[angelfish1499]

Hi!
I'm a new nurse and i've been working on a basic tele floor for 5 months. Like most new nurses i started off going nuts but i feel MUCH better now. I know there is still alot to learn but i can't help but to think of what else is out there for me. my questions is how long should i stay on this floor before requesting to see another part of the hospital. i would LOVE to do ER or anything really.. lol.. i'm very curious and want to figure out what i'm going to like the most. any help would be great =)
THANKS!!

[Ruby Vee]

Switching jobs after less than a year will make you look unstable. Doing it more than once will make you look VERY unstable! In two years, you should have learned the majority of what that job has to teach you -- which isn't at all saying you'll know everything! Even if you absolutely HATE your job, you should make an effort to stay more than a year unless you have a really good reason for moving on. ("My husband's company transferred him to Anchorage and I really wanted to go with him," for example. Or "My mother had a stroke back home in Michigan and I need to move back to Michigan to take care of her.")

[RNSacht]

I would love more input to this question as I would also love to know the answer. Thank to all who reply. :Santa1: :Present1:

[MIA-RN1]

I have been working since June at my first RN job and I can kind of relate to what you are posting about.
I think that in my case at least, what has happened is I have started feeling comfortable in my role as an RN, and some of the skills etc are coming easier, so I am somehow missing the adrenaline rush and nerves of not-quite-knowing what to do. (Hope that makes sense)
I started thinking maybe I needed to move on but I also received the advice to give it at least a year. After thinking, I realized that its not that I don't like my job, its that I am not used to having any level of comfort (think about it--from the stress of school to the stress of being a GN to the stress of passing NCLEX to the stress of learning the fine points of the job...all the sudden a lot of that is behind me and I am finding it odd that I can stop and catch my breath)
So examine your motives closely for why you are feeling that its time to move on. It might just be that you are missing out on the drama of being new. I would not recommend leaving your job for a while yet. I'm learning that being in a place where I have a level of comfort is not such a bad thing after all!

[SteveRN21]

Hehe...

I finished up 15 mos in NICU, then decided I wanted to give ER a try. I lasted 1 1/2 months, before returning to NICU before orientation was up. (Both managers were understanding) I had gotten to the point you are at.... I was getting comfortable in my job, and was wondering what else was out there. When I got to the ER, I had to learn new things, work outside my comfort zone, etc. BUT I realized that I had left something good! I went back to my babies with a renewed vision. This is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing!~ There's nothing wrong with being GOOD at what you do! Now while Tele may not be your "niche," and you will probably need to move around a bit to find it, don't leave because you're too comfortable. Ask for more responsibility...train to charge, precept, do things to make your unit better! I would only make the decision to leave after 1 year minimum, unless your health/license are in jeopardy. 5 mos is a little premature, and future managers will see this. Hope this helps!

Steve