Leaving ICU position

Published Jun 22, 2018

101 Posts

I am a new grad that started working on a Surgical ICU floor in February. I knew going into it that it wasn't something I wanted to do but that I would learn a lot/get my foot in the door at a great NYC hospital. My plan was to stick it out a year and then transfer to the OR. This hospital requires 1 year of employment before being eligible to internally transfer. I'm nearly 6 months in and completely miserable. Its not one thing...it is everything-demanding families, constant interruptions (PT, OT, RT), having to go down to MRI, having to go down to CT, tedious charting, no one wanting to help with turns, getting the pt OOB then back to bed then on the bedpan, no PCTs, unclear orders from LIPs, LIPs not taking you seriously, LIPs not keeping you in the loop etc etc. I just hate it all and don't think I am cut out to be a bedside nurse. Long term I want to work in an OR, get experience, then work for a private practice plastic surgeon/get trained in aesthetics. I know the grass isn't always greener on the other side but at least working in the OR is a step in getting me where I want to be long term. On my hospital's internal job posting website it states that internal transfers before the one year mark are done on a case by case basis. I met with my nurse educator and she said she has heard of people being transferred before the one year mark and told me to teach out to my original hospital recruiter. I did this and my hospital recruiter asked if I was available to talk by phone next week. I don't know what she will say but I'm assuming she will want to know why I don't think my unit is a good fit for me. I am having trouble articulating why in a way that sounds professional/reasonable and doesn't make me sound ungrateful/like a terrible person. Does anybody have any advice on what to say to her in this instance?