Changing jobs the first year

[sleepyjane]

Has anyone else changed jobs within the first year? I am currently working in sub-acute rehab and I am miserable for a variety of reasons. I wanted to go into med/surg since I graduated and was assured that rehab would get me my experience. Yes, I have gained some good experience without a doubt, but I know this is NOT what I want to be doing in the long run. I had an interview last week for a position on a medical floor. The nurse manager seemed wonderful and the other nurses all seemed very nice and supportive. I would still be entitled to their new grad orientation, and I know I will get a lot of good experience. Not to mention that since it is in an acute facility, there are many more professional opportunities than their are in rehab. Honestly, I think I will take the position if it is offered to me. But I am so nervous to make a change and would feel horribly guilty for leaving my current job so soon. I guess I just need a little encouragement and I would love to hear from others who have been in similar situations.

[kimberlydsrn]

I work on a rehab and ortho floor. I have been on my unit for 8 months and also feel as though I am not learning as much as I could on another unit. Most of our patients are stable, we do not get IV experience as well as PICC lines, ports, chest tubes, telemetry, etc. I did interview on a cardiac/thoracic unit last week. It went great. I also was very nervous to speak with my nurse manager. But she took it great and said she understood completely. I think what helped was when I did interview, I told them I would like to finish out my year at my current job since I gave them my word Id stay a year. They told me I didnt have to start until June (when my year is up). This made me feel much better about telling my boss, I think it made her happy too. She has 2 months to find my replacement and I can help train someone too if need me. My new unit is going to be crazy, cardiac and insulin drips, chest tubes, lung and heart transplants, I think I will learn plenty. I agree, if you are not happy, move on, but if at all possible stay a full year. It looks better to your new employer too and wont burn any bridges.

Good luck.

[sleepyjane]

I agree that waiting until my year was up would have been the best thing to do. Unfortunately, my year is up in August and I was afraid that I would run into the same problem as I did last year when looking. All new grad positions are taken, and the fact that I don't have a BSN puts me at an even greater disadvantage. At this new job, I will be getting the same orientation as a new grad since I haven't had a full years experience and this is what I wanted to do from the beginning.

My nurse manager reacted as I had expected, and rightfully so. "We invested so much in you and I thought you would do the same for us" (4 weeks orientation I don't think is that much of an investment). The head nurse told me what an awful place I was going to and how bad of a reputation they have (I have of course heard the opposite). The other nurses on my floor were very happy for me. Some even asked me to help them get a job at the same place. Its really tough to get a job in my area, and its very competetive, so I did not want to pass up an opportunity to do what I wanted. I hope I made the right decision, and I hope my nurse manager doesn't make the next four weeks of my life a living hell. I really do feel guilty about not putting in a full year, and because of it I'm sure my current NM won't give me a very good reference in the future.

Honestly, I was miserable at this job and it is a relief to know I am leaving. There are some things I will miss, but overall its something I knew I didn't want to do from the beginning. I took the job more out of necessity with the hopes that maybe once I started I would like it. I remember having a gut feeling when I went for the interview that it wasn't for me. It takes a very special person to be a rehab nurse, and I just don't think I was cut out for it. I worked for this hospital for over 6 years (only 8 months as an RN), I think I have paid my dues and its time to move on.