Change Hospitals?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 14, 2018

I have been a nurse for a little over a year. I work nights on a med-surge floor at a hospital, and it takes me 45 min to one hour to get to. I am getting somewhat bored with my floor, and the traffic I sit in every day, alone, is exhausting. I do not want to stay in med-surge. The hospital I work at (WakeMed) has another location that is very close to my home, and there is a completely different hospital (Rex) that is a little further out but still closer than the one I currently work at (hope that makes sense). Rex has a position that I am interested in, that I know would help me grow as a nurse, but at the same time, I have something pulling me to stay at WM (maybe I am nervous for change?). I guess my question is, does it look bad to change hospitals so quickly? Am I being impatient? What might the chances of me going back to WM be -- I'd be changing hospitals knowing that I would possibly want to go back to WM, at the location closest to me.
Another option would be to find a med-surge job at the WakeMed closest to me, and then continue to wait.
Please note that I still need to get my BSN, which will open up more opportunities. My head is all over and I need some advice. Thanks for your help!!

If you're thinking of getting your BSN, check into the reimbursement opportunities at WakeMed. Sometimes, you have to be with the company for two years before getting tuition reimbursement and sometimes you have to be in your position for two years before getting tuition reimbursement. The answers to that question may not make a difference to you -- but it might. It would be nice to know what you're leaving on the table (or not) if you change companies.

It generally takes about two years for a new nurse to become competent, and changing jobs before the two year mark will extend that time frame. If you have any doubts at all about leaving your current job, I'd stay put. (The aforementioned tuition reimbursement may be a factor.) One year is, I think, too soon to become bored with a first nursing job. There is so very much to learn, I have to wonder if you're challenging yourself to learn and grow. Med/Surg is especially complex because you get so many different patient populations. Do you thoroughly understand the pathophysiology and disease processes of the patients you're caring for? Do you completely understand why you're following this lab and that X-ray and what the results mean to the big picture? Do you know -- can spell and pronounce -- both the generic and trade names of all the medications you're giving, along with why you're giving them, what side effects and toxic effects to watch for (and why), the interactions with other medications the patient may be on, the usual dosages and why the patient is or isn't being dosed in the usual range, and what other treatments may be available if this one doesn't work? Do you understand whether or not to push fluids in a pneumonia patient who also has CHF and renal failure and why you would or wouldn't do it? Do you feel completely comfortable and correct in what you're communicating when you call a physician? I'd be very surprised if, after only a year, you could answer all of those questions in the affirmative.

A commute can suck, that's true. Are you using the time to mentally prepare for work or to decompress from work? The last six years of my mother's life, she was in first an ALF and then a SNF. I used to put on the headset when I left work (or my house) and talk to her as I made the 45 -90 minute commute to and from work. Or I'd talk to the child (who is 25 and coming up on a year in her own first nursing job) or a friend in a different time zone. Sounds silly, maybe, but I grew to look forward to my alone time in the car as well. I could work through problems in my head, plan the class I was going to teach at Skills Day, etc. USE your commute.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.