How much experience?

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi! I'm a new grad working on a medical telemetry floor. I was hired basically on the spot and I've come to realize that it's because most of our staff on nights have about a year of experience or less. Very high turnover rate. And most of our staff are looking for new positions. The air of negativity is pretty thick. It's not a happy floor to work on at all. Not saying that I expected nursing to be all roses and cotton candy, but I feel like other floors have more support. We have a pretty rough floor. Anyway, I am wondering how much time should I spend on my floor before it's "cordial" to leave. I know that it takes a lot of money to train a new grad. My heart is in psych and I plan to specialize in it, perhaps even obtaining my psych np. I don't want to burn any bridges and I hate to leave my colleagues in the lurch. Any suggestions?

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

What are the chances that you currently work on the same unit I left almost a year ago?? It sounds exactly what I left behind, and I never looked back. So much happier now. I gave them just over 2 years of my life, my opportunity to shed my new grad status, and I bolted thereafter. I so wanted to leave after a year but I pushed myself into 2 with no regrets. The manager did not even acknowledge my resignation letter, ever. Yet 2 months later she is requesting to connect with me through LinkedIn? Sorry, you dont get that privilege!

But to answer your question: a year is the minimum acceptable time to give. Not for THEM, but for yourself. Anything less makes you look like a jumper. Which is why I opted for 2 years. That is a respectable amount of time to give to a job before you decide that you need to expand your wings elsewhere. That is what I think. My career has been on an upswing since.

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Thanks for replying! I figured a year is the go to number. I was going to try and stick it out for a year. It's going to be the longest year of my life! It wouldn't be so bad if we had more resource and more experienced staff. I'm really new, and when things come up that I've never done before, I go to the other staff nurses and either they haven't done it, or really don't have an answer, and we're often so busy that they don't really have time to help which I don't blame them. It's incredibly scary. I don't wanna make a huge mistake and lose my license because we have a terribly understaffed and inexperienced floor.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Does your hospital have a psych department,? normally some hospital will allow you to transfer within units after certain time.. if not, continue your search where your heart belong, give proper notice and never look back. Good luck to you dear!

p.s, having a med surg/tele experience is also a good look when moving over to psych specialty.

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

It's harder to lose your license than most people think. You have to do something so egregious and so negligent to even come close. Nurses make errors frequently when understaffed. You just have to think before you act and know when to seek assistance if you're not sure.

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Specializes in Peds, Neuro, Orthopedics.

I think lots of nurse managers realize we have no choice but to grab the first job we can get in this economy, and that's why we're "job-hopping" already in our first year. I just got a new job with 6 months experience. I don't care if I look like a job-hopper, I have to put my mental health and happiness first. I plan to stay at the new hospital for a few years, though. (I only have to put in 1 year on the floor, then I hope to move into case management or patient placement or something away from the bedside. I can't do that in my current job: I'm signed on to work 2 years on the floor. Adios amigos!)

I say start looking NOW. Sometimes it takes them weeks to respond, and then weeks to interview, and then weeks to start, so the job you apply for now you might not get for months, or a year even. I was just contacted by a hospital I applied to a year ago for a job!! I thought they must be joking! I applied in June 2014!

Good luck to you, OP. Look out for #1.

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