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Discussion

End of my first year.....time to move on????

I know some of you have already left your first RN positions and moved on to something else.....I'm wondering how to decide when to move on? In my case, I had what I consider a good first year--supportive coworkers, really we're a very good "team", lots of learning opportunities, etc.

But of course, there are so many frustrating political type things that happen--favoritism shown to particular RNs from management, strange hiring/promotion decisions (giving a leadership position to someone with one year experience rather than one of the several VERY qualified, more experienced RNs that applied)...and there are just so many days where I leave feeling like I'm just a body filling an FTE, nobody notices how hard I work, the good care I give my patients, how I manage problems before they become emergencies....

So I've started interviewing elsewhere. I've actually turned down several positions because they weren't appealing enough to jump ship. Now I've got an opportunity I feel GREAT about....would be leaving the hospital setting and entering the field of hospice nursing.

Soooooooooooooooo....my question is, how did you know it was time to go?

thx,

Andrea

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I knew it was time to move on when management changed and increased our holidays, increased our weekend requirements...and I found out I could work day surgery four tens mon-thurs no weekends or holidays!! HA HA I said goodbye and fast. I did not like hospital nursing simply because of the politics that management played. So....off I went. Just trust your judgement and look for a job that you will truly be excited about. I know I am-now.

  • Experts

It sounds like you have done a good job handling this situation so far. You haven't made the big mistake of quitting your old job before you had a new one and you seem to have thought about the issues.

Evaluate the hospice job carefully. While you can never be 100% certain ... are you fairly sure that you will be happier there in the long run? Does it just look good to you as an escape from your current position or is this a field that you can commit to for a while? Will you still be happy in 2 or 3 years if you find that you are treated as "just another staff nurese" there?

It can be "deflating" to go from the excitement of being a senior nursing student, graduating, and looking forward to a new exciting career. The reality of being "just another member of the staff" can feel like a letdown. Also, you are not in a position to know why certain management decisions have been made -- decisions which may or may not have been the right ones. Make sure that your reasons for leaving are more than just this natural letdown / late reality shock process that is pretty common.

Leaving your first job after only a year is usually OK -- as long as you don't make a habit of leaving jobs after such a short time. Make sure that you will be sufficiently happy in your new job for a couple of years before you make the move. Sooner of later, you are going to have to stay on a job for at least 2 or 3 years in order to move to a higher level of expertise.

Good luck,

llg

Also look at the training and advancement opportunities provided by both employers. Which offers the better opportunities for advancing in your career by providing education and opportunities to experience advanced roles such as preceptor, charge nurse, committee member, etc. In which environment will you have more opportunities for growth?

  • Author

Good things to think about....

I will add, though, that although I've only been a nurse for a year, I have worked on this hospital floor for seven years now (I was a unit secretary before and during my RN program).

Anyway, I am not feeling "desperate" to leave by any means....just a bit stifled, I guess. Trying not to go into "the grass is always greener" mode and jump at just anything...it has to be the "right" thing.

Andrea

  • Guides
Soooooooooooooooo....my question is, how did you know it was time to go?

thx,

Andrea

When the bad days outnumbered the good...........when management began nudging some of us older nurses toward the door with impossible assignments and harsh discipline for the inevitable small mistakes that resulted.........when the joy and pride I had taken in my job were gone and I dreaded every day..........THAT's when I knew it was time to leave.

Doesn't sound to me like you're anywhere close to that, but trust me, you don't want to wait until you're miserable to try your hand at another area of nursing. It's very difficult to look for a new job when your self-confidence has been systematically destroyed. However, don't take a hike just because you're feeling a little restless; this often happens when one has been on the job awhile and it's no longer a novelty. You've also undoubtedly begun to realize just how hard nursing really is. Plus, you're not a 'newbie' anymore; people expect certain things from you now, and in the back of your mind you may be a little nervous about your ability to meet those expectations day after day.

It's OK, that's pretty common. But you still have lots more to learn, and as long as you're reasonably happy at your workplace, it's better to stick it out and keep growing in your present position than to start out all over again someplace else. Move on when you're ready to make a change, not just because some other people leave their jobs after a year or because you're bored..........heck, I've worked with nurses who have been at the same job since they graduated 20 or 30 years ago. While I can't imagine staying in one place for that many years, it's certainly possible, and desireable, for nurses to do so.

JMHO.;)

Hi Andre-

Good to hear from you. Leaving that first job, especially b/c you have been with the hospital for 7 years has got to be a gut wrenching decision full of feeling obligated to the hospital (for keeping you while going through nursing school) to the fact that you are comfortable with the people that you work with and all that jazz.

I was in a similar position not too long ago. Had been with the hospital 5 yrs, worked with great nurses, but the hospital politics was just too much to handle. I tried to leave back last November and go to another hospital but my heart wasn't in it or I guess I wasn't miserable enough, and also didn't have the confidence that I needed to feel like I could succeed. Fast forward another 5 months and I got to the point where I HATED going into work, was physically becoming sick, and the new DON was working the nurses to death and everyone was miserable and began leaving. Even nurses that had been with the hospital for 20 years were leaving in droves.

I have been gone now for nearly 2 months and haven't looked back!! The old hospital has called a couple of times for me to go and work PRN and I can't I still get that sick feeling when I think about working there even for an occasional shift. The only thing I miss about that place is the nurses that I worked with. I say follow your gut and your heart. They will both tell you when it is time to leave. Good luck with your decision.

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