looking for some advice

[colleennurse, ASN, RN]

Hello. I am at a crossroads with my job situation. I am currently working on a med/surg/tele floor and I am wanting very badly to leave the hospital enviorment and get into home care. My dilema is that I have such a hard time leaving a job, I am scared to talk to my manager. I hate confrontation and those types of talks. Anyway I have thought endlessly about leaving, I even had 3 weeks off because I got married and told myself that I would make my decision about leaving after the vacation as I thought that maybe I just needed a break, but after returning I still want to leave. Anyway what I am asking here is should I go talk to my manager now, tell her that I am planning on leaving soon (I would like to stay at the hospital and work per diem, the hospital I work for has perdiem where you can work minimum 1 shift a month) or should I just hopefully get a job in home care and then put in my notice/request to work per diem. My thinking is that what if I talk to her and then I do not find anything right away? I know that people switch jobs all the time and it shouldn't be a big deal, but I have never really just left a job before. Of course that was before I became a nurse and actually had some options :) Any advice is welcome! Thanks for reading!

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

Dont discuss it with your manager until you make the decision and have been hired by another place. It doesnt matter if you want to go per diem or not, that shouldnt be a problem but if you approach your manager about leaving now it may just throw a wrench into your work situation now.

Avoid talking to her about your feelings for your unit, or difficulties you are having there. It would just make things difficult for you if you did go back. All they need to know is that you want to try a new area of nursing, but you would like to stay per diem to keep your feet wet right now. Also when you stay perdiem you usually keep seniority so if you DO go back you wont really have lost anything.

[colleennurse, ASN, RN]

Thanks, that is what I needed to hear! I worked at my last job for six years and they knew I was leaving due to me graduating from nursing school. So that was easy :)

[MIA-RN1, RN]

coleen, I empathize. I am leaving my first nursing job next month to switch to a different unit all together but within the same hospital.

What I did was I waited til the last moment before mentioning to anyone that I was even thinking of leaving. I was afraid of the proverbial wrench as well, like meownsmile mentioned. HOwever d/t mine being an internal transfer, the cat had to get out of the bag much earlier than I wanted.

Look around and make inquiries as to your options first and get something lined up before you tell anyone at all that you are thinking of leaving. Its possible that even just the looking and inquiring will help you get thru the rough days at your current job. And you want to keep your bridges intact, especially if you want to remain there per diem.

Good luck! And congratulations on getting married! :balloons::balloons::balloons:

[colleennurse, ASN, RN]

Thanks Cooper :) What unit are you moving to? And thanks for the congrats on my marriage :)

[MIA-RN1, RN]

I am moving out of mother/baby and onto women's surgery which also includes some oncology, hospice and bit of dialysis just for grins and giggles lol.