Comparing new job with the old one...help!

Specialties NICU

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Specializes in NICU, Telephone Triage.

Hi. I quit my job at a Children's hospital in the NICU to go to a "non" Children's hospital NICU. I know I could never go back to my old work...long list of reasons...but I can't help almost constantly comparing the care of the new place to the old. I was at the old place for 16 years...so it was a hard decision to make. I'm not saying the new place gives bad care, it's just different.

Does anyone have a similar experience like this, or do you have any friendly advice to give me so I can start to feel more comfortable at my new job? ie: knowing there isn't an ECMO machine down the hall just in case??

This is all been hard for me lately because I lost a pt. to severe mec. asp. recently...so I'm thinking about all of the "What if's"...apparently she didn't need ECMO...that was just in the back of my head...this death was just such a shock to me...and others as well.

Thanks for listening...any ideas would be great...I've thought about going back to a different children's hospital...but the commute would be about twice as along...etc.:confused:

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Specializes in NICU.

(((((HUGS))))) I'm really sorry about your loss :(

I'm sorry I don't have much advice or help. Is there a reason why they didn't send the baby out for ECMO? They just said she didn't need it? We do ECMO, but I've never seen one of our own kids go on (I know it happens, but I haven't seen it in the year that I've been there), the only kids I've ever seen put on ECMO are kids that are transported to us.

What other general things have been going on at this new hospital that has upset you? Maybe try making a list of good things that this new hospital does, compared to your old hospital.

I'd give it a little time before making a decision to go to a different children's hospital. I can't imagine how hard a transition would be, going from working in a place for 16 years to a new hospital.

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Specializes in NICU, Telephone Triage.
(((((HUGS))))) I'm really sorry about your loss :(

I'm sorry I don't have much advice or help. Is there a reason why they didn't send the baby out for ECMO? They just said she didn't need it? We do ECMO, but I've never seen one of our own kids go on (I know it happens, but I haven't seen it in the year that I've been there), the only kids I've ever seen put on ECMO are kids that are transported to us.

What other general things have been going on at this new hospital that has upset you? Maybe try making a list of good things that this new hospital does, compared to your old hospital.

I'd give it a little time before making a decision to go to a different children's hospital. I can't imagine how hard a transition would be, going from working in a place for 16 years to a new hospital.

Thanks for your reply. The baby didn't need the ECMO. But, it was just something I was thinking...that the new hospital doesn't have it.

There are a lot of good things at the new place...they have more meetings with more staff input. I have a more flexible schedule.

I'm having a hard time getting used to the size of the new place...usually about 20 babies compared to 35 where I used to be. The new place is physically smaller, too.

Oh well. there's pros and cons to both places.

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I get the pleasure of dealing with a lot of travlers from all over, and they all bring this with them. Some have added alot to our unit, and others just their time. I realy like the ones who make things better, not just different. So if you can give ways to improve by all means do, but be prepared to back it up, they won't change just to change. The way things are done have been developed over time for a reason so be willing to learn as well. And don't expect the cost and expertise of an ECMO is going to happen soon, bugets are an evil thing.

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The LAST thing that a long term nurse wants to hear from a new employee is: At my last hospital WE DID IT THIS WAY, your place is out of date, not good enough equipment.....etc. it gets old really really quick. Start out quietly and get to know the new hospitals policy and procedures, how its done at this place, get a feel for where your co-workers are at. you just might end up liking it there.

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).
The LAST thing that a long term nurse wants to hear from a new employee is: At my last hospital WE DID IT THIS WAY...
'

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!

We have a nurse that recently started in our unit (from a children's hospital), with probably 25 years experience, and the running joke is that she starts every sentence the same way.... She has a wealth of knowledge, but no one will ever pay attention to her or listen to what she has to say as long as she maintains that attitude that "where I used to work" this is how it needs to be done, this way is better, etc.... She gets no respect, because of this attitude. So just be careful to not make others feel like they're stupid, or that "their" unit is inferior in one way or another to the awesome one you came from.....Best of luck

Stephen

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I have been fortunate to stay in my home unit throughout my career and have seen may people come and go. I have seen what you are talking about and seen different responses. I think it is immature and harmful to the unit to "ignore" people coming in with experience because they have offended our ego. I have found that they are just passionate about what they are doing and want what is best for the unit just like we all do. If they seemed pushy I have to laugh because let's face it- that is the "nicu personality" isn't it? Have you ever seen a passive nicu nurse or therapist??

They have a wealth of knowledge and have seen things done other ways where we haven't had the opportunity to "think outside the box" of how we have always done things.

We have the opposite problem. We have a fairly new graduate who thinks he's a Dr. This is his first job (we trained him) and he wants to have his hand in everything. Puts himself on every committee, writes policies and has his nose up the rear of the neos. He's a sweet guy but is such a know it all everyone makes fun of him. He will never get our respect because his arrogance is so offensive to everyone from us senior staff to new orientees and management. We have tried to lovingly tame him but he know SO MUCH he won't listen. Seems he was like toward the top of his class so he knows it all. (lol) We have decided to just let him fall and we will help him when he does. I say accept everyone and listen to what they have to say. Use it if you can and if you can't you have at least treated them with respect and they will respect you.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i once worked with a nurse we called "bethany brigham burke" because her name was bethany burke (ok, it wasn't, really but you catch my drift) and she'd start every sentence with "at the brigham we . . . " someone once told her she should go back to the brigham. i wonder if she's there now, saying "at the uw we . . . ."

right now i'm working with an np that we call "atdukewe" for obvious reasons. you don't want to be one of those!

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Specializes in NICU.

I didn't gather from the original post that she is doing these things and saying that "well where I worked before we did this ......". I think it's good that she's asking for advice as to how to handle this new environment so she DOESN'T end up saying these things.

But I do agree with gamecockfan's post in a way. I think you can really get some good tips from travelers and new RNs that come to your hospital. I know we had a traveler a few months back that gave us some great tips on how to cut down on certain problems we were having ..... which we hadn't really thought about before.

I think the key is in the way these new people handle it. They don't need to be snotty about it and think the place they came from was 100% right and the new place is 100% wrong. If they bring new ideas to light, they can do it in a manner that's not disrespectful and degrading to their new hospital. It's all in the attitude.

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Specializes in NICU.

We have a Clinical Educator who keeps shoving the "Childrens" way of doing things down our throats. After all, if it was done at Childrens it must be better.

We would appreciate her much more if she had more experience to back her up. She has little basic experience, started the climb to better things early on, and now wants to micromanage us. She's not even our manager, just thinks she knows everything. She rarely listens to us (although we did win one round last week). That sounds bad, but that's how she makes us feel.

I appreciate new people coming in with new ideas. I have learned a lot from other ex-Childrens nurses, and they have learned from us. We don't all have to do the same things the same way, it doesn't mean right or wrong.

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

We have the opposite problem. We have a fairly new graduate who thinks he's a Dr. This is his first job (we trained him) and he wants to have his hand in everything. Puts himself on every committee, writes policies and has his nose up the rear of the neos. He's a sweet guy but is such a know it all everyone makes fun of him. He will never get our respect because his arrogance is so offensive to everyone from us senior staff to new orientees and management. We have tried to lovingly tame him but he know SO MUCH he won't listen. Seems he was like toward the top of his class so he knows it all. (lol) We have decided to just let him fall and we will help him when he does. I say accept everyone and listen to what they have to say. Use it if you can and if you can't you have at least treated them with respect and they will respect you.

Wow, hmmmm.... I came to my unit as a new grad, I'm a guy, I get involved in committees, offer to help with policy development, orient/precept, do charge, etc....Aside from the brown-nosing, and arrogance, this guy could be me!! Especially if you are in SC! (Gamecocks fan) I know this is a departure from the OP, but don't fault someone for trying to excel in his specialty. maybe that's not his motive, but don't make it sound like only oblivious "newbie" nurses try to get involved and make a difference in their unit, and do it for the wrong reasons.....Neonatology has changed a lot in the last 10 years... soon it'll be a level playing field...

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Specializes in NICU.

I started off as a new grad at a Children's hospital NICU, and I loved it! Now that we've moved out-of-state and I'm in a different hospital setting (where we do deliveries, its much smaller, etc) I constantly find myself thinking "ugh, at Children's we had all this great equipment and resources and everything ran more smoothly". Of course, I keep that to myself b/c I don't want to upset the other nurses. But its really hard to go from a magnet-recognized 50+ bed unit with ecmo to a 20-bed level III nursery, so I can totally see how people would be like "at my old hospital..." But yeah, I know what you mean.. hang in there!

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