Should I look for a new job in this situation?

1 I'm a relatively new nurse with 15 months' experience.

One of my patient fell over the past weekend with no injuries. When the DON questioned the charge nurse, she rendered me incompetent to make a point that she is irrelevant to this incident. DON pulled me to the office and told me that they found that I have made so many small mistakes (overdue meds twice, wrong dressing once, dressing got loose once, "now" meds given three hours later twice, etc) and they think I may need help. They approached it nicely and made a little "plan" for my improvement.

I like my job and my patients really like me. I admit that I'm still learning new things everyday, and I still feel a little nervous about a complicated wound vac change and an iv insertion. I made stupid mistakes and smack myshelf on the head thinking "why I did that". My question is will the hat of "incompetence" hard to lift and I should look for a new job soon?
I'd wait it out for a bit before panicking. It sounds like they want to help you for now and those are minor issues.
Nope, if they're not making a big deal out of it, I wouldn't. If they have a plan for you, take advantage of it; they must see your value. I constantly review my performance and see what I could change; keep evaluating yourself and you will be able to improve.Quote from treeyeI'm a relatively new nurse with 15 months' experience. One of my patient fell over the past weekend with no injuries. When the DON questioned the charge nurse, she rendered me incompetent to make a point that she is irrelevant to this incident. DON pulled me to the office and told me that they found that I have made so many small mistakes (overdue meds twice, wrong dressing once, dressing got loose once, "now" meds given three hours later twice, etc) and they think I may need help. They approached it nicely and made a little "plan" for my improvement.I like my job and my patients really like me. I admit that I'm still learning new things everyday, and I still feel a little nervous about a complicated wound vac change and an iv insertion. I made stupid mistakes and smack myshelf on the head thinking "why I did that". My question is will the hat of "incompetence" hard to lift and I should look for a new job soon?
Listen to what they're trying to tell you - at least they didn't fire you, they are giving you a chance.
I have a different perspective than others. I wouldn't resign at this point, however I think you should start upgrading your resume and passively look for a job. Always think the worse and have a plan. Worse case scenario is you'll be terminated if no improvement is shown, so make sure you have a plan B. Since I've been in nursing I've seen that it is a great idea to always have an updated resume and a plan of escape. You just never know.
Let's see here. You have made a lot of small errors, they think you need help, they've put together a plan to give it to you. I'd take them up on it and work the plan long before even thinking about going somewhere else. Why is that? Because if you haven't done the work to improve, wherever you go next you'll make another string of little errors, and that employer might not be so generous, and bingo! You now have two short-term jobs on your resume, and you still haven't done an improvement plan.Suck it up and understand that as a new grad you have a lot to learn. If these guys thought you were hopeless they'd have just cut you loose. They are doing YOU a favor by giving you the opportunity to improve your skills and work habits. You'd be nuts to turn that down.
Yup, this improvement plan may well be the beginning of the paper trail to fire. As some other poster has said, nurses should ALWAYS have two jobs, one primary and a prn, so you can say that you have been continually employed. Work on improvement, that never hurts. also watch your back, that also, never hurts.Quote from crazy&cuteRNI have a different perspective than others. I wouldn't resign at this point, however I think you should start upgrading your resume and passively look for a job. Always think the worse and have a plan. Worse case scenario is you'll be terminated if no improvement is shown, so make sure you have a plan B. Since I've been in nursing I've seen that it is a great idea to always have an updated resume and a plan of escape. You just never know.
Hey...they're going to help you! What's wrong with that? They could have just fired you. It appears they want you to succeed. Don't look at his as a negative but learn from the experience. What happens is they let you go and some people land on their feet and some make little mistakes all the time at first (sounds like every new grad yea). Take advantage of the situation and smile; it's a good thing.
That's what happened to me. Within two weeks I was fired even though I had offered to quit on my own earlier and was begged to stay. It was like they wanted to be the ones to say GO or maybe they felt they needed something that wouldn't blow back on them. The two weeks were used to find anything that would make them think I couldn't come back at them if fired.In the long run, I was glad I stayed until fired because I ended up making a couple of grand and my daughter ended up needing it for surgery.I don't use them as a reference. Anywhere I work in the future can just think, "Boy, she catches on quick!".I would play along, in case they sincerely want to develop you. But, I would start that job search NOW! Can't hurt. If you can afford to be out of work for an indefinite period of time, then just take the ride and see where it goes. But, know it's a risk.
Quote from crazy&cuteRNI have a different perspective than others. I wouldn't resign at this point, however I think you should start upgrading your resume and passively look for a job. Always think the worse and have a plan. Worse case scenario is you'll be terminated if no improvement is shown, so make sure you have a plan B. Since I've been in nursing I've seen that it is a great idea to always have an updated resume and a plan of escape. You just never know.
Make sure you work your improvement plan, and that you can prove that you have. If it is a complicated wound vac or IV start, ask for help. Another idea is to "re-learn" how to do these things--if there's a wound care certified nurse get some pointers. If there's someone who is well versed in IV starts, have them shadow you, or you shadow them. Ask your nurse educator what they have for instruction. These skills can only benefit you in your practice.Be on top of your meds.Use whatever paper "brain" you need to so your are organized.And I agree with the others--a PRN job is not a bad thing. And it can assist you in learning and doing things that you will get the hang of.Be mindful and careful. Your goal for this job is to be 100% sure that you work this improvement plan.Good luck!
Don't despair. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn more and improve your skills and your time management.Some patients would wiggle out of a dressing if it was secured with duct tape! Ask other nurses for the techniques they use if you have a tricky one. Regarding medications, remember that the time of administration is planned by the doctor in order to keep the titre at a certain level.You said you like your job and that's very important so do take advantage of the "plan". Do you know who is responsible for evaluating your progress regarding the plan? Ask for feedback frequently so you know whether or not he/she thinks you are making progress. Had anyone mentioned to you the "small mistakes" before this incident? And, yes, absolutely, always have an updated resume prepared. And a PRN job is a wonderful safety net for the reasons mentioned in previous posts. However, be careful that a PRN job leaves you with enough energy to perform well at your current job. Be patient with yourself, we all improve with practice.All the best!
The hat of incompetence will go away for sure. Don't be so paranoid that you can't learn. I think having a second job (if you don't absolutely have to) robs you of strength and time you could devote to your family, yourself, and current job. I would concentrate your efforts of going with the plan. And seriously; how long does it take to upgrade a resume.As far as complicated wound vacs...you're complicating it by letting it have the upper hand. IOW's, words matter. Don't look at it as complicated. Take a piece of paper and write down the steps to the dressing change, and what type of wounds get vacs, etc... Break it down and step back and breathe. I may get flamed for this but there are some very good videos on YouTube showing wound vac dressing changes as well as other nursing procedures. I think I studied more when I was first starting out then I did in college. I still study and upgrade myself weekly.You know whether your facility has your back or not. Unfortunately in today's world many managers don't have our backs. If you feel they have your back and are sincere about "the plan" then go for it. If you feel they are setting you up then go look for another job. You need to be keeping a journal of all this in case something does happen and you need to apply for unemployment. I'm just saying. You know whether they are sincere or not. Good luck to you.