Changing jobs

[FlyOR]

Hello all, it's me again needing advice! So I really love what I am doing. I love the OR, I really like the hospital I work for and I am looking forward to the completion of my first year. Unfortunately, I think that I am going to have to move on. The first year of nursing, while incredibly stimulating mentally has been exhausting and has taken a wrecking ball to my family life. While I understand that it is very important to develop and hone skills and that it basically takes about two years to become a valued OR nurse, I just don't think I will be able to continue a full time schedule. The problem is, I think that my nurse manager isn't going to let me go part time. I think that she feels that I need more experience and that going part time would not benefit her OR. And I see her point. I really can't disagree with it, but the reality is, I only have one family and despite their support, we're just not happy.

The kicker is, I look around at the people I work with and they all have flexible schedules, but they have years experience.

I really love the OR, and I think I am getting good at it, and frankly when I have more experience I think I'll really excel at it, so this is really tough. How do I preserve my new career and yet still obtain a more family friendly schedule? Do hospitals even like OR nurses with only a year's experience? How did your transitions go? What was it like adapting to a new system, and then try to imagine being relatively new to nursing? How did you leave and not burn your bridge?

I would be grateful for any advice given. Thanks!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Would it be possible to transfer to a day surgery unit within your hospital? Where I work, day surgery OR staff work M-F 7-1530, no call, no weekends, no holidays. Occasionally they will put their "loser list" in place to finish certain cases or if the main OR cannot help with relief, but the latest I've seen them stay is 1615. That way, you don't have to learn all new surgeons, and if it would become feasible at a later date it would be possible to transfer back.

[maeyken]

In the OR I work in, people who come new to the OR have to complete their orientation period and I think about 3mos full time, and then can go part time (that's about 6mos full time). We have been really short of part time staff though, so those were open postings they were accepted into. Are there part time positions available in your unit? If there are, it might be easier to convince your manager to let you go part time.

Really, you'd think it would be better to have someone go part time than to leave completely...

[FlyOR]

Thank you for the replies. My problem isn't really the hours that I work, it's more the amount of days.

For some reason my OR is just bullheaded about keeping new people to 7-1530 five days a week. I have been towing the line on that schedule for almost a year and I am exhausted. Throw in a seniority system and call, and it has just become unmanageable for me. I had not expected the impact of a seniority system and now I am wondering if I would be better off building seniority elsewhere.

Would anyone comment about OR job transition? Things to expect and look out for?

thanks for any information you can give!

[teenarn]

I think if you look into surgical centers who need staff on an as needed basis, you may find what your looking for! What part of the country do you live in?