job change was a HUGE mistake... now what? Nurse Manager advice?

[nursebreelee]

Im new to allnurses! I have a major dilemma.

I think I know the answer to my dilemma - but it feels aweful.

I worked on a med-surge unit as a CNA for a little over a year, and then after graduation in May 08 - they hired me for a RN position. I was hired for the night shift - and it allmost killed me. So - an opportunity to work for an OBGYN office presented itself to me (a friend works there) and they hired me right away. I've always been interested in women's health - I gave 2 weeks notice to the med/surg job (they wanted 4 weeks - but my new job needed me to start right away) - and so I started the OBGYN job right away.

That was about 2 weeks ago. I didn't like my new job at all at first and so i tried to give it a little bit of a chance... but sadly, im sure i dont like it. Im not using any of the skills i learned at the hospital, i miss the direct person-person care... i really do miss it! I miss the money, the benefits, the people (a little) and the patients for sure.

The thing is - Im not sure how to get my old job back now...

Can any nurse managers out there tell me how they would feel about taking me back?

When i left my medsurg job - i felt like it was really quick, hasty, it was also the holiday and so i never even spoke with my managers until my last day - handing in my badge. ( i had informed them via email - because they were both on vacation!) i feel like a jerk the way i left and so im not sure how they will respond.

any advice?

thanks all!

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

Wonderful news, best to cut your losses early. You are lucky. But you also must be a good nurse.

[nursebreelee]

Thanks peeps,

This was an important experience for me I think... I tend to make decisions based on my emotions - even though I know sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not. I've always been this way, always - and I'm guessing this is how Ill always be.

With age I've acted less on impulses than i did in my teens and 20s - but still i act with my heart... great for a nurse. not so great for financial/job matters or moving - I'm still learning this.

One time my husband and I moved into a place hastily - based on an emotional reaction to an occurance in the place we lived... and it turned out to be a worse living situation (loud, party-people with no respect for our student status among other things). We learned from that too... together.

Being so tapped into my emotions makes me who I am - and mostly I have good control over them on a superficial level... when it comes to making decisions - it certainly doesn't help that Im a LIBRA - queen of the flip-floppers.

Anyway - thanks for the encouragement and the honesty! I'm feeling lucky and blessed!

BLC

[mariackrn]

i think you should have called your manager and just admitted that you made a big mistake, you are sorry the way you left it and that you really didn't realize how good you had it there until you tried something else. i've seen this happen to people, including myself - they and myself admitting to our old managers what we were feeling and they took us back. it happens and you should be positive about. don't assume they will not take you back. i would have called them. good luck.

[Katie5]

Oh sweet! Brings a smile to my face. Happy for you girl:)

[Jules A, MSN]

What a great thread and shining example of how owning up to our less than perfect decisions without a ton of excuses is the mature thing to do and often ends in a win-win situation. Many congratulations!!

[mariackrn]

that's awesome. i knew it!!! i'm glad to you stayed positive!!!

[LoveANurse09]

Congrats! I believe your nurse manager really saw how sincere you were and it sounds like they really like you too! This situation happened to a friend of mine on our unit. She had always wanted to do NICU. she got a position at another hospital after a month she realized it wasn't for her. Our NM gave her position back as he realized that she had to try out her dream. Sometimes you don't really know if you like it until you try.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'm happy to read that the OP got her old job back. She seems like a good person who realizes some of the mistakes she made to get herself into a bit of a mess. As she discovered, sometimes a straightforward approach (with honesty and a little humility) is the best approach in that situation. Sometimes, managers really like to hire people back in this situation because:

1. They will need very little orientation (depnding on how long you were gone). That saves the unit a lot of money ... and a lot of stress for the staff as the "new" person can step in quickly and fill the holes on the schedule right away.

2. The person who came back is unlikely to leave again real soon. They will be more cautious the next time they are tempted by another job, knowing that if that other job doesn't work out, they may not be welcomed back again and end up jobless.

3. The person who returns serves as an example to people who think the grass is so much greener elsewhere. Staff who are thinking about leaving will think twice.

[Argo]

If one of my nurses did that I would take them back as long as HR let me. If you were not a manager or more they should have been able to work with the 2 week notice. I would do this only once, taking a nurse back that quit on me.... that had not been working for me a long time..... We all realize that people make mistakes when going into the unknown but they should not make it a bunch of times. Call the old manager and apply for the job again, or even another job at the same place.... they may not have filled your slot yet.

[Argo]

lol, i didnt read the whole thread when I posted that....