If you accept a job, stay at least a year

Nurses Professionalism

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I see a lot of people here, especially newer nurses, tell us that they got this cruddy job, and they are looking for their dream job. They will quit a job 2 months into it when said dream job comes up.

I just want to go on record here. I disapprove of that and feel like it's unprofessional. You wouldn't see other professions behave like that. Can you imagine an engineer or a lawyer, or any other of the real professions, taking a position, then quitting in 3 months to take another one. No, that is behavior of fast food workers and mini-mart employees.

I don't know why managers are even interested in nurses who do that. It's like dating a man who is cheating on his wife. Do you really think he's not going to eventually do that to you as well?

Maybe it would elevate the profession if nurses signed employment contracts like other professions do.

I hear people here complain that, 'I don't want to risk my license!' where they are now working. I think that's a bunch of hooey. They are trying to sugar coat their unprofessional decision to leave a job shortly after being trained with high and mighty hogwash. People don't lose their license for working in a less than stellar institution.

And there you have it, my two cents. :cool:

When I saw this thread, I thought of my own little hospital. On my unit (20 beds), they hired 6 new grads in May. All have now quit, some with 2 whole weeks notice and some who just said they wouldn't be back. If you don't like the job and you're going to quit as soon as your orientation is over, if it has something to do with the working conditions and not that you got your "dream" job, at least have the common courtesy to tell your supervisor why you are quitting. We suspect we know why some are leaving but the ppl quitting are giving some BS excuse to our management. If there's a problem, it's never going to be fixed if someone doesn't tell the right ppl. (well, might not be fixed even then, but definitely not if no one knows the problem) I have this sneaky feeling that eventually the rest of us nurses are going to be blamed.

My gosh, what's wrong with your hospital?

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Specializes in Critical Care.
When I saw this thread, I thought of my own little hospital. On my unit (20 beds), they hired 6 new grads in May. All have now quit, some with 2 whole weeks notice and some who just said they wouldn't be back. If you don't like the job and you're going to quit as soon as your orientation is over, if it has something to do with the working conditions and not that you got your "dream" job, at least have the common courtesy to tell your supervisor why you are quitting. We suspect we know why some are leaving but the ppl quitting are giving some BS excuse to our management. If there's a problem, it's never going to be fixed if someone doesn't tell the right ppl. (well, might not be fixed even then, but definitely not if no one knows the problem) I have this sneaky feeling that eventually the rest of us nurses are going to be blamed.

Seems like a lot of turnover for such a small unit! What do you think the reason for that is? Regardless of any problems with the unit, invariably they will find some more new grads to take their place, I'm sure.

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I think it really just depends on the situation. I accepted a full-time MedSurg position intending to be at the job for at least a year as a new RN. It was close to home at a small hospital. I loved the short drive to work. On orientation I heard most of the nurses complaining of being called off from their scheduled shift. This meant that full-time nurses were only working part time and it was cutting into their paycheck. When I came off orientation in my second month of working there it happened to me also. They were having issues with low census. I needed a full-time paycheck but I stuck it out. After 4 months of working there I started looking for another job. I went to a job interview at another hospital and I was hired on the spot. They asked me why I was wanting to leave after only four months and I told them the truth that I needed a full-time paycheck. They completely understood.

I ended up working at my first job for only 5 months. I left not because I didn't like where I worked but for financial reasons.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

I don't agree with the OP at all. If you find a better job or one that you want more comes up, go for it. What if that opening doesn't reappear for 2 or 3 more years? You could have blown it by passing it up.

Furthermore, some departments in my hospital won't hire nurses without a certain type of experience. For example, I worked in the med surg float pool in my hospital. My dream was to work in CTICU. However, the CTICU prefers that you have ICU experience. Therefore, the next logical step for me was to get hired into any ICU so that I could go to CTICU. For that reason I accepted a MICU position, which is where I am working. As soon as CTICU is hiring, I'm going to go for it whether I have been in MICU for a year or not.

I wouldn't have to do all this if the department didn't want ICU experience, but that's how THEY arranged this. The SICU in my hospital does the same thing: "surgical and ICU experience preferred" in the job description. My friend left his medical floor for a surgical stepdown floor, because he wants to go to SICU at the earliest chance he can. I don't blame him for doing that. I blame the organization.

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"I hear people here complain that, 'I don't want to risk my license!' where they are now working. I think that's a bunch of hooey. They are trying to sugar coat their unprofessional decision to leave a job shortly after being trained with high and mighty hogwash. People don't lose their license for working in a less than stellar institution".

But you can lose your license based on the things those institutions insist that you do/are responsible for or your failure to provide appropriate nursing care when you have an overwhelming patient load. I hope you never fall off your high horse because you are going to be in a whole world of hurt.

P.S. Opinions are like hemorrhoids, lots of people have them, but don't make the assumption that everyone is interested in them.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I went to work med-surg directly out of school. I worked full-time for nine months, at which point I went PRN to go work my 'dream job'. I didn't want to ditch my first employer totally, but I'd have been stupid to turn down the other job. It was community health nursing at a clinic I'd worked for in nursing school doing migrant farmworker outreach. The medical director and I were both at a going-away party for a mutual friend and he essentially offered me the job on the spot. The interview a couple weeks later was merely a formality.

One of the best decisions I've ever made. I loved that job and would go back to it in a heartbeat if my youngest were old enough for school.

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My gosh, what's wrong with your hospital?

Good question, they've asked all the previous employees what's up but I think the key is finding out why all the new ones want to leave so that things can hopefully be improved. Sad sad situation. Personally, I only work part-time and rarely see the new ppl until they are getting off orientation then only see them a time or 2 before they quit.

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Seems like a lot of turnover for such a small unit! What do you think the reason for that is? Regardless of any problems with the unit, invariably they will find some more new grads to take their place, I'm sure.

My biggest problem with the whole thing is that patients are the ones who suffer from short-staffing. And giving 2 weeks' notice is not long enough for a new person to be trained to take their place.

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P.S. Opinions are like hemorrhoids, lots of people have them, but don't make the assumption that everyone is interested in them.

But as nurses, aren't we supposed to care? hehe, just kidding! But I love this line!!

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My license is worth more than my loyalty to any healthcare facility.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.
Looking back, I'm glad I left my med-surg job after one year. The staffing ratios were absolutely ridiculous, the expectations were even worse and it was a dangerous environment. It's hilarious because the hospital itself is ranked one of the highest in the state and is Magnet status. Big difference THAT makes.

Went to check your profile. I think we worked at the same Magnet hospital. I had to stay a year due to contract but I not only left there after that year but the whole state:) I've been at my current place 6 years.

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Specializes in Cardiac Step down/ LTC.

I took the first job offer I received from a LTC. I needed a paycheck and experience. 2 weeks after being hired at the LTC I got an interview for cardiac step down at the hospital I wanted to work for ( I had sent my resume in and had an initial phone interview almost 2 months before applying to the LTC). I was offered and accepted the cardiac step down job, even though I had just started the LTC.

What it came down to for me was LTC is not where I want to be as a new nurse. My goal is Trauma SICU and, I am now getting a good start in cardiac step down that will give me the skills, critical thinking etc. to move into the trauma SICU in a couple years.

however, I did not quit the LTC. I was able to go PRN, since I'll be doing 3 12's. I actually really enjoy the residents my coworkers their. If the LTC did not allow me to stay PRN I would not of felt too bad about quitting only 3 weeks into it, because they did not put any money into my orientation.

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