I think I committed career suicide

Specialties Emergency

Published

Hello fellow nurses I'm in need of some advice. I started in the ER in May after leaving a tele floor for 8 months. I needed a change and wanted to advance and challenge myself. I'm having a tough time transitioning. I have even thought about asking for my old job back. I was really good and comfortable at my old job but it wasn't much growth where I was. Now I'm ready to jump ship. I feel like I don't fit it in where I work, I'm slow, having a tough to time moving with the pace and prioritizing. Does it look bad on my resume to look for another job??

Specializes in special-needs kids.

Have you talked to your current ED supervisor about your feelings? Is the rest of the staff supportive/helpful? There must have been a reason you were hired besides having a pretty face (:p) - i'll bet the hiring staff thought your skills and personality would work well in their unit. i suppose the real key here is whether this suicide feeling is either that horrible pushed-in-the-cold-river feeling that comes when thrown into a brand new experience/job, OR you really know you hate it.

I hear you talking about your career, and advancement, but is that the only reason you moved to the ED? Or are there other reasons that can keep you there, and to help you stick through the beginning phase? i agree with the earlier posters about leaving if you're miserable- to know oneself is a good trait. Life is too short to be stuck somewhere you don't like.

Have you talked to your current ED supervisor about your feelings? Is the rest of the staff supportive/helpful? There must have been a reason you were hired besides having a pretty face (:p) - i'll bet the hiring staff thought your skills and personality would work well in their unit. i suppose the real key here is whether this suicide feeling is either that horrible pushed-in-the-cold-river feeling that comes when thrown into a brand new experience/job, OR you really know you hate it.

I hear you talking about your career, and advancement, but is that the only reason you moved to the ED? Or are there other reasons that can keep you there, and to help you stick through the beginning phase? i agree with the earlier posters about leaving if you're miserable- to know oneself is a good trait. Life is too short to be stuck somewhere you don't like.

I plan on calling a meeting soon but they know I'm struggling. There is no reason for me to stay other than trying to stick it out for exp and resume purposes.

That is true for you. Different strokes for different folks.

I agree different strokes for different folks :)

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Going back to your old job would not be a bad idea. It won't look bad on your resume long term. It will look as if you were simply wrong about your fit with the ED. And if your old job takes you back, it will look good that they were willing to do so.

I recommend giving the manager a call and asking about the possibility. What can it hurt?

Specializes in ER.

I did something similar. After 10 years as an ER nurse I switched to outpatient interventional radiology. Biggest mistake of my career. I hated it and missed the ER about a month in. So I am going back to ER. Problem solved. Don't beat yourself up. You tried it and it isn't for you. Live and learn. You can always go back to tele

Hang in there! I went from almost homeless to an MLS-degreed librarian in 2 1/2 years...was trained in Records Mgmt and Archival work but found Records MGMT was what I HATED! Spent 2 1/2 years in Public Librarianship and on my 4th year in Academic...truly LOVE IT!!!!

You'll find your niche...just keep plugging at what you are doing!

Hang in there! I went from almost homeless to an MLS-degreed librarian in 2 1/2 years...was trained in Records Mgmt and Archival work but found Records MGMT was what I HATED! Spent 2 1/2 years in Public Librarianship and on my 4th year in Academic...truly LOVE IT!!!!

You'll find your niche...just keep plugging at what you are doing!

Nice Steven! How does your librarianship work into nursing?

I agree with nurse mommy! You know in your heart, right away, that somethings not for you. In my first 10 years as an RN I worked at 10 different places and had an RN license in 4 different states until I found where I wanted to be. I actually recently relocated (again) and just started working at an LTC. The administration calls me the "seasoned nurse" that was just hired. Yesterday I was on my med cart for 8 hours without a break, lunch, water and had to sneak away to the toilet x 1...But I'm willing to give it my best because the staff is really supportive. Good Luck!

How does my Librarianship work into Nursing...good question! Working with the ASN, BSN, and MSN Nursing programs throughout the six different campuses at our university provides insight into what Nursing Students and Faculty face, whether it is classroom-related or field-related. Almost all of our Nursing Faculty are working part-time at an area hospital or clinic as well as teaching full-time at the university. Listening to their discussions does NOT make me a 'de facto RN' but DOES allow me to better comprehend the goings-on within the Nursing profession from their points of view.

While some within these forums might be asking the same question as you, n.a.norcal, the experiences and dilemmas faced by your Nursing students and professional are no different than those faced by mine. Also, based on my previous experience, the issues faced in your profession are no different than those faced by myself and others in my previous profession. Hopefully, the suggestions and observations I make in these forums come from my current/previous experience as well as those of the Nursing Students and Faculty I am responsible for throughout my six different campuses...WSteven1

Specializes in Oncology.

I've never worked ER, but I really don't think you can know for sure that it's not for you after only a few months. Stay a year, and if after that time you still don't feel it's for you, then at least you can always put on your resume that you have a year of ER experience. That can take you a lot of places! I think with most nursing jobs is six months minimum, more often a year, to really get comfortable.

Listen to your gut. When in the ER if you don't feel almost delight at the thought of : I can't wait to see what walks in the ER doors. Or you don't absolutely LOVE the prioritization of various acuities of patient cares................listen to your gut. Don't beat yourself up.

Specializes in ER - trauma/cardiac/burns. IV start spec.

The ER is a unique work experience. If you do not feel comfortable there do not try to force yourself to stay as you will never be happy. Not everyone can work in the ER and not everyone can work in telemetry. If you changed to the ER for any reason other than you wanted the challenge of never knowing what you would be doing from patient to patient then you went for the wrong reason. I worked in the ER but I could have never worked telemetry - I would have never trusted myself that much. Choosing your field is very much a gut-reaction and you must trust yours. It is telling you "this is not for us" and you should listen. If you can and want your old job back then check into it or perhaps you can move to telemetry in the current hospital? Great telemetry nurses are not easy to find. We had a hard time at the hospital where I worked finding a good nurse for nights on the cardiac step-down unit, the person in that slot missed some important rhythm changes (my hubby's was one of them).

It is not suicide for your career, you made a change but it was not a good fit, it happens to a lot of people. It is how you handle it that makes a difference. But you might check to see if the facility you are currently in has openings before you check back with your previous job. Do not force yourself to stay where you are uncomfortable it will not do YOU no good to dread going to work and it will make your life miserable. And that is the most important consideration for you.

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