Moving On . . .

I've only had one nursing job but several other jobs. I would do one reference from your nursing job, and maybe a personal reference (an old professor, a family friend who knows you well or a boss from an old non nursing job). Your experience from non nursing jobs is relevant as well.

People do move on, I think primarily due to an odd, self-defeating quirk in nursing. Namely, nurses that start on the lowest rung, pay scale wise, will likely never make a salary commensurate with their experience as the experience increases. You start on the low rung, and get minimal increases in pay each year.

Example: I was hired right out of school, and paid the new grad rate. 4 years later, I have 4 years experience, of course, but only making about $1.50 more than when I started. I applied at a competing hospital,and the recruiter asked if my current salary on my application was a typo. With 4 years experience, at the new hospital, my pay scale was to be nearly $9 more than I was currently making.

I recruited a nursing school classmate, who spent her first 3 years after graduation working in med surg. When I recruited her to my hospital and unit, her starting salary was several dollars more than I was making, due to her experience and my still being on the new grad pay scale. Even though we had exactly the same amount of experience.

Hospitals hamstring your ability to have employer loyalty by doing this. It's idiotic.

How do you find your second job as a nurse? Who (whom?) do you list as a reference if you apply for a new job elsewhere, if you've only worked in one place? I am seriously puzzled as to how this works, but there must be an answer, right? People don't work in the same hospital their whole careers. Or do they?

You apply for it. The vast majority of people do not stay in one job for their whole careers, at least not at my former hospital. When I was changing jobs, I used charge nurses, colleagues and a nurse who I worked with in a volunteer capacity as references. I did NOT use my manager because I didn't want her to know I was looking to get out.

Thanks to all the responses. I am currently working on rounding up references for a new position. I need five, two of whom must be or have been direct supervisors/managers. Yeesh. I work in the same hospital I worked in as a PCA. Guess it's time to tell my manager I'm moving. I love her, but I can't see her being thrilled ('cause I'm so awesome, of course).