Is the Grass greener on the other side?

[HotMessRN]

I have been working at a community for profit hospital for two years. So I’ve had the experience of both pre-covid nursing and…now. I have grown to hate my job there for many reasons. I know that it’s not been a good time to be a nurse in general so it’s harder to be sure if I’m making the right choice. 
 

My hospital has always been been one to cut corners that most other hospitals in my area would not. On every single unit at my hospital the charge nurse takes a full load of patients, and this has been the case since long before covid. Currently I work on a PCU unit on nights (though I worked on a COVID specialty unit for the better part of a year). It’s 30 beds, the ratios are 1:5 at night including charge. The charge nurse is also secretary. There are very few nurses left with more than 2 years experience left on the unit, all others having transferred to other units or left for other hospitals. 
 

At a little over a year of nursing experience I was full time charge of the covid unit. That made since at the time since I was one of the few full time covid staff members and spent a lot of time educating more experienced nurses who rotated through the specialty. After that I was on PCU full time and even though I was still new to that unit (3 months roughly) I was pushed into being charge after the experienced staff evaporated. Instead of getting better we have currently just started training 6 brand new nurses. We just recently finished training another 6 a couple months ago, none of which were trained appropriately frankly. I’m burned out and afraid for my licence.

- - -

I applied for a specialty ICU fellowship at a big nonprofit nearby and got accepted. They never give the charge nurse patients, and have a unit secretary. I have always wanted to go ICU but did not feel ready right out of nursing school. They weren’t all brand new nurses and they did not have the panicked, burned out look I see on all the experienced staff at my current hospital. They maintain ratios of 1:2 generally and 1:1 if needed. 
 

I gave my two weeks notice and my manager has tried to convince/ scare me into staying. Saying that its bad everywhere but even harder there and how I’ll come running back essentially. She told me I should have applied to our ICU. (Which I didn’t because 1)their mass exodus is just as bad my units, 2) these days they are almost always 1:3, 3) they keep charge in staffing and take care of lower acuity patients than the hospital I’m leaving for)

I feel like I’m making the right decision but I guess I just want to hear from other nurses. Is the way my hospital is being run normal with this epidemic? Am I right to leave for an opportunity to grow that I might not get if I stay?

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

You are absolutely doing the right thing. Go, and don’t look back. You will not regret leaving a situation where they try to guilt you into staying with no effort to improve conditions.

Congratulations on the first day of the rest of your life!

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

It sounds like a perfect match because you are lucky to get an ICU fellowship and they are lucky to get you ?

[JKL33]

2 hours ago, HotMessRN said:

I gave my two weeks notice and my manager has tried to convince/ scare me into staying. Saying that its bad everywhere but even harder there and how I’ll come running back essentially.

Well good! It's a risk free adventure then--if you hate the new place you can indeed go running back. ??

Don't waste mental energy on this.

Congrats on the new job!

[CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN]

7 hours ago, Hannahbanana said:

You are absolutely doing the right thing. Go, and don’t look back. You will not regret leaving a situation where they try to guilt you into staying with no effort to improve conditions.

Congratulations on the first day of the rest of your life!

Exactly this! (makes a shooing gesture with both hands) Get out of there and don't look back. Congrats! 

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

You're doing the right thing. Congratulations and best of luck!

[anewsns]

I think you are making the right choice. I made a similar change and the non profit with a lot of resources is much better. The maintenance of good ratios despite everything is a good sign. "Bad everywhere" is relative. Since youre coming from a very bad situation the problems on your new unit may not seem as bad to you.