Guys, I'm an unintentional job hopper.

Guest757854 · Sep 20, 2019

I understand your plight.

But you are still fairly early in your nursing career, so finding your niche may take trail and error. I commend you on having the courage to step out and experiencr different areas of nursing.

Keep in mind, nowadays employers have No loyalty to their nurses anymore. We are constantly overworked most times. And many jobs will let someone go for the smallest of infractions.

Good luck to you!

Editorial Team / Moderator · Sep 20, 2019

I was a trauma educator from 2016 to the end of 2018, infection prevention from the end of 2018 until last week, and started a work-at-home appeals position this week. So that is 3 jobs in 3 years, really not my norm, but it happens! I had health issues that changed my work-abilities, found a new position, and then I found something I can take with me when we move next year. Sometimes you have to do what is best for you, rather than what looks good on paper.

Green Tea, RN · Sep 23, 2019

As long as you are still employed, i call it good. Nowdays i feel it is not easy for a nurse to find a place to work for a long period of time anyway.

Good luck!

SteelGrey · Sep 23, 2019

I think it’s awesome. Find something you wanna get up and go to every week. Your patients and employers will end up better off in the end. You can stick things out to please imaginary people or be aggressive. Obviously you want to do things with professional courtesy as not to burn a bridge but nobody gets an award for staying X amount of time. I understand that this is a very different mindset from the past, but the nursing work culture has definitely changed. Good luck!

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Sep 23, 2019

While it's good to look for your niche, as a manager, when I see resumes with more jobs than years experience, many times I have to wonder if this person is a good risk. So temper your desire to try new things with how it may look to a hiring manager or committee. Not trying to crush a dream, but I am stating a reality. I just passed up interviewing a nurse who is friends with 1 of my other nurses, and everyone who knows her says she's awesome. But she's been an RN for 7 years and has had 6 jobs-in 4 areas of nursing. The last 3 jobs, I know her former managers personally. They say that while she is an awesome nurse, great personality, etc, that they feel a little burned because she oriented and was growing in her roles and went to something different because she just "itched to do something different", and in each case told the new hiring manager that she was very sure that this new area was it. I'm putting this out there so that you know that nursing is a small world and many of us know each other, or someone who knows us, and that eventually the continuous job changes become more of a liability than an asset. There has been more than a few threads on here addressing this. I hope you find the niche that you're looking for, and are able to grow. Good luck!

turtlesRcool · Sep 23, 2019

You've only been ICU for four months. It's possible that part of "hating it" is just the process of learning it.

I think it usually takes about a year to get into a groove. Although you've been a nurse for 2 years, what you do as an OB nurse isn't all that applicable to what you're doing in ICU. You say you felt comfortable in your old tele job, but that was probably a combination of lower acuity compared to your current position and the fact that you were there for a year.

You didn't actually ask for advice in this post, but I think maybe you've just got to get up to speed working ICU. Four months is nothing when you have so much to learn.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 23, 2019

On 9/20/2019 at 4:23 PM, Tink87 said:
I've been in the ICU for 4 months and I hate it. I'm applying for a job in the cath lab holding area, as we used to recover cath lab patients on my cardiac floor. I know a lot of people down there who are pulling for me but I also know the manager is skeptical of my work history. I really believe that I could be happy there and stay for a long time.
I also email my old manager on cardiac to see of she'd take me back if it all doesn't work out. I'd be embarrassed to return and feel like my old co-workers would judge me but I was comfortable there. There were definitely things I didn't like but overall, it wasn't bad.

If you were comfortable in your old cardiac job and it wasn't bad ... then why did you leave? That would be my question as a hiring manager. It would raise doubts in my mind that you would be a good investment for me because apparently, you leave even if the job is OK. It sounds like you are not willing to commit to anything long enough (even if you are treated well) to be worth investing in you.

You should figure out exactly why you are so quick to leave -- and what it is that you would need to be willing to stay a while -- before you take another job.

viprn21, BSN, RN · Sep 23, 2019

I had the same problem. For the first 5 years of my career I never stayed at a job longer than a year. For the past 3 years I've been in the same position that I love. What helped me was sitting down and deciding what it was I wanted and needed from my job, and then got a position that met those criteria.

For me, what I needed from the facility was scheduling flexibility, a short commute, room to grow as a nurse, and management that didn't, well, micromanage. I found that in a float pool position at a large hospital in my city; once I was sure it was the job for me, I bought a house that was 20 minutes away. Because I don't belong to any particular unit, I can work whatever days I want, and for the most part, the supervisors and managers let me do my job and in fact make sure I have what I need to do my job. I'm always being challenged and consequently forced to grow as a nurse because I cover 7 different specialty critical care units, and every now and then the ED.

It helped that I already know what specialty I enjoy working; if you aren't sure what specialty, do the same. List out what you want from your job and find the specialty that will give it to you. For me, I enjoy ICU because it allows me to spend more time with my patients since I have less of them, and it is always challenging so I am rarely bored at work (and even if I personally am bored, there's always someone who can use an extra pair of hands in the unit!). I'm also very detail-oriented, which is a must for the ICU. Find a specialty that matches you, don't force yourself to match the specialty. My brother went to nursing school with me and he's been miserable in every department he's ever worked in except ER. Even when he's had jobs at terrible ERs he's been, at the least, proud of the work that he does.

Also, give agency nursing a shot if you're still not sure what to do. It's pretty easy to switch specialties through agency nursing so you can try on different units for size and see if they fit. You can even check out other cities and states that way if you're not sure that you're happy where you are. I wasn't happy in my home state until I left for a while and then realized that Texas was exactly where I belonged after all. I just had to get out for a while to see that.

Good luck!

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Sep 23, 2019

@Tink87 honestly, same, lol. In five years I've technically had four jobs (but I don't count the first one because they didn't pay me, which I think is a fine reason to leave a job), and the one I took at the beginning of this summer already has me ready to jump ship. So, I get it; there are probably a lot of us who can. It sucks not feeling like you've found your work home, dreading going to work every day, and seeing no way to deal except to find something new - again.

I don't know about you, but I'm finding that I *always* hate my jobs at the beginning, but months down the road I usually feel differently. Is it possible that what you really hate is being a novice? If not, what is it specifically about your current job that makes you dislike it - and what about the cath lab makes you think it will suit you better? I think good, honest, and thorough answers to these questions will help you make a better decision about your next steps.

The poster viprn21 gave some great advice about figuring out what you need from a job and only taking jobs that will accomplish that. For me, I want opportunities to learn and progress from novice to mentor in a certain specialty, a great team dynamic, a sense of purpose, and good work-life balance. The thing is, it actually helps to look back at the jobs I was at for a couple years and really evaluate what was good and not so good about them to make this list. Otherwise it's easy to get into a pattern of feeling like you just always choose terrible jobs, rather than giving yourself time to get comfortable in positions you picked for a reason.

Another thing that put it in perspective for me was someone's comment on one of my posts several weeks ago. A lot of nurses, myself for sure, derive much of our identity and fulfillment from our work. And we have every reason to be proud of being nurses! But even when you're in a position that isn't hitting the spot, it's important to feel anchored in something outside of work too, which makes it a little easier to handle a boring, unfulfilling, or just plain bad job for a little while - at least long enough to limit the lines on your resume.

I'm being a total hypocrite right now, lol, and like I said, I can completely sympathize; it's not easy to live your life when such a significant part of it feels miserable. Only you can figure out the best thing to do and how you will be happiest in the long run. I think it's just important to give yourself a break from finding the perfect job and take the time to figure out exactly what that is before making another move. Whatever you decide to do right now, I wish you the best!

~Shrek~ · Sep 23, 2019

Unless there is some kind of abuse going on, or you absolutely cannot stand the ICU for whatever reason, I would try to stay at least 1 year before moving on. If you have a job offer at the Cath Lab already, then aim to stay there at least 1 year, ideally 2, to show to future employers that you are able to hold a job long-term.

DAL2010 · Sep 24, 2019

Is Travel Nursing or Contract Nursing an option for you? In my first few years, I worked Med Surg, Cardiac/Neuro Critical Care, Home Health and Psych. Was always content at work, but never quite happy. After a few months, I would get itchy for the next thing. I took on Travel Nursing and left home with only the next 13 weeks accounted for. I did multiple contracts in different states, and lined up my next contract about a month before the current one ended. I always chose 13-week contracts, and finally, one new city - in a part of the county I'd never actually considered living in - just felt right to me, and I decided to stay. Before my Travel Contract ended, I contacted the internal float pool manager, and secured a job as a Float Pool RN. I finished my Cardiac unit contract on a Saturday, and oriented to Float Pool the following Monday. It is a large city and my hospital has a large presence, so as a Float Pool nurse, I worked Med Surg, IMCU, ICU & Psych at a total of 6 facilities. After a year and half, I realized I felt truly happy at the Psych Hospital, and transitioned there full-time. That's been 2 years ago now, and I am truly happy with my work. The variety that led me here gave me a strong basis for how and where I want to practice, likely, for the rest of my career. I no longer have impulses to try the next thing; I just want to continue to grow where I am.

If leaving your geographic home to travel is not an option, you could just look for contracts in your area. Local contracts exist, anywhere from 4-12 weeks at a time. They would be premium pay, as well.