How Long Did You stay at Your First Job as a Nurse?

J_W, DNP, APRN, CNS · Feb 6, 2005

I stayed at my first nursing job for 2.5 years, then left to work in the ICU at a different facility in the same town. Stayed there for 3.75 years, started graduate school in there somewhere, then decided I wanted trauma experience, so went to the university hospital (used to be called the county hospital) and stayed there 2.5 years, then graduated from MSN program and started as CNS and was there at that facility for 3.5 years and things changed at that facility for he worse (it became for-profit) so I moved to a different city and have been in my current CNS role since 11/2003 and I love it, so I hope to stay where I am at permamently...

renerian, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2005

6.5 years. I would have stayed except my father/grandmother were in hospice in a calander year so I could not get a leave to care for my father so I had no choice but to leave. I loved my job.

renerian :crying2:

pmanrnbflo · Feb 6, 2005

Last night was the last night of my first job..I lasted 11 months on the night shift (6:30 pm to 7:00am). My body and my family could not take those hours any longer. I will be working as a visiting nurse starting tomorrow (Monday), and working per deim for our local hospice. They have a 22 bed inpatient unit that is set up mostly like a hospital. This way I can keep my hands in some what of a clinical setting.

Good luck.

Phil

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Feb 6, 2005

wow!! you guys are good. i'm quite the jumper!! first job was 1 yr, 10 months. my average is 1.5 yrs i guess. now i have a few per-diem gigs, so i don't know how that count (i guess it doesn't make the hopping look as bad). my record is almost 4 yrs at one place (two yrs as a part timer and almost 2 yrs as a per-diem). oh, how i wish i could find a place that i could stay at for at least 5 yrs. i have ants in my pants (just can't stay still in one place!!!!)

allnurses Guide · Feb 6, 2005

Still there. :eek:

I became a nurse 6 years ago and had a job offer before I graduated and am still working at the same hospital.

steph

asher315 · Feb 6, 2005

Hi! Well, I've been a nurse for 21 years and I think I tried just about all the hospitals in the area atleast once. My first was a small community hospital, I worked Med-surg for 14 months (liked it) but moved to another state for a job in a level II nursery. Loved it alot but got very homesick and came back home after 4 months. Went back to the first hospital and stayed for seven plus years. Next job was a government contract job that was cancelled after 18 months, then another small community hosp on OB. Then they closed the OB unit and turned it into a pain management clinic for 2 years (loved the job and people) but they shut its doors so then I came to my present hospital where I have been for almost 8 years in OB/Nsy. Plus I've tried CCU, NICU, PICU, med-surg and NICU again but I'm a newborn nursery nurse at my core.

tylerlvn · Feb 7, 2005

I just wanted to know what atera of nursing you are employed in, since you love it. Plus, in what area of Texas are you located? I am in the Houston area.

I am in LTC in Lake Jackson. It is about 45 min. from Houston. I love my facilty. As a new nurse I was really nervous. My DON and the rest of the nursing staff has been so great explaining, training, making feel comfortable. In school I had heard all these stories about seasoned nurses just eating the young ones alive...I have seen just the opposite. I new in nursing school that I wanted to work in geriatrics.

DelightRN · Feb 7, 2005

I think a lot of it is knowing what you want to do. I didn't, and so I floundered in areas I thought were vaguely interesting until I settled into something I really liked.

If you know what you want right out of the gate, you're in better shape.