need advice re: frequently changing jobs

[monakrys]

Hi Everyone,

I need some advice. I've been a nurse for a little over 2 years and have already switched jobs a few times. I worked at one place for 10 months and moved out of state. I worked at the next place for about 14 months and left the floor and the hospital because I wanted to try a new floor and wanted to get out of 12 hour shifts and the hospital didn't have any openings. I started my most recent job 3 months ago and it is nothing like I expected it to be. I just feel like I'm not growing and learning as I had wanted. My concern is that if I was able to switch jobs and stay in the current hospital system, how bad will that look to future employers that I have changed jobs so frequently and so early in my career? Do I stay in this job for awhile even though I hate it and feel as though I'm wasting my time? Or, do I try something new like the ICU, even though there's a chance it might not be right for me as well? Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Yes ... that many changes in such a short time will send up a red flag to future employers. You need to make a committment to a job and stop "trying on" jobs the way you would try on clothes before you buy them. However, all is not lost.

Your first resignation won't look so bad because you moved out of state. Employers will be fairly sympathetic to that one. However, the next 2 switches will raise the red flags (assuming you switch jobs again now) because they aren't for any compelling reason. You just weren't real happy with them.

You have to remember that it costs an employer a LOT of money to hire and orient a new nurse -- especially one without a lot of experience. Estimates are that the turnover of 1 nursing position costs the employer approximately 1 year of that person's salary. Employers have been burned too often by nurses who job-hop and are often hesitant to invest in someone who doesn't appear to be committed to staying in the job unles it is a perfect fit for them.

So ... what can you do?

1. Figure out what you did WRONG in choosing your 2nd and 3rd jobs -- the ones you thought you would like, but didn't like enough to stay to be financially worthwhile for your employer. What questions did you NOT ask during your interview that you should have asked? What did you not understand about YOURSELF or the job that contributed to your dissatisfaction?

2. Don't make the same mistakes a 3rd time. Once you have figured out what went wrong with your selection of jobs #2 and #3, don't make the same mistakes again. You need to stay in job #4 a long time, so don't jump into a job unless you are SURE you are willing to committ to it.

3. Don't quit your current job (job #3) until you have job #4 definitely arranged. You really want to avoid being jobless as you look for your next job because it might take a while to find.

4. Can you arrange a transfer to another unit in your current hospital? That would cost your employer less money and they may be more willing to help you find a better fit than completely lose their previous investment in you. Also, future employers will look more favorably on a transfer (that indicates you were considered competent and "worth saving") than on a complete separation from your current employer. -- Also, in the future, the transfer will probably not be mentioned when a future employer confirms your previous employment. They will probably just be told that you worked at XYZ hospital as staff nurse from x/y/07 - p/q/09. The fact that you switched units might not be mentioned in the report (but it might).

5. Is there someone who can provide you with some career counseling -- someone who can help you sort out the type of job that you might be willing to committ to? You need to figure out the type of job that will suit you -- and jumping from job to job is not a good way to do that. You need to do some research and thinking without paying the price of hurting your professional image as you do that.

So ... overall ... don't rush into anything now. Go slow and be sure you know what you want before you resign and "try on" something else that might not be any better than you currently have.

[Djuna]

I found an excellent way to try out new areas was to do Agency Nursing.

I'm not sure if your Agency works like the ones we have in New Zealand but I was a permanent staff member on 'float'. This meant I had my set shifts per week, but I would go to whichever ward needed someone.

Thus I was able to go to Medical, Surgical, Paediatrics, Geriatrics, Rehab, ICU, Postnatal, Gynaecology, Stepdown Unit, and NICU. The only area I couldn't go to was ER as that was considered too much of a speciality.

Over the years I found this worked well for me because it gave me variety and experience and I didn't have to commit to choosing a particular nursing environment.

Eventually I did choose to work exclusively in Paediatrics and then I changed to ER.