If you've left a mega hospital for a smaller company...

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

How did you fare?

I mentioned I'm toying around with the idea of maybe leaving the mega hospital system I work for to maybe transition to a imaging center that is a national chain.

I've only been with the hospital about 8mos. Always knew floor nursing isn't "it" for me but want a respectable resume to move on.

So far I passed the phone interview and will proceed to the next step. Who knows what sort of shot I really have but I like to be prepared.

I was surprised to learn that this position makes "significantly more" than my curreny position. I make a little above starting but always figured clinics and whatnot paid less. My health benefits are really good too, especially I don't have to make a huge contribution so that's important as well.

Even in best case if I'd have the opportunity to take this job, I'm nervous to leave a mega hospital that pretty much rules everything in this area including many of the out patient clinics for an "unknown" especially since that unknown is based in another state across the country!

Any thoughts appreciated.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

Even in best case if I'd have the opportunity to take this job, I'm nervous to leave a mega hospital that pretty much rules everything in this area including many of the out patient clinics for an "unknown" especially since that unknown is based in another state across the country!

Any thoughts appreciated.

If you leave on good terms there should be no reason that you cannot be rehired at a later date if you choose. Thus, put in your two week notice after you receive a job offer. Also thank your manager for the opportunity but [feel in the blank with respectful comments] and move on. Hope that helps.

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

What is your concern with leaving? If you leave on good terms there should be no reason that you cannot be rehired at a later date if you choose. Thus, put in your two week notice after you receive a job offer. Also thank your manager for the opportunity but [feel in the blank with respectful comments] and move on. Hope that helps.

Thanks it's just that this company I work for leads you to believe if you ever leave do not plan on trying to return to them. I agree that it would be nice if I could be re hired if need be, but this system is all about transferring around within their system. I get the impression that they feel if you want to work as an RN in any capacity they pretty much have a job to cover that. I do know of a couple of people that left on decent terms just were burned out from the hospital now they're having a hard time getting back and this hospital doesn't do anything much on referral it's an online process that can take awhile from what I've heard.

I'm nervous b/c I know for a fact if this opportunity works out, it won't be the last stop. I love the teaching aspects but I realize there's not going to be much of a variety. It will be the same teaching points, even with diet, it's not like I can teach healthier choices it's just the basic diet or fasting for tests.

I'm afraid that if I leave the hospital too soon, I will have burned my chances down the line for another position that will have wanted a strong floor experience background for whatever I want to do in wellness promotion. It seems other positions want 3 to 5 years hosptal experience. Not sure what's negotiable.

Aside from occassionaly getting pulled to a med/surg floor I won't have a strong background with various ailments anyway. Since I'm on an ortho unit I can pretty much anticpate various orders. I'm still a lost fish when I get a med/surg patient, but I have zero desire to strictly work on that type of floor. I prefer dealing with patients who are mostly well. Just my preference.

This company I'm interviewing for just emerged from Chap 11 restructuring clearing out significant debt but received new revolving credit for working capital for their ongoing operations. I guess part of that is opening a center near me. Part of that is really exciting to maybe get in on that, the other part is scary.

Oh, and I did leave on what I thought was excellent terms from my last job. I was respectful, gave 2 weeks notice wrote a very nice letter of termination offering to chat with the DON, neither she nor my nurse manager had word one to say to me. I was never wished well, nice having you nothing. They despised that I was moving on however I get they could be petty, but genearally our experiences color our perceptions.

[ijuanabhappy, ASN, RN]

Thanks it's just that this company I work for leads you to believe if you ever leave do not plan on trying to return to them. I agree that it would be nice if I could be re hired if need be, but this system is all about transferring around within their system. I get the impression that they feel if you want to work as an RN in any capacity they pretty much have a job to cover that. I do know of a couple of people that left on decent terms just were burned out from the hospital now they're having a hard time getting back and this hospital doesn't do anything much on referral it's an online process that can take awhile from what I've heard.

I'm nervous b/c I know for a fact if this opportunity works out, it won't be the last stop. I love the teaching aspects but I realize there's not going to be much of a variety. It will be the same teaching points, even with diet, it's not like I can teach healthier choices it's just the basic diet or fasting for tests.

I'm afraid that if I leave the hospital too soon, I will have burned my chances down the line for another position that will have wanted a strong floor experience background for whatever I want to do in wellness promotion. It seems other positions want 3 to 5 years hosptal experience. Not sure what's negotiable.

Aside from occassionaly getting pulled to a med/surg floor I won't have a strong background with various ailments anyway. Since I'm on an ortho unit I can pretty much anticpate various orders. I'm still a lost fish when I get a med/surg patient, but I have zero desire to strictly work on that type of floor. I prefer dealing with patients who are mostly well. Just my preference.

This company I'm interviewing for just emerged from Chap 11 restructuring clearing out significant debt but received new revolving credit for working capital for their ongoing operations. I guess part of that is opening a center near me. Part of that is really exciting to maybe get in on that, the other part is scary.

Oh, and I did leave on what I thought was excellent terms from my last job. I was respectful, gave 2 weeks notice wrote a very nice letter of termination offering to chat with the DON, neither she nor my nurse manager had word one to say to me. I was never wished well, nice having you nothing. They despised that I was moving on however I get they could be petty, but genearally our experiences color our perceptions.

I'm kind of in the same boat you are but decided to take the plunge for the smaller company. It was closer, better hours, and better pay. I'm really stressed out though because the hospital is saying I am not eligible for rehire because I did not give sufficient notice. Well my situation was a little different. I, too, have tried floor nursing and it is just not for me. I was in one internship and not succeeding, so I was given an opportunity to start another internship in June. Well, I am in between jobs. The new internship has not started yet. I was offered a better opportunity and decided to turn down the internship. Now they are saying I am not eligible for rehire. If I gave two weeks notice, where would I have worked for two weeks when the internship has not even began? I would say do what is best for you, your family, and your mental health. When one door closes, another one opens. At least that is what I'm telling myself. Decisions are hard to make, I know.

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I'm kind of in the same boat you are but decided to take the plunge for the smaller company. It was closer, better hours, and better pay. I'm really stressed out though because the hospital is saying I am not eligible for rehire because I did not give sufficient notice. Well my situation was a little different. I, too, have tried floor nursing and it is just not for me. I was in one internship and not succeeding, so I was given an opportunity to start another internship in June. Well, I am in between jobs. The new internship has not started yet. I was offered a better opportunity and decided to turn down the internship. Now they are saying I am not eligible for rehire. If I gave two weeks notice, where would I have worked for two weeks when the internship has not even began? I would say do what is best for you, your family, and your mental health. When one door closes, another one opens. At least that is what I'm telling myself. Decisions are hard to make, I know.

Hey that "door" quote does resonate! I've always believed that, thanks for the reminder!

Maybe I'm paranoid but as long as I'm living where I am. This system is hard to get away from. They've taken over any of the private hospitals. There's one other health system, but considerably smaller. As the main hospital for the competition is county owned, I'm sure they're not going anywhere but still they have no where near the force of the other one.

I've done some more research and although the health benefits for the smaller company are with a good plan, my mega hospital runs it's own insurance company too! That recently started. So point being this imaging company works with hopsitals, they probably won't work with this mega one as they're opposing insurances. The county owned hospital uses the same insurance as this imaging company I believe so that tells me that the business from hospitals will be a smaller scale. There's already imaging centers owned by the mega hospital so you see, they're huge here.

I'm sorry you're going through that sort of b.s. too. All that "not eligible for rehire" just sounds like sour grapes on their part. I kinda went through a bit similar when I was hired for the hospital it was for a different unit. I didn't receive proper orientation long story short, it was a blessing in disguise. I'm happier on this unit than I would have been on the other. I was constantly stressed out on the other one. Not to mention I ended up with better hours. On the 1st unit I was 2 eights and 2 twelves and now I have 3 twelves. It's funny b/c it seems they have all the power to push us around but don't like it if we excercise our rights. Best of luck to you. I can respect the getting away from floor nursing, I'm not cut out for it either.

[Chin up]

At 46, I would go for it. You know what you want and don't want. Don't let an institution, hold you back. You are a grown woman with her own mind. Maybe a new gig across the country is what the doctor ordered. Go kick some butt!

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

At 46, I would go for it. You know what you want and don't want. Don't let an institution, hold you back. You are a grown woman with her own mind. Maybe a new gig across the country is what the doctor ordered. Go kick some butt!

Thanks for the encouragement, but the company is based in another state, they are opening a location here where I am. I guess an odd thing is the company I know work for (mega hospital system) also has locations across the nation too, but based here...soooo guess it's all relative isn't it?

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

If you leave on a good note you can always go back.

[Jack245]

In the end, you should do what you feel is best for you. I have little doubt that if this mega hospital decided they were better off with someone other than you to fill the position, they would have little qualms about letting you go. It's an unfair system at times, no doubt, but the one constant you can keep is to take care of yourself first. If you want to go to the smaller company, and you feel it would suit your needs and requirements better, then go for it! Who knows, maybe the reason mega hospital is buying up all these other companies is because they're hoping to get purchased by an even bigger fish.

I am reminded of a quote from a friend. She told me, life is like juggling a bunch of baseballs. You try really hard not to let any of them drop, family, sanity, friends, social life...but one of the balls is a tennis ball. That's work. You can drop it and eventually it will bounce back.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

i'm kind of in the same boat you are but decided to take the plunge for the smaller company. it was closer, better hours, and better pay. i'm really stressed out though because the hospital is saying i am not eligible for rehire because i did not give sufficient notice. well my situation was a little different. i, too, have tried floor nursing and it is just not for me. i was in one internship and not succeeding, so i was given an opportunity to start another internship in june. well, i am in between jobs. the new internship has not started yet. i was offered a better opportunity and decided to turn down the internship. now they are saying i am not eligible for rehire. if i gave two weeks notice, where would i have worked for two weeks when the internship has not even began?

you are correct, your situation is a little different. you were given another chance on a different floor. the chance you were given was at the referral and request of your manager. your manager actually stuck his/her neck out for you and your reputation to get you the next job, which you accepted initially. so, in a way, you burned your former manager.

did you have the right to turn down the internship after you had initially accepted it? yes. were you technically out of work during the time frame as you waited for the june job to start? yes. however, the june job deserved a two week notice too.

in fact, you could have kept the june job while you accepted the new job. if the new job did not work out then you could have continued with the june job. if new job worked out, then you could have put in a two week notice for the june job. your manager may have still felt burned, but he/she would not have had a case for insufficient notice and you would probably still be a rehireable.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

thanks it's just that this company i work for leads you to believe if you ever leave do not plan on trying to return to them. i agree that it would be nice if i could be re hired if need be, but this system is all about transferring around within their system. i get the impression that they feel if you want to work as an rn in any capacity they pretty much have a job to cover that. i do know of a couple of people that left on decent terms just were burned out from the hospital now they're having a hard time getting back and this hospital doesn't do anything much on referral it's an online process that can take awhile from what i've heard.

if you do not want to work there, do not worry about returning. i understand your fear, i had the same fear as a new grad when i left a relatively big hospitals i worked for who was pretty much the only game in town. i left on good terms and was even afraid i could not complete my bsn academic work there due to the fact i had left. i found out i was mistaken. i acted and behaved professionally the entire time i was there and the time i left. my managers, some of whom were not professional, did not become a hinderance. i was re-hirable and able to complete my bsn work in the facility with no problems. also, i received excellent references from my former managers after a few years to receive other jobs opportunities (time for them healed old wounds).

plus, do not worry about the rumors. i think some of the people who left your system and cannot return may have done so on bad terms. you do not know what he/she did and they will not tell you because it is not really your business to know. thus, do not let the troubles of others create unjustified fears in you.

by the way, if the impression of the hospital is that you can transfer to another unit based on interests, is it possible for you to transfer now instead of 3-5 years form now? i understand what job descriptions say, but in my experience in nursing, sometimes the rules are bent. sometimes it is all about who you know and who that person knows! just a thought. otherwise, if you do not know the right people to get you away from bedside and pursuing an interest in education, then i would continue to pursue the job outside of the hospital. in addition, if you can volunteer in your area of interest, that too may help to build your resume in education. gl!

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Go for it, check 'em out and if they are OK, then go for it. There is much more opportunity outside of nursing. You will see (forget if you came from a corporate background or not). None of this slave stuff goes on. I think you will thrive.