How long should you wait before transferring to another unit????

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 14, 2009

i know how you feel. your floor sounds like mine! to answer your question; if you want to transfer you have to wait until you are eligible. my advice is to transfer as soon as you are eligible. if you are unable to transfer, then do as i have done and start applying to eds or icus outside of your current hospital!

within my current hospital i was allowed to apply after 6 months of work though the rule is usually 18 months for new grads to transfer (no joke, 18 months)!! i was denied an ed position twice and so i started applying outside of my hospital and landed a job to start soon. i am still a new grad because i am shy of 1 year of work experience but i refused to wait until i have worked 18 months in the hopes of being able to transfer "someday". in general i know that if you do not start in a specialty, hospitals do not want to honor your request to transfer into a specialty! :twocents: good luck to you!

MikeyBSN · Sep 14, 2009

The basic rule that I have heard is 2 years, and I completely agree with that. I don't think anyone should switch jobs or floors after 3 months. I completely disagree with the above poster. If you transfer to another hospital after only 3 months, it's going to look really, really bad on future resumes, and that's assuming that anyone will hire you when you are looking to leave a job after only 3 months (which I sincerely doubt). As you can see, the above poster was denied the ED twice. This is because you should not switch floors for, at the very least, 1 year, and 2 years for critical care areas. It's true that some hospitals hire nurses right into critical care areas, but they usually have a specific and extensive orientation program. Why would a hospital spend resources orienting a nurse to a critical care area when they just oriented them to a different area and then the nurse wanted to leave after only 3 months? I think any transfer before 2 years makes a person look like a quitter.

gogatsby · Sep 14, 2009

I've been at my hospital for about four months, and I *really* want to switch hospital. I'm currently on a med/surg unit, and I would try one at another hospital, but I'm just very unhappy with how my hospital is run. I don't think it's too early to start looking...you never know what you may find! People switch jobs all the time...I'm not sure why nursing has this "you must do your time" mindset. If you don't like your job or your working conditions, you have every right to find something you like better.

MikeyBSN · Sep 14, 2009

I've been at my hospital for about four months, and I *really* want to switch hospital. I'm currently on a med/surg unit, and I would try one at another hospital, but I'm just very unhappy with how my hospital is run. I don't think it's too early to start looking...you never know what you may find! People switch jobs all the time...I'm not sure why nursing has this "you must do your time" mindset. If you don't like your job or your working conditions, you have every right to find something you like better.

It's not a "nursing mindset", any career services professional or job guru will tell you that non-temporary, short tenures of employment look really bad, especially when you just start out. What happens if you leave your job and hate the new job as well, or get fired, or get laid off? Then you're going to have 2 jobs with only a few months at each place and people are going to think you're a job-hopper. Oh, and I hate to break this to you, but I sincerely doubt that you are going to like the way that any hospital is being run. Politics is politics, no matter where you go. I also don't know many people who switch jobs "all the time", at lest not without being at one job for a significant time.

gogatsby · Sep 14, 2009

While I understand that it is better to stay at a job to demonstrate commitment and feel comfortable where you work, I really do believe that if you're unhappy with where you are, then you should pursue other opportunities. I believe I have very valid reasons for not staying at the facility where I work, even if it hasn't been one-two years yet. Will another hospital be just the same? Maybe, maybe not. You never know unless you try. I will be more selective in my next job search, as I can afford to be...last time around it was, "Take whatever you can get because no one is hiring new grads." With a little more experience under my belt (what little it may be), I feel like I have a better opportunity to find something that works better for me...and therefore, will be better for my patients.

Just my opinion, although I certainly understand what you're saying.

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 14, 2009

What's with the one year?

It cost the floor money to give you the extensive orientation new grads require. If you want to work in a speciality, it will cost your new employer extra money it takes to give you the longer orientation new grads require. Money is tight now.

Unless you are so unhappy you cannot function, are being mistreated, or are being pushed into unsafe practice, stay where you are for now.

Prove that you are not the sort of person who quits at the first minor hardship. Use your time to look around at the job market in your area. Shadow a few nurses and ask around about other nurses workplaces.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 15, 2009

if you transfer to another hospital after only 3 months, it's going to look really, really bad on future resumes, and that's assuming that anyone will hire you when you are looking to leave a job after only 3 months (which i sincerely doubt). as you can see, the above poster was denied the ed twice. this is because you should not switch floors for, at the very least, 1 year, and 2 years for critical care areas.

your post is untrue! first of all i worked for my organization for over 2 years and so it does not look bad on my resume. also, i was given permission to transfer within my current hospital because my floor closed on me after orientation (no fault of my own). so, i applied and was denied twice for the reason that new grads were not being taken both times i applied. next time you try to use a poster as an example, know the facts!

btw, there are plenty of posters (new grads) who quit one job for another with no repercussions. in general, who-you-know out weights general rules of remain at a job you hate for any length of time! plus, no one cares how long you remained at a particular job if you have a legitimate excuse to leave. having your heart set on a particular specialty is a legitimate excuse. so is leaving a floor that is "not the right fit". ask experienced nurses how often they have jumped around and used that reason or another to leave an employer.

i think any transfer before 2 years makes a person look like a quitter.

quitters?? we are not mechanics we are nurses! we work on patients, not cars! we need not remain in a bad situation because "the man" says so (btw, i am not calling you the man, i am referring to a rule made up by employers and not workers)!

op: do not remain on a bad floor! you may not have a license of which to speak of in 2 years!

jhodaki, RN · Sep 17, 2009

quitters?? we are not mechanics we are nurses! we work on patients, not cars! we need not remain in a bad situation because "the man" says so

i completely agree. as nurses, we work hard for our money, and it's not worth it to stay in a position that you are really unhappy with, especially if it is making you rethink nursing as a whole!

i started in the cvicu straight out of nursing school, although everyone said it was a bad idea. it was probably the best decision i make... it is a perfect fit, and i'm learning like crazy! however, like some previous posts have mentioned, the hospital i work for had an amazing orientation program. i worked with a preceptor for three months, took icu classes, and a whole bunch of other education on pacemakers, open heart surgeries, iabps, basic and 12 lead ekg classes. but i think the thing that mattered the most with the entire experience was the support i received from my co-workers, managers, and educator. if you don't feel supported by the people around you, the chances of succeeding are decreased. i never feel uncomfortable asking a question, even if it's something i feel like i should know already. i have truly become a better nurse than i thought i ever could be because of my experience here.

if you do not like your floor/unit, i suggest looking elsewhere. other people were right in the fact that money is tight now, so it might be difficult to find something else right now that is exactly what you want. the original post was regarding going from a floor to the icu or ed... does your hospital have an ed or icu? we have a lot of tele nurses that just come up and talk to our managers or director if they are interested in coming up to the icu. it doesn't hurt to ask. you will learn wherever you are, but if you don't like where you are or feel like you aren't challenged enough, look elsewhere. :coollook:

MikeyBSN · Sep 17, 2009

your post is untrue! first of all i worked for my organization for over 2 years and so it does not look bad on my resume. also, i was given permission to transfer within my current hospital because my floor closed on me after orientation (no fault of my own). so, i applied and was denied twice for the reason that new grads were not being taken both times i applied. next time you try to use a poster as an example, know the facts!

your profile says you have been a nurse for 1 year, so how did you apply twice after working for two years? they denied you because they were not taking new grads? you're a new grad at two years? i don't think so. i think you misunderstood my post. that part of my post was about not transferring floors until you have 2 years of nursing experience on the floor. changing employers is a different issue.

btw, there are plenty of posters (new grads) who quit one job for another with no repercussions. in general, who-you-know out weights general rules of remain at a job you hate for any length of time! plus, no one cares how long you remained at a particular job if you have a legitimate excuse to leave. having your heart set on a particular specialty is a legitimate excuse. so is leaving a floor that is "not the right fit". ask experienced nurses how often they have jumped around and used that reason or another to leave an employer.

yes, there are plenty of grad changing jobs, and they're taking a huge risk. just look at all the people on here who can't find jobs. i agree that "who you know" helps, but what if you don't know anyone? i've been working since i was 14 and every manager i've ever known and most career experts say that short term tenures look suspicious. it doesn't mean you can't get a job if you have them, but you'll have some explaining to do. so if she hates it that bad then leave, but just know that it is a pretty big risk, especially as a new job.

quitters?? we are not mechanics we are nurses! we work on patients, not cars! we need not remain in a bad situation because "the man" says so (btw, i am not calling you the man, i am referring to a rule made up by employers and not workers)!

i'm not saying she has to do what "the man" says. i'm just saying that, in my experience, leaving a job after a short time is risky. i don't want her to get stuck like i've seen so many people get stuck after making that decision.

op: do not remain on a bad floor! you may not have a license of which to speak of in 2 years!

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

your profile says you have been a nurse for 1 year, so how did you apply twice after working for two years? they denied you because they were not taking new grads? you're a new grad at two years? i don't think so. i think you misunderstood my post. that part of my post was about not transferring floors until you have 2 years of nursing experience on the floor. changing employers is a different issue.

total misunderstanding on your part... first anyone can work for a hospital for two years and not have worked as a nurse that entire time (ever heard of techs?????). second, people apply for jobs (in my case a transfer since i worked on a different floor) when they graduate from nursing school and that is their first attempt. the second attempt can be 6 months later if allowed. if you add that up... that is twice in one year and i am still a new grad.

i'm not saying she has to do what "the man" says. i'm just saying that, in my experience, leaving a job after a short time is risky. i don't want her to get stuck like i've seen so many people get stuck after making that decision.

yes, it is risky... but so is remaining on a floor you hate or that is a danger to your license. i agree that one must weigh his/her options when leaving an employer... thinking of my situation, there is no way i could remain where i worked. along with being unable to keep my peace of mind, i would not be able to attend grad school in the time frame i wish due to being stuck in med surg and not having ed experience. the type of graduate schools i am looking to attend require ed or icu or similar experience to be a competitive candidate. btw, i am glad that most people think like you because i probably would not have landed my new job. i would definitely have had too much competition trying to leave my former employer!!!

for instance, though most of my co-workers were shocked many secretly pulled me aside and asked me to look out for them! all stated that they have thought about leaving the facility as well but were too afraid to do so... their reason varied... however, some (new grads) think as you do and told me so before they found out i was leaving... the new grads repeat the 1 year line (they either stay out of fear of a resume looking bad or they are afraid to feel like quitters) ... after they found out i was leaving these same people asked to go with me! sadly, four former new grads did not see the light in time.

they thought as you and attempted to transfer when given permission to do so after a year. all were denied (this poor excuse for a floor has a way of keeping its' nurses... it is a trap)!! afterwards, all four had nervous breakdowns (i am not joking)! one had a breakdown so bad she finally quit without giving a two week notice and sent a hateful email when she left to everyone on the floor!!!! in stark contrast, one former new grad saw the writing on the wall prior to a year and left before his year was up. he landed a job in critical care (which was his goal) somewhere else. he was my inspiration for looking elsewhere and he is far from being a quitter... he is a retired us marine!

i too worked in other fields. employment is not black and white or cut and dry... unlike you i know it is a waste of time to over-think risks to the point that it scares you into submission (remaining a year or two on a floor you despise = submission). yes, nursing employment is bad right now due to the economy. however i noticed by reading several thread on this board that nurses are still moving around!! the pattern i have noticed is that in order to leave one employer for another it is best to have some recent acute care experience, current employment (for some reason this is attractive), and the right excuse (there are many... keep reading the threads)! i mentioned connections... but they are used to seal the deal... you do not necessarily have to have them to get your foot in a door.

GraceNotes · Sep 22, 2009

I agree that you can wait too long to transfer and risk your future. After giving notice that I was quitting, I worked on pins and needles, fearing an "incident" would ruin my hopeful future. The last 2 wks, I had highly acute pts and beyond full assignments with little to no support staff. I managed to leave on a good note, just in time.

A good potential employer should recognize nursing isn't one-size-fits-all.

Since I became a nurse, I believe more than ever that being frank and honest is best; if it's meant to be, it will be; if the truth doesn't work for them, you don't want to work for them.