of a hard worker, always wanting to learn. team-player and reliable, but I’m at a point that I don’t like my job so much that I have called out a bit too much. Before anyone says anything, I know it’s bad and I should look for something else, I have but I know the experience is invaluable and will assist in me getting where I want to go. Where I want to go I need to finish school (I have less then a year left) then I’ll have my bachelor’s and public health here I come. All I can say is wait it out and it will eventually happen, talk to your manager let them know what and how you are feeling, and like the others have said plan out some short term goals it makes it easier to get to your long term. Best of luck!!!!!!