Old Dog, New Tricks

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Wrongway Regional Medical Center (WRMC) has a reputation for having a high staff turnover. Recently there has been a mass exodus of staff, including a lot of RNs.

I work Psych and my wife Belinda works Med-Surge. Belinda recently noted that there were openings in Psych and Medical in our hometown at Anomaly Memorial Hospital (AMH), so we both applied. Belinda was told at her first interview that she was "a Godsend" and they couldn't wait to show me to the exit.

Belinda got and accepted the position, and I was depressed for about a half an hour when informed that the Psych position went to another candidate. I was extremely happy for Belinda, believing she will be working at a real hospital where her skills can be appreciated. She will take a slight cut in pay, but will have better benefits and a shorter commute. I was happy for myself, as I would have had had to take nearly a $10 an hour cut in pay at AMH.

I was also happy because I am generally comfortable working at WRMC. As much as AMH is a real hospital, WRMC is, in Belinda's term, a grunge hospital. I feel a certain amount of comfort in dealing with the nonsense and chaos, I feel like an eagle in a flock of turkeys.

However, if I went to AMH, I believe would feel like the turkey in a convocation of eagles and I'd have to learn new "stuff". So I'm kind of content in being a complacent stick-in-the-mud.

So- how about you old dogs- or COBs: Have you, in your golden years, began a new position in a different facility, or had to learn new tricks?

Did your transition go smoothly? Or were you like an old dog learning new tricks, where you could learn new tricks, it just took a longer amount of time than when you were younger?

After 25 years at the same hospital, I decided to cut, run and travel. Even though I've only traveled within a 2 hour radius from my home, it's been a much needed JOLT. I like walking in anonymous, catching on quickly (my opinion) and Nursing my heart away. Nursing has helped my people pleaser anomaly and traveling has taken me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow. In a 13 week assignment, it takes me atleast 3-4 weeks to get the new system down, 5-6 weeks to get all the numbers and Drs down and at 13 weeks I feel like core staff and then it's time to move on. Unless of course, the core staff doesn't like you, then it's 13 weeks of H@LL and you wished you stayed where you were. Lol I have appreciated change!

Specializes in ICU; Telephone Triage Nurse.

Davey Do, they were idiots not to hire you with the experience you bring to the table (and as an added bonus your quirky sense of humor would have paid big with staff and patients). Their loss.

I went on medical disability retirement in 2004 after working for 10 years, thinking I would soon be dead - the universe had other plans. After another 10 years hiatus I found myself recovered just enough to be able to return to nursing full time in 2014.

Oh man ... I was a fish out of water, and had to learn new tricks fast. I learned them.

Nursing hadn't changed, but delivery of the final product sure had with technology. When I was in nursing school we were taught paper charting. I believe I was on the tail end of that era, graduating in December 1993.

I took the very last pencil & paper NCLEX exam in AZ, February 1994. I got caught in the switch-a-roo of everything old to new. It sucked, but resiliency was a must.

I think being the nurse you are you can do any darned thing you set your mind to do. If staying put pleases you do that - if moving on and learning something new strikes your fancy I know you can do that too.

Make yourself happy my friend.

Specializes in ED, psych.

Sorry it didn't work out for you Davey -- it's their loss (and this threads gain with your sense of humor).

I just switched from being a k-12 certified SPED teacher (18ish years+) to psych nursing ... only 8 months in, and I learn something new every day. I find it keeps me young. The floor I'm on is more medical than the other psych floors of the building due to the patient population, so I'm still using those skills like inserting IVs, foleys, wound care, blah blah blah. But I truly enjoy the world of psych and my patients ... even when occasionally they show off their goods or mix me up in a hallucination.

Maybe in a few years I'll move on ... I work in a big hospital system where jobs are a plenty. But ... I love my coworkers and my schedule ... maybe I'll get too comfortable? Is there such a thing? I moved around a bit when I was a teacher due to unhappiness in the classroom, so being more or less happy iin a job setting is a new one for me.

Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

Story of my life

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

I just started a new position two months ago. It was definitely a culture shock. Everyday, I start my shift with either OMG!, or WT*!, or D***!!!, or I'm completely speechless! I had been trying for YEARS to get on at this place. I would return to my previous position but my tail is too short to tuck and if I dropped down to my knees to crawl back, there'd be no way I'd ever get up off the floor.

Old Dogs:

I have worked psych most of my career. My advice to you is, it's time to move on before you get so far behind in your psych skills that you won't be able to climb out of your rut if you want to. Something told the interviewers to "show you the door". You may want to consider your interview presented you and you skills. Applying for new jobs will hone your interview skills as well as giving you a good look at yourself. Just because you do an interview doesn't mean you have to accept an offer.

Having followed my spouse's jobs around the country and making career choices of my own, I've had to learn new tricks every few years. Kept me on my toes for a while after each new facility. It also kept me out of "politics" until I knew my way around.

Best of luck to you in our profession.

Specializes in Psych, Peds, Education, Infection Control.
I was born old and I love a good rut. I always have. I drove two hours to work every day for a few years because I didn't care to change. It wasn't until all my co-workers moved on that I went ahead and got a job five minutes from home. It was easy enough to change to a new place, I suppose I just don't like to change my people.

This is me all over. I could change my place without abandon - and until we got new leadership (which has been a godsend, honestly), my hospital could have been Wrongway North. But the people here are pretty awesome, so I've stayed - ended up being glad I stuck it out, but there was a solid year where I just couldn't be bothered to deal with job searching and my attachment to my coworkers won out.

Specializes in Psych, Peds, Education, Infection Control.
And I found a position in the Want Ads for which I just might be qualified:

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...welp, two months ago, I would have asked where to apply! :-D

Specializes in Psych, Peds, Education, Infection Control.
Davey do, you should be a professional comedy writer!

100% agreed. Davey's posts always bring a smile to my face, if not an outright chuckle.

Specializes in ICU; Telephone Triage Nurse.
Okay wimp. Do what you want. Be glad I'm not your wife ;)

Do you teach classes on that? I want to be YOU!!!!

Specializes in ICU; Telephone Triage Nurse.
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Why aren't you doing cartoons online, or in the newspaper (remember those???).

You're funny as hell!

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

Wow, 3ring: "retirement in 2004... thinking I would soon be dead" Wow.

Davey Do, they were idiots not to hire you with the experience you bring to the table. Their loss.

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