Considering Quitting PRN Job So Soon?

[J89Mike]

I find myself in quite a situation and hoping I can obtain advice from nurses who may have been in a similar situation ... or has an opinion based on my scenario.

A little background. I’m a cardiac nurse, I work full time on a telemetry floor and absolutely love it. My coworkers, managers, patients and viewpoint of the company is great. Unfortunately, we recently have been short nurses with people moving on to Cath lab, ICU, ED, etc that there’s always plenty of OT available and our hospital has been offering extra shift incentives, even for an 8 hour shift if not wanting to do a full 12. It’s been nearly 4 months since we’ve had this incentive in place and no signs of it ending. Hey, an extra $150 for every extra you work plus OT rate isn’t too bad. Plus we have good ratios, incredible support and routine bonuses throughout the year. So as tough as it is to lose great team members and do more with less, it seems the morale and satisfaction is still high.

Alllllll of that to say I have a problem elsewhere. Back around the holidays last year, I applied PRN at a psych hospital as my previous medical experience was in integrated behavioral health and I’ve always found it interesting and ultimately less stressful than a pure medical floor. Now as a night shift nurse, I’ve been blessed to say most of our patients sleep and don’t cause too much trouble during the night. Plus we don’t monitor patients as strictly as we would on a cardiac floor and *knock on wood* ... usually the patients in behavioral are much more stable. Granted, mental health has its days (or nights) to where it can be a mess and yes, I I’ve seen many. But ultimately, my challenge is not those types of shifts but the basis of the job.

i recently learned that the unit I was hired for (integrated psych — so think 50/50 medical and behavioral) closed and they want me to float to other behavioral units which I’m not really fond of (geriatric memory care, pediatrics, and pure court ordered patients specifically). I also had a manager change and brief run ins with new leaders. I know beggars can’t be choosers but I haven’t had a shift I’m happy working since my home unit has closed. I don’t really mesh well with the staff, unfamiliar with these types of patients and treatments, and don’t look forward going to work. Ultimately, I am much happier/relieved leaving after a shift than I was even if I had the easiest night known to man. Even for the compensation, I don’t have any real desire to sign up for more shifts than I’m otherwise forced to. I don’t want to sound unthankful, but I realize this just isn’t for me and an extra shift at my full time job would compensate me better than what my PRN job pays.

My challenge is that I’m not the best during change. My last hospital, I worked there for 9 years. My current one for just over a year and plan on staying for a long time. But this PRN job, it’s merely been just a few months. I feel better knowing it’s not my full time job if I give it up but still otherwise hard to realize this just didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. Has anyone experienced a job where they didn’t last? Sorry for the excessive ranting above but it’s been on my mind and hopefully I can come to a solution in the next coming days to weeks. Thank you!

[Swellz]

Is the problem fear or repercussions for quitting, or you personally don't want to quit? If it's no longer the job you were hired for, you aren't fond of the management change, you just aren't happy, whatever, you have logical reasons to leave. If you're concerned how that would look on your resume or something, I wouldn't be, since again, you have easy and understandable explanations. If the problem is that you don't like leaving jobs, I don't know what to tell you, but this doesn't sound like a good fit. Good luck.

[TriciaJ, RN]

You had a prn job, and the job went away. Now you are trying different prn work, and it's not working. Your original psych job was less stress than your cardiac job, so it was worth the smaller paycheque. Now you're hating every minute of it, so it's not worth it. Case closed.

Call them up and tell them you've had a change in circumstance and will no longer be available. Pick up extra shifts on your cardiac unit when you feel so inclined.

Yes, I've left jobs after a short time. If they suck bad enough and I can get a better deal elsewhere, it makes no sense to stick around. That degree of loyalty to an employer will never be reciprocated.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

If you're not happy, you're not happy. Leave it behind. Be happy.

[RatherBHiking, BSN, RN]

I'd leave asap! It's really not going to hurt you. It's only prn and they changed the job on you so that's a legitimate reason. You've still held onto the same full time position this whole time. That's what someone would really look at anyway!