How soon can I quit a new job?

[floridaRNsb]

Recently moved across the country to swap from a level one ED to a level one SICU. I loved taking care of the near death patients in the ED and I thrived in the chaotic environment surrounding critical care. My coworkers were excellent, management was extremely fair, and the docs were great. Essentially, I only moved so I can get ICU experience and later apply to flight jobs (currently have 2 years of experience). I now hate my new job. There is nothing about it I am happy with and it is primarily centered around my misunderstanding of the true acuity and lifestyle of the ICU. While some patients are critical, many just require closer monitoring than can be provided on a med surg floor. My preceptors have been great, my management has been great, and the docs are personable. The ICU just doesn't fit my personality and what I view as enjoyable. I have only been here a month and worry that if I quit and move again it will look awful for future academic or job opportunities. Should I just suck it up for the full year and just embrace the learning that comes with it or resign and move back to an area I enjoy. Unfortunately, it is essentially impossible for me to move 2500 miles back to my old job so getting a new one would  be both difficult and a crap shoot if I will like it.

[bluescoop, BSN, RN]

You can quit whenever you want. I've quit jobs in the middle of training and still got paid for the time I wasted $$$

[Lipoma, BSN, RN]

What I am about to say is coming from someone who transferred from a community hospital ED to a level 1 trauma center cardiac ICU. I want to preface that I wanted to quit within 1 week of working there, but my end goal was CRNA school, so I had no choice but to stick it out for a year. That said, I will always recommend any nurse who works in the ED to do at least 1 year in an ICU, regardless of short-term or long-term goals. It'll only make them a better clinician, and looking back, I became way more confident in my overall skills. I would also like to agree with you that the personalities of the ED and ICU are night and day and that's why I preferred working in the ED. 

Now, to answer your question, you can quit whenever you deem necessary. But I urge you to just stick it out, be a sponge, and absorb every and anything. 

[MaxAttack, BSN, RN]

The vast majority of my experience has been critical care, including three level I trauma ICUs. My absolute favorite shifts are getting those crashing and burning admissions but my biggest gripe is exactly the same - the vast majority of patients are there for monitoring or are "critical" but not unstable.

I've never done ER because I've always thought the stomach aches and little complaints would drive me insane, but after reading your post I'm realizing that I really need to give it a shot.

[Ruth E. Raleigh]

Ask yourself whether your unhappiness at this new position is causing you to make errors in your patient care.  If so, then you would want to leave.  Other nurses have recommended sticking it out but in reality, you have to be true to yourself and if this is not for you, then you would need to make a change and leave.

[DallasRN]

Food for thought.  First, you moved 2500 miles across country.  That alone is stressful enough and frankly, I probably wouldn't even like the "new" air I was breathing in the first month.  Couple that with new living arrangements, new co-workers, perhaps a new type of culture in the new location, a new job with different requirements...what's not to hate?😆

I have found it takes a minimum of about 6 months to settle into a new position.  Even one within the same hospital (e.g., had you moved from ED to ICU in your prior hospital).  I don't recall ever really loving a job during those first few months.  I've worked in many different ICU's and ED's over the years.  They all have different personalities but I will say ICU's seem to be more clicquish than ED's.  

Finally, remember your primary goal.  Every day wake up thinking you are one step closer to that goal.  After a few months if you're still unhappy?  Move on.  Best of luck.

[Davey Do]

You've received some good sound advice from the other members, floridaRNsb, and as I read the first four posts, I was shaking my head and agreeing with them- yes, you can quit at anytime without necessarily receiving any negative reprecussions.

Then, I read DallasRN's post about giving it 6 months, and harkened back to my days as an OR scrub nurse. In the first three months, I was all thumbs, thought maybe this was not my area, when everything fell into place and I excelled in that position.

We never know how things will pan out, but the choice is yours, and you need to be comfortable with your decision.

Good luck!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

If you're only there to resume build for a future job as a flight nurse, I would suck it up so you can put ICU experience on your resume.  

But if you're absolutely miserable then you can leave anytime for greener grass.

(As a med-surg nurse with 6:1 ratio, even if a patient isn't all that sick, if they need closer monitoring that a 6:1 ratio can't provide, they need that higher level of care, maybe not ICU but at least step down).