I started in March, just as COVID hit. I didn’t like the job, but thought I would give it a chance. 6 months on, COVID is not an issue where I am and things are back to normal. But I hate the job more than ever!!
Everyone has such a big ego, even the nurses that have just finished their new grad year. They all think they are the best and know it all. Management is toxic! They bully staff and put staff down every chance they can get.
I worked float pool before, so had done ER and most clinical areas, but they see me as ‘just a floor nurse’ which in their opinion is the lowest form of nursing where all you do is shower/toilet pt all day. I am sick of it.
I feel like I use less skills in the ER than anywhere else I’ve worked. All pts are the same, vitals, ECG, blood draws, urine sample, pain relief, and the odd catheter. I’ve literally done nothing else! I miss all the things I did on the floor.
I applied to a few jobs back in February, before COVID, and to my surprise I got offered interviews at every single hospital. But I chose this job because the manager talked it so much, made it out to be completely different to what it is. This was a big decision for me, it was on the other side of the country. I knew absolutely no one here. And it was an expensive move. I 100% regret my decision.
I feel stuck here. I don’t want to be here. I have told myself I have to stay one year, get that ‘ER experience’, pay off my student loan and not look like a job hopper. But I’m so unhappy. I don’t know if I can stick it out.
OTOH- if you see some reasonable, decent humans flourishing there, part of this might be your perspective. Talk to somebody, either officially or casually. Have a sit down with your immediate supervisor.
^This is good advice.
OP, in light of your latest comment, it's very possible that your feelings about this are exacerbated based on what you went through with the move, the hotels, etc. But, we have to admit that sometimes we choose to go way out of our way, and when we do we often automatically expect more because of what we chose to do.
This is actually a really good life lesson. I haven't moved across country for someone else, but in my daily life I often go out of my way for people. And have caught myself feeling resentful sometimes when they don't seem to care/appreciate it. These experiences teach us to do things for the right reasons and they inform our future decision-making.
You say that manager really talked this up and made it sound like a great opportunity. It might not be. But it also might. Try to separate your feelings about the move and the hotels from what is actually going on there. Try to see things differently and see if that works...because...it actually might.
Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
On 9/2/2020 at 4:24 AM, EDNURSE20 said:
long term I know I want to work in rural/remote nursing. That’s why I went to the ER, to build up my experience. I don’t know how much pacu would help that.
Stick to your plan!
Unless you believe conditions are unsafe.... your life is full of a lot of stressors (not of your making) that are wearing on your tolerance for change. It is not uncommon for well-knit groups not to be welcoming of new people (and this is not solely an ER issue). You don't have to be their friends. You are SIX MONTHS IN! Stop working overtime if that's an option. Three shifts a week x four weeks a month = 12 shifts a month x 6 more months is only 72 more shifts. Count 'em down!!
I'm going against the grain a little bit. I don't think that obtaining that one year of experience with an employer is necessary as long as you don't have huge gaps in employment. Granted that doesn't mean I think it's a good idea to job hop excessively.
We spend too much of our lives at work to put up with it being a miserable experience. If you truly hate going to work and can't resolve that after a frank discussion or two with your manager start looking for something else.
I'm going against the grain a little bit. I don't think that obtaining that one year of experience with an employer is necessary as long as you don't have huge gaps in employment. Granted that doesn't mean I think it's a good idea to job hop excessively.
We spend too much of our lives at work to put up with it being a miserable experience. If you truly hate going to work and can't resolve that after a frank discussion or two with your manager start looking for something else.
I agree. I think it’s one thing to stick it out when it’s hard, but valuable experience and not super miserable, as a new grad the first year is often really tough and putting in a solid year is more important (but still not universally the right thing to do), but OP has experience and based on their interview experience for this job it sounds like it’s solid, good experience.
I’ve quit 2 jobs with less than a year of experience, one after 5 months of being super unhappy and a travel job after 11 shifts of taking 10-15 patients at a time in the ER and I was legitimately scared for my license. My other experience is all 2-6 year stretches and it’s never been an issue.
It’s true that 6 months isn’t that much more time, but OP sounds unhappy and I see no reason not to actively pursue other jobs and leave when they have one secured.
I've been a nurse 15 years. Primarily ICU but I've worked ER as well. I HATE the ER. I just hate it for many reasons. I LOVE ICU. I mean we have our days there too but to me I get more satisfaction from it than the ER. I never have time to think in the ER.
ER just may not be for you. Especially if its not your first job, and at this point you don't like it, it just isn't for you maybe. Id start looking elsewhere.
I agree. I think it’s one thing to stick it out when it’s hard, but valuable experience and not super miserable, as a new grad the first year is often really tough and putting in a solid year is more important (but still not universally the right thing to do), but OP has experience and based on their interview experience for this job it sounds like it’s solid, good experience.
I’ve quit 2 jobs with less than a year of experience, one after 5 months of being super unhappy and a travel job after 11 shifts of taking 10-15 patients at a time in the ER and I was legitimately scared for my license. My other experience is all 2-6 year stretches and it’s never been an issue.
It’s true that 6 months isn’t that much more time, but OP sounds unhappy and I see no reason not to actively pursue other jobs and leave when they have one secured.
I absolutely agree. I wouldn’t even say though that you hate the ER. It may just be a terrible workplace. I worked at my last ER for 6 years and had a wonderful team that was super supportive and I trusted. We were friends inside and outside of work - it was like a second family. I left due to life changes and because I felt like process changes in the ER led to unsafe patient care. The second ER I stayed at for less than a year and am now leaving - it is a terribly toxic environment with a lot of pettiness. I would never work there again. It wasn’t that I hated the ER but had a terrible team and awful environment. Honestly- if you are truly that miserable, there ARE better jobs and teams out there. And sometimes even the ER can get redundant- I had learned all the roles after several years, all the sepsis bundles and STEMI bundles....giving Alteplase or titrating vasopressors or sedation.....it honestly all became the same.....even for the ESI level 1 patients. There is so many more opportunities for nurses and so many better environments- if you are miserable, then make a change and you won’t regret it!
I hope you can find your place. Keep your head up and focus on the positives. You care, that is why you are so in tune to the frustrations you see around you. That is an amazing quality! As an OR RN, I LOVE the land of surgery, but my skill sets are very different than the ED or floor. However, as one that responds to traumas in the ED from the OR, you would be more knowledgeable and more aware of the process. I think you would be a big asset to the team. See if there are any positions open, or speak to the director of PACU/Surgery.
Good luck!
On 9/2/2020 at 5:05 AM, Been there,done that said:
You can handle uppity coworkers and bully management for six more months. Who CARES if they have a big ego, do your job and go home.
You have 6 months to secure your next move. Job hunting will improve your mood and give you hope that this will be over soon.
What do you want to do next?
This is great advice. You have a job currently so the ball is in your court. Take your time and pick the best unit, pay, locations etc. Think of this job not as your career but something you are doing a few days a week to pay the bills until you secure something better. Make sure to do fun things on your days off.
I roll my eyes when I hear ED nurses talk a big game. As a floor RN, I can't count how many times my coworkers and I have had to write incident reports on the ED for subpar or dangerous care. ED often has a mindset of treat em and street em often to the detriment of the patient and miss critical information because they are running around like chickens with their head cut off.
It might piss some ED nurses off, but I liken ED to med-surg on steroids.
I roll my eyes when I hear ED nurses talk a big game. As a floor RN, I can't count how many times my coworkers and I have had to write incident reports on the ED for subpar or dangerous care. ED often has a mindset of treat em and street em often to the detriment of the patient and miss critical information because they are running around like chickens with their head cut off.
It might piss some ED nurses off, but I liken ED to med-surg on steroids.
We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off and we do need to move patients because we don’t have a cap on our census. A delay in patient dispo means the waiting room gets backed up further which is “to the detriment” of many patients. And a med surg level patient in an assignment with critical patients in the ED is not going to get the attention they need.
If you’re writing up ED nurses a lot, I suspect there’s major patient throughput and staffing levels in your ED.
We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off and we do need to move patients because we don’t have a cap on our census. A delay in patient dispo means the waiting room gets backed up further which is “to the detriment” of many patients. And a med surg level patient in an assignment with critical patients in the ED is not going to get the attention they need.
If you’re writing up ED nurses a lot, I suspect there’s major patient throughput and staffing levels in your ED.
I roll my eyes when I hear ED nurses talk a big game. As a floor RN, I can't count how many times my coworkers and I have had to write incident reports on the ED for subpar or dangerous care. ED often has a mindset of treat em and street em often to the detriment of the patient and miss critical information because they are running around like chickens with their head cut off.
It might piss some ED nurses off, but I liken ED to med-surg on steroids.
If you get a chance, float or shadow in the ER.
Maybe your ER sucks and is full of incompetence. But, I don't tend to see this attitude from anybody who actually knows the ER.
JKL33
7,039 Posts
^This is good advice.
OP, in light of your latest comment, it's very possible that your feelings about this are exacerbated based on what you went through with the move, the hotels, etc. But, we have to admit that sometimes we choose to go way out of our way, and when we do we often automatically expect more because of what we chose to do.
This is actually a really good life lesson. I haven't moved across country for someone else, but in my daily life I often go out of my way for people. And have caught myself feeling resentful sometimes when they don't seem to care/appreciate it. These experiences teach us to do things for the right reasons and they inform our future decision-making.
You say that manager really talked this up and made it sound like a great opportunity. It might not be. But it also might. Try to separate your feelings about the move and the hotels from what is actually going on there. Try to see things differently and see if that works...because...it actually might.