How long should you wait before transferring to another unit????

Total misunderstanding on your part... First ANYONE can work for a hospital for two years and not have worked as a nurse that entire time (ever heard of techs?????). Second, people apply for jobs (in my case a transfer since I worked on a different floor) when they graduate from nursing school and that is their first attempt. The second attempt can be 6 months later if allowed. If you add that up... that is TWICE in one year and I am still a New Grad.

Originally Posted by MikeyBSN

I'm not saying she has to do what "the man" says. I'm just saying that, in my experience, leaving a job after a short time is risky. I don't want her to get stuck like I've seen so many people get stuck after making that decision.

Yes, it is risky... but so is remaining on a floor you hate or that is a danger to your license. I agree that one must weigh his/her options when leaving an employer... Thinking of my situation, there is no way I could remain where I worked. Along with being unable to keep my peace of mind, I would not be able to attend grad school in the time frame I wish due to being stuck in Med Surg and not having ED experience. The type of graduate schools I am looking to attend require ED or ICU or similar experience to be a competitive candidate. BTW, I am glad that most people think like you because I probably would not have landed my new job. I would definitely have had too much competition trying to leave my former employer!!!

For instance, though most of my co-workers were shocked many secretly pulled me aside and asked me to look out for them! All stated that they have thought about leaving the facility as well but were too afraid to do so… Their reason varied… However, some (New Grads) think as you do and told me so before they found out I was leaving… The New Grads repeat the 1 year line (they either stay out of fear of a resume looking bad or they are afraid to feel like quitters) … After they found out I was leaving these same people asked to go with me! Sadly, four former New Grads did not see the light in time.

They thought as you and attempted to transfer when given permission to do so after a year. All were denied (This poor excuse for a floor has a way of keeping its’ nurses... It is a trap)!! Afterwards, all four had nervous breakdowns (I am not joking)! One had a breakdown so bad she finally quit without giving a two week notice and sent a hateful email when she left to everyone on the floor!!!! In stark contrast, one former New Grad saw the writing on the wall prior to a year and left before his year was up. He landed a job in critical care (which was his goal) somewhere else. He was my inspiration for looking elsewhere and he is far from being a quitter... He is a retired US Marine!

I too worked in other fields. Employment is not black and white or cut and dry... Unlike you I know it is a waste of time to over-think risks to the point that it scares you into submission (remaining a year or two on a floor you despise = submission). Yes, nursing employment is bad right now due to the economy. However I noticed by reading several thread on this board that nurses are still moving around!! The pattern I have noticed is that in order to leave one employer for another it is best to have some recent acute care experience, current employment (for some reason this is attractive), and the right excuse (there are many… keep reading the threads)! I mentioned connections… but they are used to seal the deal… You do not necessarily have to have them to get your foot in a door.

I agree that you can wait too long to transfer and risk your future. After giving notice that I was quitting, I worked on pins and needles, fearing an "incident" would ruin my hopeful future. The last 2 wks, I had highly acute pts and beyond full assignments with little to no support staff. I managed to leave on a good note, just in time.

A good potential employer should recognize nursing isn't one-size-fits-all.

Since I became a nurse, I believe more than ever that being frank and honest is best; if it's meant to be, it will be; if the truth doesn't work for them, you don't want to work for them.

I can see there is a lot of discussion on here amongst users on the amount of time to stay on one unit before you transfer. I think it depends on three things; (1) your institution's policy on transferring units, (2) the number of positions open in the department you wish to transfer to and (3) how badly you want to leave the unit your on. In my hospital you have to stay in a position for six months before you can transfer to a new department. I worked as a tech. on a Med/Surg unit and I hated it and after the six months I found a position as a tech. in the Pediatric ER and I transferred. I haven't regretted it but I know that as an RN I would have had more difficulty leaving so soon. I think that you need to look at the positions available in the other departments but as a rule of thumb I wouldn't leave a department before 6 months and as an RN I would probably wait 1 year until I left but that's just me.

!Chris

We're having major issues at the hospital that I work at, and fellow nurses (and even the doctors!) all tell us one thing...protect your license! At times we're told to leave when our "time is up" whether we're done charting or giving report. That is not safe! Along with the pressure to leave on time, we might be hurrying ourselves and not do things correctly. You don't want something to come back to you and not be able to work as a nurse! I think there's a difference between leaving a unit because you don't like it and because you don't think it is safe. While my situation is a little bit of both, the safety issue is definitely a part of it.

I'm not sure if this varies from location to location or hospital to hospital... I'm sure it does, but a nurse manager told my nursing class that it takes 3 years to break even when you hire a new grad... Hospitals may be very hesitant to hire you thinking they will lose money instead of make money. I would try to transfer within your hospital, unless you truly hate where you are.

I have been working on a med-surg floor in a small hospital since June as a new grad. Since August, when I started being on my own, I've been absolutely miserable. The ratios are usually 7:1, though I've only made it up to 6 pts so far. Everyone on the floor is very supportive of one another and our aides are mostly wonderful, we just don't have enough people to take care of our pts with high acuity and many who are confused. I often have 4 or 5 out of 6 with personal alarms, scattered all over the floor. It's really scary. Add to that the emotional needs of the pts and the fact that its all I can do just to get their meds into them...I almost never have time to stop and listen/soothe when my pts are crying or anxious. I often do it anyway, then end up way behind. My personal life has become nonexistant-I realized how bad it was the other day when someone asked me what I do for fun, to relieve stress. All of my answers started with "I used to..." I had several days when I tried to find time to go talk to my boss about quitting and literally could not find a break in the action to pee, let alone quit!! Finally, I had a sort of breakdown and couldn't stop crying. My coworker found me in the bathroom and sort of dragged me in to see the unit director. I told him that I just wasn't able to do it any more, told him that I needed to quit. After the way I was funnelled into med-surg straight from nursing school, I expected to be shown the door if I couldn't cut it on that floor. Instead, he had the charge nurse help me out for awhile to catch up and told me to please, please not quit, that he would look for other positions in the hospital that might be a better fit. What he came up with was the director of peds/MCH offering me a position with longer training and more support. No guilt trips or shaming for leaving early, just support and help finding a better situation. The director of mental health has also come to me to talk about cross-training there... These are 2 areas I've been interested in for a long time-a great opportunity. Right now I'm still on med-surg, but there's now a light at the end of the tunnel. I am still feeling bad about jumping off a sinking ship while my coworkers are still there, but I also know that I am not cut out for that type of work. I don't see the sense in destroying myself in order to make it through a certain time frame in a job I already know I hate. I waited until things got really bad before I sought a way out, but what I found out is that you never know what's available unless you ask.

Now that is an awesome hospital Leonursus.
My job allows you to switch units after a year, or cross train if you would like. You even get a 5% bonus for cross training to another unit, but if they're short on that unit you are required to go. Not a bad deal if you're thinking of switching to another unit, but don't want the full commitment and to be "stuck."
If you really hate it, talk to your boss, sometimes they will make exceptions rather than lose you.
As far as being a "quitter" I have always thought of those as the people who "saw the grass as greener on the other side."
I had a slightly sketchy job history for about a year when I was still doing nursing prerequisites. It wasn't that I was just quitting, but I had got offered a job I originally thought was better, and had some horrible coworkers...and then my dream job called me 6 weeks after I got that job. You don't say no to a dream just because it looks bad on a resume.
See what your work can do with you, then if they can't work with you begin to look elsewhere if it's that bad. If you think you can stick it out, it really does help to have the year.

Good luck!