Job hopping...

[voraciousj]

So I graduated in may 2009, got a job working 3-12 hour days on a med-surg/tele floor. Long story short I left after about 10 months due to a difference between me and my nurse manager. Now before you get to thinking that it was me, I was the first of about half a dozen nurses to leave that floor for the same reason...so I know it wasn't entirely me...

I went back to the hospital where I did my internship my senior year of nursing school to 5-8 hour nights, med-surg/tele. Long story short, I HATE it with a passion. Understaffed, unsafe, overworked ( I work every holiday/weekend), never see my family friends, the manager is a nightmare (once again, I'm not the only one with these feelings)...the list could go on and on. I pretty much have lost all interest in doing anything other than sleeping, I cry almost every day and I feel like absolute crap...

I've now been there for about 4 months and I am trying to hold on while I submit applications to other hospitals in different departments, specifically the ED. My questions for you all is: How bad does this look that I left my first job after 10 months and am now seeking new employment after only 4 months? How can I manage to hang in there until I find something new? How shall I phrase my lack of longevity in interviews? How can I avoid these situations in the future?

I am actively looking/applying to a multitude of different facilities and while I would like to be in the ED, I'm open to other floors. I am also trying to obtain different certifications to advance my career.

Thank you guys for taking the time to read this, and to all those out there who don't have jobs...you have my sympathies and you're more than welcome to take mine...

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

All you can do is try. What do you have to lose. Just keep looking and don't worry too much about it.

[TigerGalLE, BSN, RN]

I think if you are honest with your new potential employers there will be no problems.

[BluegrassRN]

I'll be honest. It doesn't look good. Two jobs in barely over one year, and you're looking for your third. I don't think we'd decline to interview you, but we'd question you quite extensively about your previous experiences and why you left. If you interviewed really well, or brought something to the table that made you really stand out over the other applicants (familiarity with our computer system, knew someone who was already a nurse on the floor and they vouched for you, spoke fluent Spanish, something like that), we'd probably take a chance on you.

If you can get another job, you must stay there. Three jobs in two years, working on your fourth looks absolutely awful.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I say do as you want. Loyalty is for the birds. They'd assume drop you without notice. You'll find your own answer when you do or do not get calls from these applications you are making. Go for anything you feel the need to.

[Mulan]

Why are you working every holiday and weekend?

Don't they have a rotation for that?

[voraciousj]

Mulan...they don't. I'm lucky to get get 1 weekend a month...

It's a really bizarre place...they kinda do what they want, when they want.

[Emergency RN]

whoa... the one thing that stuck me like a thumb in the eye is the fact that you "...cry almost every day and feel like absolute crap..."

talk about red flags...

this is no longer just about your employment options, but even more so about your own mental health. while some nurses blossom in pressure cooker environs you, at this point of your career, apparently don't seem to be one of them. if you go home, cry and then retreat into numbing slumber every day, something in you is going to eventually break.

i suggest you seek counseling, and explore other less demandingly stressful options in nursing (eg perhaps corporate or md's office). granted, those jobs are fewer and pay may not be as great. but it is better than winding up as a sad statistic. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that you can't cut it as a nurse. what i mean is, we all can learn to swim, but each at our own pace; you may need to doggie paddle a bit more before you can free style.

good luck!

[voraciousj]

I'm not crying because of the stress of the job, but because I am exhausted and miss seeing my family and friends. I know I need to stop working the five nights/week...it's too much...

[fiddlycat]

Bless your heart... hope things get better... I agree.. Your mental state is more important than a job. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed you move to bigger and better opportunities. :)

[heartflutter, ADN, BSN]

Be sure when you DO get another interview, be honest about the reasons why you left previous jobs BUT I would really suggest not "trashing" or being too resentful when describing said reasons to your interviewers. It may reflect poorly on you despite your intentions. Remember they are interviewing YOU, not your past employers. Good luck! :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'm not crying because of the stress of the job, but because I am exhausted and miss seeing my family and friends. I know I need to stop working the five nights/week...it's too much...

That type of thing IS a big part of the stress of the job. You should seek some counseling to help you cope with that stress. Your mental health is important.

Your chances of getting a 3rd job in a year and a half may be slim, depending on where you live. If jobs are not plentiful in your area and you have lots of competetion for the jobs that are available, you will not be at the list to get chosen. Even assuming that there were real problems with your first 2 jobs that were not your fault, it raises the issue of your judgment -- the ability to assess yourself and an employment situation to determine whether or not it would be a good fit for you. The fact that you made poor choices for your first 2 jobs raises doubts that you will make a good choice for your 3rd job. That will make many employers hesitant to hire you.

But if you live in an area where jobs are plentiful, your problems might not seem so bad.

Is there any way you can switch to part time employment? Have you had a sit-down meeting and told the manager that you need to go part time? I would try to find some way to keep some kind of employment with your current facility while you look for another job. It may take awhile -- and it would help a lot if you could keep some level of employment going while you searched, even if it were just part time.