When to know to quit...

i am so miserable right now. i feel i am caught in a terrible position i never intended to land myself in. long story short.... i graduated a year ago and have had an awful time finding a job. i took the only thing i could get. it was not what i wanted or could ever see myself doing, but it was an opportunity. after a couple months of doing it i started to like what i was doing; however, i started noticing things that made me very uncomfortable. the employees that work there are very caddy (all women!). the whisper, have secret meetings....all high school stuff. it annoyed me, but i chose to stay out of it. then i started to notice that many documents were being falsified. it was not small things either. these were things that were hurting the patients. because of the falsification the pts were not getting the care they needed. the company saves tons of money... there are also very grey lines about responsibility and what is expected out of certain roles i am assigned. i am expected to do certain jobs with no instruction and then when i do them i get reprimanded for doing them correctly. the last incident i got in trouble for being thorough and catching dangerous things that was happening with the pt. the company didn't want to hear it. come to find out giving me this certain responsibility was only to have a body in the situation with a rn. i was not to do anything, but just have a presence so it looked good. the last straw for me was that there is a clear disrespect for the patients. this company is not in it for the pts, but for the money. the other nurses have clearly forgotten why they chose to be a nurse. there are about 15 nurses at the place i work and i can't confide in any of them....it just seems to be a pit of disgusting practices and nurses who are not true nurses.

i am a person that has a strong belief in have personal integrity and doing right for my pts. as i write this out i am realizing i should just leave and pray that something else will come around. this journey the last year of being on cloud nine after graduation and then having my hopes and dreams crushed by not finding a job and now this has been a nightmare.

i never once thought after i got my degree that getting a job would be so hard and now that i have one i need to leave. i am getting so depressed and discouraged... i am on the verge of giving up and going back to school to change professions. i never thought i would say that. nursing is a true passion for me, but i just can't take this anymore. the year long battle i have had has just wore me down.

thank you for reading.
Hello, I am a recent grad from December of 2008. I took a job on a med/surg floor, and I have had rough year. We have increased our patient ratio to 8 with LPN. We have been "strongly encouraged" to float to other units. We are cut down to minimal staffing with one or no aides for our whole floor. It is scary. Everything seems to be about the bottom line. I have got another job in OP hemodialysis. I took it but I realize it not going to be perfect either. I am going to give it a shot. There are many different kinds of nursing out there. Try exploring another one. I have also contemplated leaving nursing, so I have a back up plan but am going to give some other jobs a try.

I say give it another try, never quit! This may be difficult but if you cant find a nursing job where you live, consider seeking a job in another state, then once hired... move. There are too many jobs in Texas for nurses. This is why I am determind to choose nursing and it seems I won't be out of a job because of the high demand. There has to be something else you can do.

I am so sorry to hear that you are in this bad situation...Just know that it is not You...it is the system. Some facilities are just more concerned about the $, and do not have empathy for these patients. I would say, with everything you have been through there in the past year, that maybe it is time to leave this position.There are other places, where you can work as a nurse, places where their mission statements and values are more in line with yours. You have done what you can in your present place, and it seems they are unwilling to change and to be ethical. You Will find another job! Good Nurses always do!!

I recently went to look at an LTC home close to where I live. It is a 60 bed facility, and there were 3 cars parked outside. There is no public transport in the area so unless they are extremely efficient at car-pooling, I figured the ratios were going to be RIDICULOUS.They also are a big national chain, and the bottom line dollar profit is always going to dictate that corners are cut and residents are not looked after the way they should. It's disgusting.Send me out on a little iceberg to the polar bears when its my turn.....

Based on what you say in your post, I would advise you to start looking for another job before something negative happens that causes you to lose this one. But also be aware that chances are high that the next place will be very similar, if you go to another LTC facility. And, as for the catty behavior, that is something you will find just about anywhere. You can't change how others act, only how you react. Do not get dragged into the high school antics of others. There is enough to worry about dealing with patient care. Don't waste your energy on the other things.

@ ilovenursing2009: I salute you for being a genuine nurse. I have a friend who decided to leave his job in a convalescent home for a year because of terrible working condition, understaffing, and stress. Even with this economic downturn, it didn't even bother him leaving his job. My suggestion is to follow what you think is right for you in a long run. Hopefully it will get better soon.

[quote=ilovenursing2009;4316428]i am so miserable right now. i feel i am caught in a terrible position i never intended to land myself in. long story short..i started noticing things that made me very uncomfortable. the employees that work there are very caddy (all women!). the whisper, have secret meetings....all high school stuff. it annoyed me, but i chose to stay out of it. then i started to notice that many documents were being falsified. it was not small things either. these were things that were hurting the patients. because of the falsification the pts were not getting the care they needed. the company saves tons of money… there are also very grey lines about responsibility and what is expected out of certain roles i am assigned. i am expected to do certain jobs with no instruction and then when i do them i get reprimanded for doing them correctly. the last incident i got in trouble for being thorough and catching dangerous things that was happening with the pt. the company didn’t want to hear it. come to find out giving me this certain responsibility was only to have a body in the situation with a rn. i was not to do anything, but just have a presence so it looked good. the last straw for me was that there is a clear disrespect for the patients. there are about 15 nurses at the place i work and i can't confide in any of them....it just seems to be a pit of disgusting practices and nurses who are not true nurses.i am a person that has a strong belief in have personal integrity and doing right for my pts. as i write this out i am realizing i should just leave and pray that something else will come around. to ilovenursing2009 : i read and utilize this forum on a regular basis. occasionally i feel that my input might be of some help. i am troubled by your situation and the reply's you are getting. please take a step back to consider the consequences if you remain at this job. we all need to pay our bills; jobs are hard to find :you are putting your nursing license at risk by staying. look at your own words "miserable, terrible, secrets, falsification, dangerous, reprimanded". i honestly admire your integrity and concern for patients. take your talents where they will not be placed in jeopardy. you don't need to "stick it out" , you need to get out. listen to your gut feelings - document everything each night when you get home, be careful signing anything at work - put a line under your signature and circle the order. give your 2 week notice and get out.

I completely agree with WARMBLANKET. Get out.

:d[quote=warmblanket;4317047]Quote from ilovenursing2009i am so miserable right now. i feel i am caught in a terrible position i never intended to land myself in. long story short..i started noticing things that made me very uncomfortable. the employees that work there are very caddy (all women!). the whisper, have secret meetings....all high school stuff. it annoyed me, but i chose to stay out of it. then i started to notice that many documents were being falsified. it was not small things either. these were things that were hurting the patients. because of the falsification the pts were not getting the care they needed. the company saves tons of money... there are also very grey lines about responsibility and what is expected out of certain roles i am assigned. i am expected to do certain jobs with no instruction and then when i do them i get reprimanded for doing them correctly. the last incident i got in trouble for being thorough and catching dangerous things that was happening with the pt. the company didn't want to hear it. come to find out giving me this certain responsibility was only to have a body in the situation with a rn. i was not to do anything, but just have a presence so it looked good. the last straw for me was that there is a clear disrespect for the patients. there are about 15 nurses at the place i work and i can't confide in any of them....it just seems to be a pit of disgusting practices and nurses who are not true nurses.

Quote from caliotter3Based on what you say in your post, I would advise you to start looking for another job before something negative happens that causes you to lose this one. But also be aware that chances are high that the next place will be very similar, if you go to another LTC facility. And, as for the catty behavior, that is something you will find just about anywhere. You can't change how others act, only how you react. Do not get dragged into the high school antics of others. There is enough to worry about dealing with patient care. Don't waste your energy on the other things.

Quote from unjustlysweetI say give it another try, never quit! This may be difficult but if you cant find a nursing job where you live, consider seeking a job in another state, then once hired... move. There are too many jobs in Texas for nurses. This is why I am determind to choose nursing and it seems I won't be out of a job because of the high demand. There has to be something else you can do.

record everything that you observe objectively. then report to JHACO (for the pt safety).