To Leave or Not To Leave...

[gemmi999]

I've worked as an RN for 6 months in a small town emergency room. Not a trauma center, but everything else is fair game. I was hired under an interim ER manager who has since left; a new one was brought in but that person left earlier this week. Our ER is floundering. Since I've started in June we've lost 26 RNs. For our small ER this is devastating! Now we are mostly traveler/a couple (literally, two or three) experienced RNs on night shift/and new grads. Even the New Grads are leaving--four or more have left in the past month.

I bring this up for background. I am currently 6 months in and therefore no longer am eligible for most new grad positions; I have maybe 4 or 5 months to go before I can start applying for other hospitals for RN II positions. However, it is getting crazy here due to short staffing and not having an ER manager.

We have new grad's doing triage, new grad's precepting other newbies to our department, and nights when there are only travelers and new grads scheduled.

My choices are:

1) Stick it out--it's only a few months more and then I have the magical "year of experience" and can move back home

2) Transfer to med/surg or another department for the remainder of my time

3) Start looking for another hospital now, even though that means I'd be stuck in this area for longer instead of the remainder of this year

Any advice would be wonderful!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I don't think you can afford to "stick it out".

If you can transfer, you must also jump ship. You can also start looking in another hospital. By the time your resume is viewed and HR moves it along, you could be at the one year mark.

[ED Nurse, RN]

If you want to stay ER, don't transfer out. Look at other positions and start interviewing, but don't quit your current job. I know how stressful it must be- find others you can confide it. Try to do the best you can each shift and focus on your responsibilities. You're still learning things, regardless of the state of the department.

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

Actually the travelers are a huge asset and a great resource in dysfunctional EDs such as you describe.

[Farawyn]

If you want to stay ER, don't transfer out. Look at other positions and start interviewing, but don't quit your current job. I know how stressful it must be- find others you can confide it. Try to do the best you can each shift and focus on your responsibilities. You're still learning things, regardless of the state of the department.

Agreed.

Other floors may be just as devastating and you will have to acclimate all over again. Unless your health and sanity are truly at stake, stick it out.

Good luck! Let us know.