Getting another job after working 6wks at my first job... Lucky or doomed?

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi everyone,

So I was a desperate new-grad for 4 months and finally gave up on a position in the hospital. That was when this Derm clinic adopted me as a "sad nursing homeless" to its paradise of lavish lotions. It is relatively a low-stress job and I absolutely love my boss doctor (we are literally soul mates. lol). Cons: Pay sucks. 8-5 schedule 5 days a week aint my thing. I hate my 2 fellow nurses over there very much, they are practically office bullies and making my working days very less pleasant ( I really wish I could be the only RN in the office. So much fun assisting 1 on 1 with the Doctor).

All of the sudden, now that I have worked for 6 wks, other places that I have applied before started to call me back for interview. One is at a LTC with the nurses who are super sweet, those are the ones I would like to be surrounded with at work. N Luckily enough, they like me so much after I explain my situation of already having a FT job, they are still willing to have me per diem. Another one is at ICU of a hospital from where I went to school: interview next week for either a FT or part-time position. That is my dream unit for since before I started nursing school!

My dilemma is I really wish to just have the ICU job but I feel SO SO morally wrong to just leave my current boss after just 6wks working. If I could still push my luck any further, I am thinking to work in the ICU 2 nights (12 shifts) and still work at the Derm clinic 3 days (8hrs shifts) with having a 200 mile drive one time every week. Or second option is still working my FT job at the clinic and pick up 2 8hr shifts from 3-11 per week at the LTC.

Is it do-able at a new grad to do either of the options? My friends told me just to give up the idea and appreciate where I am. However, I got annoyed whenever they said that bc that sounds much to me like I did not have the guts for bedside nursing let along ICU. N I am afraid if I just stay here in the Derm clinic, this is a career suicide. No career advancement or moving anywhere else...... But at the same time my friends might be right: I got offered to not ever be "scared" by bedside nursing and I keep rejecting it. Oh and also I am single, 25yo, male, no kid, no responsibility at all, also having amazing parents to back me up if I go nuclear on working 2 jobs.

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Take the icu job if it is offered, put all your effort into that because it will be a learning curve. Good luck!

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You said ICU is your dream job. You need to follow your dreams!

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Specializes in LTC.

Coming from a non nursing, but previous HR for a large table games department, standpoint: I dealt with a lot of people who quit on me quickly through my years in gaming. The ones I considered for re-hire, the ones I gave good reference to, were the ones who gave me good notice, an explanation, and occasionally offered to continue to work until they were replaced. This is great practice no matter what industry you are in. Be honest (as much as it behoves you to be), give good notice, and offer to help until you can be replaced. I very rarely took a single card dealer or pit boss up on their offer to keep working, but I always appreciated it.

Follow your dream, do ICU, if you didn't get into this to work in Derm, don't work in Derm. Just be the kind of person who doesn't burn a bridge unless it deserved to be torched. :)

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This is private practice, so you see ...it is getting quite personal in small place like this. And I could see how much of disappointment and hassle I would give my Boss and negatively affect his business. I am pretty close to the Doc now. He has been nothing but nice to me.

I just feel that if I just like look out for myself only, I wouldn't really deserve to be in this business of caring for ppl. And he did ask me at the beginning whether I am serious or not to stay for long, I did say yes I was willing to commit. Gosh I just feel horrible about just to leave..... -.- I am at the point I feel like "if I follow my dream now, I have to bite the hands that feed me during my hard time".... lol

So I am still thinking to do both jobs if possible...... at least until the end of the year....now the challenge is to convince both employers to agree on that.

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Take the ICU job if that is your dream! Give good notice to the clinic and offer to work until you re replaced! Don't say anything to the clinic until that job is in the bag!

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Wow that is a tough call in this economy. I am guessing that those options of working derm/ICU or derm/LTC are what you are going to offer them? Don't really know how the ICU will feel about that. If you are lucky they will require you to go to classes etc. and all that stuff might not be on the days or nights you want them to be on, or, your schedule will not be consistent to puzzle piece in well with the derm job. Remember you are totally at the will of the hospital for the most part scheduling wise call ins and call offs, most likely.

It's good that you are trying to consider options. I'd go ahead and keep the conversation going with the LTC and the ICU and carefully present your idea, if it feels like the time is right. You will find out very quickly if they are going to consider this or not. I just don't know how you would be able to not make them aware of your other job, especially with the ICU as it might become an instant problem immediately once you are hired and they switch your schedule, and then you are in a bind. That's like dowsing yourself with gasoline and lighting a match these days when everybody is so triggered for anger in this economy - especially with a new grad. And you are wise to consider that maybe the ICU might not work out for you personally, no crime no foul, it just may be a dream that you will look back on and wonder why you were pining away so much.

It's too bad that the nurses you work for are witches. Really. I never understand why people like that aren't just fired. There are so many people who are stellar that they could hire in their place, smh.

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Specializes in NICU.

I would go with the ICU full time and if the other place wants to keep you per diem, so be it, but I wouldn't work there part-time. You were only there for 6 weeks and it sounds like they didn't spend too much $$ training you, so I wouldn't feel bad about it at all. If you and the doc are "soul mates," does he/she know that the other RNs are such big bullies? It might be worth telling the doc so that they can be nicer to the next RN.

ICU as a new grad is tough and you'll likely need to be studying when you're off, a little bit like being back in school again. If you have your other job, it's harder to give ICU your full attention and have the time to have ICU concepts and critical thinking come together.

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Can you do the 2 jobs for a little while, and see how you feel? Maybe for another 6 or 12 weeks, that would give you more experience to put on paper... The drive is killer, mate. If you have parents that are super supportive, though... I'd be hard pressed NOT to take the ICU dream job. Just talk to your boss; if they're really your "soul mate", they're going to be super supportive of your efforts.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but it is extremely unlikely you will be able to work both ICU & your current job because (if I am understanding your situation correctly), you have no ICU experience and will have to undergo significant training/work for that area. They are not going to do this on a part-time basis.

My 'making hard decisions' process? First, analyze all the potential consequences for each choice - seriously, all of them - and write them down. Go back over your list and ask yourself (for each item) "could I live with this?". If there are any deal-breakers, this will help you uncover them. For instance, if that nice doctor got really angry, yelled at you and never spoke to you again... could you live with that? What about - getting cut loose from the ICU job because you didn't meet all the training goals? or - inability to remain connected with your friends because you have to work nights and weekends at your new job. Be honest with yourself & you'll come up with the right choice for you.

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If that is your picture then consider removing it, as openly stating you hate your two nursing colleagues on a public forum, doesn't look good to your current or prospective employers.

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Lol. Thank you for reminding me that. I didn't even remember I posted a photo of myself on here.

Update: I went to the ICU for the interview and it turned out to be a per diem position (perfect because that is what I want). But I don't know if I am gonna get it now or not for some weird reasons: (A) instead of the manager, the assistant interviewed me bc the manager was "busy" at the time, then the manager stumbled in the room in the end; (B) they told me that HR was gonna call me within 2 wks??? if anything happens???; © I called for follow-up and HR did not have any ideas, called the units and got the feedbacks that the selecting process probably would last up for couple wks???. All of these really their way of saying: "Yeah We are not interested but still wanna be nice?"

Also at the office, things are changing. Due to my co-workers' non-supportive attitudes, my boss made me to be more challenged and work by myself (Last time I work by myself, helping him to see ~30pts a day while the workload before usually was 40pts with 2 RNs). Which was not a big deal bc I did like to be challenged and work alone with him. However, instead of a bonus or letting me work more, my boss set up the new standard for RN-pt ratio according to my potentials. Then he cut off my hours bc now he expects all the RNs to pick up my pace, so he doesn't need me as much anymore??? He is willing to be flexible but I have a feeling that he'd keep pushing my limits and my comforts if I don't say anything. I feel a little used with the whole process. I guess at the end of the day, ur boss still wants to trade your blood for their money even tho u thought they were your soulmate..... How naive of meh..... T.T (However, it might be due to the fact that I've been dropping hints that I want more time off tho)

So to sum up: The ICU did not give me a certain answer yet. I am waiting on them and do not response anything back to the Dr with all of the changes on my schedule and hours yet. If I got the ICU job, which would be perfect now with my current employer's moves, I could have an excuse to be switched to PT or per-diem without looking like being ungracious. However, if I do not get the ICU and do not say anything on time, my boss will just execute the plan for me......

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