Advice about leaving my first position

I am a fairly new nurse; I graduated MAy 2013, was license in July (due to a move after graduation I had to wait longer for a testing date in my new home state), and began working in middle of August. Long story short, I moved (to be with my boyfriend) after graduating to a larger city with a very nursing market saturated with new grads.

By August I was already at 4 months unemployed (and uncomfortable borrowing from family or my boyfriend). So I took the first half way decent job offered me, at a state psychiatric hospital. I worked for 5 years as a mental health worker prior to nursing so I was experienced in psych, but I had actually gone into nursing to move away from this specialty and into the more medical/surgical side of care (or skilled nursing facilities).

Eight months later I am already burning out at this job. It is a state run facility; the are behind in utilizing the best EBP for this population and its frustrating for me, as my old organization (where I was a mental health worker) was ahead of the game. I also am tiring of finding myself or watching my co-workers be put into unsafe situations; or on the flip side watching patients be put in situations (such as restraints) simply because there was not sufficient staff or training to avoid it or deescalate a situation. I love psych and behavioral health, but not like this. While I have gained experience and knowledge in critical thinking and some other nursing skills, I feel like my values and philosophies are not matching up with this organization.

I realize the grass is always greener on the other side, but I am wondering if it isn't time for me to look for something else before I am not only burnt out on this organization but also burnt out on nursing. I really wanted to try to stick this job out for a year so I wouldn't be seen as job hopping and could get some experience. I loved nursing while I was in school and it felt like such the right thing for me- especially when I was working clinicals that were set in med/surg or skilled nursing settings.

Is 8 months too soon for me to leave? And if I do leave, is it OK on applications for me to ask prospective employers to not contact my current employer?

Sorry this was long, and thanks in advance for any advice or input. I really loved this site through nursing school.