Leaving After 10 Months

[DEgalRN]

i'mjust looking for reassurance that i'm not making a mistake in leavingmy job after only 10 months.

i'mcurrently working days on a busy med-surg floor. i'm good at what i do (at least that's what i'm told), and i'm confident that i'm doing most things right. however, i have only been working as a nurse for 10 months so i understand that there's about a million more things for me to learn and do.

i also constantly feel that i'm forgetting to do things (charting, dressing changes, walking patients, etc., etc.) and am just handing out pain meds all day. leaving on time is a luxury for any one (including seasoned nurses). i knew in school that i didn't want to do med-surg, but this was the job i could get and i figured, if i'm not 100% sure on what i do want to do, getting some basic acute care isn't too bad.

i realize now that i'm drawn to educating and empowering people. i barely have time to hand out meds and assess my patients, let alone discuss their medical problems/concerns or meds with them.

in addition, the politics and disorganization of the hospital leave me feeling underwhelmed at how they treat their nurses. (i was told if it would make me feel better to spend an extra 10 minutes with my patients to talk and educate them, i should do that, and just leave a little late. i didn't point out that with 6 patients, i would be looking at an hour of overtime a night.)

i have applied and interviewed for 2 public health nursing positions that would allow me the time to really spend with patients to educate and holistically help them. (and i'll be honest, the no nights/weekends/holidays helps too.) i know that i would not be doing the same skill set as i'm currently using (although for one of them i would actually be doing blood draws, which i currently do not do!). and it concerns me that if i did ever want to return to acute care that i would be at a disadvantage. i don't think i would want to go back to floor nursing full time, but i'm having a hard time convincing myself that that is actually the case (especially only having 10 months of floor care).

if my hospital would keep me, i would stay prn and do 1-2 weekend days amonth for several reasons. one being that i absolutely adore everyone that i work with. and two, being that i could maintain some of the skills that i would be concerned about losing. three, i think being able to better manage my shifts/simply have less shifts as prn would greatly decrease my stress related to acute care.

so,would i be making a mistake to change full time jobs? am i out of my mind making the decision that i don't want do acute care with less than a year's experience?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

If you stay with acute care per diem I think you will be fine.

[DEgalRN]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! While I feel that staying a full year would be most beneficial, I've decided that I can't wait if there is a job that I think I'll love. (And I truly believe that about this public health job.) Who knows when this opportunity will present itself again, right?

Luckily, I am able to finish out my current schedule with my employer before moving to my new position. Which puts me at a little over 11 months full-time. Yes, I know, so close to that 1 year mark, but the new job can't wait. But, I'll stay on PRN and keep those acute care skills fresh.

Again, thank you all for the advice. I did a lot of soul searching, and really feel this is the best idea for me.

[GoNavyHopefulRN]

I can appreciate your concerns and I feel like you were me four years ago. Like you, I left the floor to go into PHN'ing largely because my hubs was deploying and we had a small child at that time. Had I stuck with floor nursing for a few more months, I would've been more marketable. It's tough not being able to get back on the floor. As far as skills, I don't use any of it and it bothers me. On the other hand, it has forced me to exercise sound judgement because it's extremely autonomous. I wish I was able to have a full year of floor experience before going into public health. Many counties are heading towards evidence-based home visiting programs. What that should mean to you is heavy administrative work. You must be able to prove your worth via paperwork to quantify something that's not happening. I feel like a paper pusher many times. It's frustrating. Most programs are MCAH-focused which means young gals who need a lot of encouragement (aka hand holding as some call it). You wear many hats as a PHN. You are a nurse, a counselor, a social worker, an educator, a mandated reporter, a detective, and a road warrior (lots of driving). There is a huge pay cut as well. I've focused my career on celebrating the little successes in the lives of these women. They are few and far in between, but a PHN has to keep motivated and optimistic some how. I am assigned to an urban area and it's unsafe. Know what you're getting into and ask yourself if it's a good fit! Good luck. I love being a PHN but it truly is a unique challenge if you're up to it!

[Nursj68]

If you have the public health job lined up; and they are willing to take you w/o a yrs experience; I will say 1) why are they willing to take you w/o much experience???

is it a high turnover position; are they desperate to fill the position???

2) if you feel that the job is right for you; and ur not walkn into a hornets nest; then 3) u should definitely stay prn at the hospital. U will continue to see things in the hospital tht u won't otherwise. That experience is invaluable; and in the future will be able to say tht u kept ur foot in the door with acute care. If u want to go back; ur not starting the hiring process all over again