Does this make me look bad?

Nurses Career Support

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I was fortunate to graduate nursing school and start in the ICU. Unfortunately, our turnover rate since I started back in August 2021 has been crazy high. 18 nurses have left, leaving only 12 staff nurses between days and nights. I was off orientation by December and, since then, I have been charge nearly every night, am only ever working with travelers on night shift, and I have been working 3 8 hour shifts and 1 12 hour shift in addition to mandatory overtime. Because it is a closed unit, we are required to cover our own staffing & we are forced to work mandatory overtime. On top of this, management expects me to go to education classes from 8-12 on my day off after working night shift. I have been so stressed out and depressed. The unit has become toxic. Would that make me look bad if I left and found another job? 

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

Mandatory over-time AND being required to cover your own staffing, plus education classes on your day(s) off? Toxic stressors? Management not even giving the usual empty promises that "it will get better soon"?

Start looking!

If you are able and something else is available, 

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6 hours ago, No Stars In My Eyes said:

Mandatory over-time AND being required to cover your own staffing, plus education classes on your day(s) off? Toxic stressors? Management not even giving the usual empty promises that "it will get better soon"?

Start looking!

If you are able and something else is available, 

Management is saying it will get better soon 

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
34 minutes ago, saraclark62 said:

Management is saying it will get better soon 

We should take a survey on how many times nurses have been told that. And as a follow up, how many times that has been true?

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5 hours ago, No Stars In My Eyes said:

We should take a survey on how many times nurses have been told that. And as a follow up, how many times that has been true?

Would that look bad if I left at a little less than a year?

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

Go. Leave. Do it. Don't look back. Go forward.

There are always going to be those who think it's 'bad' thing. You can't justify enough or convince some people, and you shouldn't have to.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

It's a tough decision when we have to chose between our looks and our sanity.

 

Of course, I chose looks.

 

 

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Specializes in BSN, RN, CVRN-BC.

Job hopping doesn't look good, but what is your sanity worth?  Your hospital is burning out the nurses who remain.  So nothing is going to get better any time soon.  It sounds as if it is time to start networking and finding what other oportunities are available.  Don't let them know that you are leaving until you have a new job lined up and give notice.  Some employers can be rather vindictive to employees who are leaving.  When you leave don't burn any bridges.  

 

I won't post any pics because I can't pull off a skirt like Davey Do.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
27 minutes ago, Robmoo said:

I won't post any pics because I can't pull off a skirt like Davey Do.

You don't think the skirt makes me look fat, do you? I wear skirts only because they make me feel all cool and breezy.

Seriously though, your post gave some sound advice, Robmoo.

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Specializes in BSN, RN, CVRN-BC.
1 minute ago, Davey Do said:

You don't think the skirt makes me look fat, do you? I wear skirts only because they make me feel all cool and breezy.

Seriously though, your post gave some sound advice, Robmoo.

Thank you!  The skirt doesn't make you look fat.  I just a bit jealous because I know that I wouldn't look nearly as good in a skirt.

 

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Specializes in Community health.

"Look bad"?  Sure, I guess.  But you won't have any trouble finding something else.  Find something else before you resign.  When the interviewers ask why you're leaving so soon, you say "I realized that my current job isn't the best fit for me as I start my career."  You're far from the first person to bail on a situation like that.

Also, it won't get better soon.  In my experience, there's a zero percent chance of that promise being true.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Here’s a clue, If upper management is nowhere to be seen (they don’t cover any shifts) do you really think it will get better ?

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