Dislike New Job. Stay or Go?

[JMaeRN]

I am usually pretty good at handling my own situations but this one has me a bit stumped. I had worked on a unit as a charge nurse/staff nurse but recently completed my MSN with a leadership focus. I want to get into management and after trying (without success) for several positions within the system, decided that I had two options: 1. sit around and wait or 2. Go after what I want.

I went with the later option and found an Assistant Nurse Manager position within another healthcare system but am not happy with my choice. The new system is less progressive and not as technologically advanced. I feel that care is mostly safe but not as safe as I know it can be. Processes are inefficient and the staff are miserable due to high nurse patient ratios and constant staff turnover.

My new role is not much different than my former one but I took it because there was the additional opportunity to gain experience with staff management, scheduling, and evaluations. This opportunity is still the only thing that is positive about this job. I took a HUGE pay cut, have to drive further to work, Insurance prices have doubled (and we have to switch providers), and I feel like even though my schedule is more consistent, I have less time with my family because of how I need to sleep.

I am half way through my 90 days and if I am going to leave, would like to do so in that time frame so that my new employer can repost the position without having to apply through the budget committee. So, I am looking for some opinions on whether I should stick in this role for at least a year for the experience, knowing that I will likely leave because many of my concerns with the new employer are not easily changed, or go back to my former employer where I would have to take a staff nurse position until something else opens. Thanks in advance for any insight on this topic!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

As someone in a leadership position, your role is to ensure that the environment supports quality nursing care - so your high level of concern is very appropriate. But as a leader/manager, you are now the one who is responsible for making things better.

Although your gut feeling is most likely accurate, you need present come compelling evidence in order to make meaningful changes. Working with quality/patient safety department(s) is usually the way to go. Have you looked at staffing variances? Safety / incident report data? Staff turnover? What's your current HCAHPS status? Have you meet with your staff to explore their concerns?

In my experience, new managers are often gobsmacked at how different their jobs are - from what they expected. The disappearance of overtime pay and specialty differentials is usually clear upfront, but some other things are not. Everything takes much longer than you think it will - even if it is just changing the schedule for refrigerator cleaning. You have to enlist the aid of others to accomplish anything, so a lot of your energy is wasted on 'selling' and 'convincing' them to try it your way. You no longer have the continuous positive feedback that comes from providing direct patient care. This can really beat you down in a hurry.

By all means, if it is not working out you need to do what is best for you. But it's very likely that ANY new management job will come with all the same baggage that you're experiencing now. So you may just be postponing the inevitable.