In need of some insight

Neonurse2012 · Apr 14, 2016

I obtained my RN in 2012 and immediately went to work in a small rural hospital ICU. I chose the hospital due to the fact that I had worked in the ICU since 2008 as a monitor tech and I knew my co-workers (my recources). However, there are times when I question that decision even though I love my co-workers and work environment (most of the time). I question whether it would have been better for me to start at a more metropolitan facility that cares for more acute patients to obtain a broader experience base. Even though I've been an ICU nurse for four years and I definitely am better than when I started, I still feel that I'm not as skilled as those ICU nurses in bigger hospitals. It bothers me.

ICUnurseEst2015, ADN, BSN · Apr 14, 2016

Thank you for your response. I def wouldn't want to later regret my decision of not leaving.

dec2007 · Apr 17, 2016

My personal experience was that working in the Cardiovascular ICU was vastly different than working in the SICU. Our SICU has a lot of patients requiring skills I didn't use in the CCU, such as operation of left ventricular assist devices and ECMO. Also, our SICU also handles trauma and neuro, so intercranial pressure monitoring and spinal drains were a new skill for me also in SICU. It's not that one is "superior" to the other; they are just very different. Then too, you are also thinking of going from being a "big fish in a little pond" to being a "little fish in a big pond". That's a lot to think about. I would feel the same as you. If you are somehow not chosen to transfer to the ICU at the bigger hospital, you might have to stay in med-surg indefinitely. Honestly, I don't know what I would do. This is a very real dilemma! Please keep us posted with how things go for you! Best of luck with whatever you decide!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 18, 2016

I think it's far too early to be worrying about your next job. Stay in THIS job long enough to become competent. That usually takes about two years. Since you love your job, that shouldn't be a hardship for you. At about the two year mark, think very carefully about what you want to do. Do you want to move? Do you want to live in the bigger city, are you willing to commute or are you happy where you are. But now is too soon to be asking these questions. The big city hospital will still be there when you've put in some time as a nurse and become more knowledgable and experienced. If you leave now, your small community hospital probably won't rehire you if you decide you really prefer it. In two years, they would probably welcome you back with open arms if you took the big city job and then decided you didn't like it and wanted to come back.

ICUnurseEst2015, ADN, BSN · Apr 19, 2016

As of right now I'm leaning more towards staying at my current job. I must add that they offered me day shift in June. That's something that doesn't come around often. Plus they gave me preference over someone else that's been asking for it and has been there slightly longer than I have. Thank you for your input