Want to transfer units in mid-orientation of first job...what should I put on my resume?

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Hello fellow nurses!

Long story short - I graduated in May 2014 with my BSN, passed the boards on my first try in September, was offered a job in the Neuro ICU in October and started officially in November. I am mid-way in my orientation and have come to realize that sadly, this is not the unit for me. ICU is very fascinating and I love how the nurses are very involved with their patients and I am definitely learning a lot, but it doesn't feel like it is the best place for me to start out in. It is way more harder and intense than I thought it would be, and although I am trying very hard, I am feeling completely overwhelmed. I feel like I am constantly trying to keep up and just falling more behind. I am starting to seriously consider transferring to another less-intensive unit and have been encouraged to do so by nursing school friends who have been through similar things.

My question is...should I put down this Neuro ICU job on my resume? Despite this job not going as well as I hoped, I have learned a lot of skills and don't regret trying this out at all. If I should put it down, how i should word it and what should I say if they call me?

Any help/advice you all can give me is much appreciated!

Thanks a bunch!!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

If you are planning to transfer units within the same facility, here's a couple of things:

1. Obviously, this facility is going to know you worked on your current unit. Leaving it off would probably set off a red flag.

2. You may not yet be eligible for a transfer. Some facilities require a certain amount of time in a position before allowing internal transfers. You may want to check with your manager/human resources about that.

If you are planning to find a new facility, they may or may not run a credit check when you provide your SSN. This would reveal that you received paychecks from your current facility, again raising red flags. However, if you include it, it may come up in an interview; simply answering that it wasn't a good fit will usually suffice. The decision to add it or leave it off is up to you, but consider the consequences of both options.

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Thanks so much Rose_Queen! Yeah, I am looking to transfer within the same health system, so I know they'll know. I had a meeting with my preceptors and manager last week and the manager even told me not to think of the ICU experience as a failure if it ultimately does not work out and that there are several units I could try that would be easier on me to begin my career.

The more I think about it, I will leave it on my resume b/c not only will any facility be able to find out, but nothing bad happened in the position. It's just not the best place for me to begin my nursing career, which I'll say bluntly, as it is the truth :)

Thanks again for your response! I really appreciate it! :D

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I was in a similar situation where I felt a different unit would be a better fit a couple months into orientation. My mistake was to "check it out" and not just keep it to myself. My advice is to get through orientation and learn your unit. Undoubtedly skills you acquire will serve you in future situations. It is not easy to recover from not getting through orientation.

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Thanks, MusicGuy. Yeah, I'm definitely going to stick it out through my entire orientation before making any final decisions, just to see how things progress. I'm going to do my very best and learn everything I can, try my hardest, and go from there in deciding my next my step.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I think you are having normal new grad thoughts and feelings. Give yourself some time to get acquainted with your unit.

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