Leaving after 8 months...bad?

Only1JenB · Mar 16, 2010

I think that you must do what you are going to be happy with. If this what you want to do then do it but I would suggest to stick with it for awhile before going somewhere else. Good luck on your interview.

ItsTheDude · Mar 16, 2010

go for it, just give your 2 weeks notice or whatever is req at the other place so you can be rehired if things don't work out.

caliotter3 · Mar 16, 2010

Most people supplement their hospital jobs with home health shifts. They don't go full time to home health unless burned out from the hospital. You haven't been at your first job long enough to derive much benefit from it or to be burned out yet. Extended care home health cases will always be a lot easier for you to find than another hospital job. So I would advise thinking about this move before you commit yourself.

ADNOLOL08 · Mar 16, 2010

My first nursing job was in a med-surg unit. I stayed for 8 months; and then switched to a job on an antenatal floor. I love what I do now and I'm glad I made the switch. I wasn't happy at my first job, especially during the last 2 months or so. If you aren't happy with your current job and you believe that home health would suit you better, then I don't think it would be a bad choice to go with home health. Just don't burn any bridges with your current place of employment in case you decide to go back in the future.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

SlightlyMental_RN · Mar 16, 2010

I think that part of the draw of this for me, is that I would be able to use many more of my nursing skills than I do at my current position in chemical detox/psych (we're part of a hospital system, but a free-standing facility). There are so many things I feel like I'm missing doing at my job, and this would give me experience with these skills plus be in home health, which I'm very drawn to (always have been.) I already work as the solo RN/charge RN, so the level of responsibility isn't completely new to me...

CFitzRN, ADN · Mar 16, 2010

I think that part of the draw of this for me, is that I would be able to use many more of my nursing skills than I do at my current position in chemical detox/psych (we're part of a hospital system, but a free-standing facility). There are so many things I feel like I'm missing doing at my job, and this would give me experience with these skills plus be in home health, which I'm very drawn to (always have been.) I already work as the solo RN/charge RN, so the level of responsibility isn't completely new to me...

A couple of things to consider:

1. You are correct that you would probably be using more direct patient-care skills in home health. And if the agency trains its nurses well, bonus. A lot of them just throw their nurses into a home and expect the family to "train" the new nurse on trach care, vent care, etc. So bad...

2. 8 months is NOT a pittance. It's a decent amount of time to decide if that nursing job is for you. I really don't see a potential employer frowning upon that, especially a home health agency - they are ALWAYS needing good nurses. They are chronically understaffed.

3. If you've always been drawn to home health, then you have a calling, and you should follow it. You may love it, you may decide it's not for you. But give it a chance to grow on you. You'll feel like a fish out of water for awhile, but it will start making more sense.

4. Keep in mind that you will not have the camaraderie of other nurses in the home care setting. It will be you and your patient, period. If you live to hear gossip, laugh with co-workers or just to fellowship with fellow nurses, home care may not be all you want it to be.

5. Be sure they pay you a decent wage. I promise they are in need of nurses, so don't accept a crappy wage and no benefits.

cheltoe · Mar 16, 2010

if you give your notice, i don't see a problem. good luck! :up:

helikias · Mar 17, 2010

My goodness, opportunity only knocks once -- sometimes, in this economy, it never even knocks once! You only have one life -- go for your dream job while you can!! :lol2:

You'll be surprised how quickly life passes you by, and you regret all those opportunities you passed up when you were younger.

I had a recruiter tell me 6 months is acceptable time to spend at a job and is fine on a resume. So, you are over that time mark.

In life, we regret the things we did not do more than the things we did. I passed up an opportunity for a dream job when I was young, because I had just taken a new job and felt bad about leaving. In the end, the job I did not care for as much did not work out -- and I often think about how I should have put myself first and taken the dream job.

GO FOR IT!

erroridiot · Mar 17, 2010

If this is private duty home care, please be careful about your need for income.

When that one patient goes to the hospital, or the insurance company pulls the plug on funds as they do now and then, you are out of a job unless the agency has another patient to send you to immediately.

I would never use private duty as an "only" job. I would have something else to fall back on such as another agency, or even staying on at your current job part time or per diem.

Hope this helps.

SlightlyMental_RN · Mar 17, 2010

If this is private duty home care, please be careful about your need for income.
When that one patient goes to the hospital, or the insurance company pulls the plug on funds as they do now and then, you are out of a job unless the agency has another patient to send you to immediately.
I would never use private duty as an "only" job. I would have something else to fall back on such as another agency, or even staying on at your current job part time or per diem.
Hope this helps.

Hey, great advice! I think that if I do get/accept this position, I'll go to casual with my current job.

anangelsmommy, ADN, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2010

I dont want to put a damper on your new job situation that sounds great. Many of the agencies do train and some do have some really good cases and if you are willing to do a lot of different shift will have the hours but one thing I have heard from other nurses coming on to cases when I have trained them is that they have quit a job and been told they could get 40 hours a week but then when they have tried, the cases were not near them or the hours werent really convenient to them. So perhaps you might want to go to your interview and then ask to talk to a scheduler to see if you might be able to see what cases are near you and what hours are available and if you even have the training, for instance, if you dont yet have ventilator training, then about 70% or more of the cases at the agency I work at are out for you. Now they do provide the training but you have to schedule it and then do a certain amount of trach changes and vent hours before you can actually do the cases. etc. Oh...I guess I should mention that I work for a pediatric agency but we do occasionally have adults. But I do know that other agencies such as bayada do a lot of general cases where there are probably a good amount of trach/vent but not as much if you are not in just peds. ( I forget sometimes that I am just doing peds). anyway, I know that there are a lot of families too that have rules about having one stready nurse, like one day nurse full time because if that nurse was to get sick, they would have no one to fill in. So most have one nurse do say these 2 days and another does 2 days and another does 3 etc. and if they get nights also I have had one family that had only two nurses do the nights. so it might be possible to get full time more on nights. Anyway, best of luck, if you get a good case, it can be really great. takes a little while to get used to but once you settle in, it is nice.

angels mommy