My Unit is Closing (Warning: LONG)

[ParrotHeadRN]

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted for a while although I'm here every day. I have a dilemma for which I need some feedback.

This is a long story, but I am going to make it as short as I possibly can. I fell into my dream job about 14 months ago when I started in NSICU. I loved the patients, I even loved the docs, and I love my coworkers. There have been political problems in the unit since I started, but I didn't really care because I REALLY loved to go to work. Due to what I perceive as a complete lack of management, as well as escalating political issues within the unit, we recently lost about 5 nurses, which is half our staff (we are a small 5 bed unit.) Quite honestly, the nurses we lost are not a great loss to our unit, it left us with a great core group, but having lost half the staff, we are unable to completely cover ANY shifts; the powers that be have decided to shut us down, effective this weekend.

My facility is not a huge facility and things that go on are usually fodder for gossip. I have had to tell several people that they are not in any position to make judgements about what has happened in our unit because they haven't experienced it. I feel it's kind of like a marriage in that respect. No one knows what REALLY happens behind closed doors. But, of course, everyone thinks they do, and I feel we (those of us who stayed in an attempt to improve the situation) are being judged accordingly, and VERY unjustly.

The plan for our unit is that we will be absorbed into MSICU for approximately 3 years, when a new NSICU will be opened. I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am because as I said, I was very happy there despite all the goings on. Part of the problem is this: I feel that we are going to the new unit with preconceived notions already in place by the current staff in MSICU. I also do not feel welcome there at all. To explain my feeling, the director of our "new" unit wanted to speak to us all before we went to "her" unit so that she could tell us what was and wasn't acceptable in "her" unit. Unfortunately, she was basing her attitude with us on gossip and comments from an old manager who left us under less than stellar terms. When I politely tried to tell her that what she thought had happened had actually NOT happened, a deaf ear was turned to me and she continued along the same lines with hardly a missed beat. She was very nice about it all, but it made me feel that the pot has already been poisoned, so to speak. Add to that the fact that the house charge took me up to the units the other night to just have a look around, so I could see what my options were. The nurses in CVSICU were VERY nice and took lots of time to answer my questions. When we went over to MSICU, the house charge introduced me and told them where I was from. There were about 5 nurses sitting around. As one voice, they ALL started to laugh. I was very taken aback. I told them it wasn't very funny downstairs, and one of the nurses said "we aren't laughing at you," but they all continued to laugh with no forthcoming explanation. I can tell you that I couldn't get out of there fast enough. When I explained what had happened the to new director, she pretty much blew it off and said she hadn't heard anything negative.

Now to the 2nd part of my dilemma. On Wednesday, I interviewed for a position in NSICU in a very large, level I trauma center and was offered a job. I can't tell you how beautiful the place was, how clean; it smelled so good, I could just go on and on. And the manager and I just sat over coffee and talked about what we both wanted and expected. I think she is AWESOME. It went so well and I felt so happy when I left. If I had been able to start the next day, I wouldn't be in this position because I would have had no time to think. The experience I will gain is immeasurable. It's a 16 bed unit and is staffed like my current unit, 2 to 1. Everyone that I talked to was awesome and I left there feeling very welcomed and wanted, pretty much like I did when I interviewed for my current position.

What is my dilemma, you may ask? Well, change is very hard, even good change, and now I'm getting scared. I know my docs, I know my CURRENT coworkers, I've been in the system since I graduated from nursing school in 2001. Big deal, I know, I'm a people person and will do fine anywhere. So the bigger problem is this: the new facility is over an hour away from me. I currently travel about 25 minutes to work. I thought that the new facility would start me out at a lot more than they did, which is still more than I'm making now, about 10K more a year with shift diffs, but with gas prices and wear and tear on my car, I'm wondering if it's worth it. Not to mention my great fear of driving in bad weather.

I can't start at the new facility until Jan 9, which gives me three weeks. I thought I'd go up to the new unit and see how that goes. Is three weeks enough to make a judgement call like that? I am hoping that my perceptions of the situation are wrong, but I just can't help but feel things are off on the wrong foot from the start with this new unit. I'm feeling pretty torn right now.

I think that's everything, and that's the short version! LOL I am sorry for the length of this post, I really did try to keep it to the important points. And I really am looking forward to any advice/guidance/suggestions you all may have.

If you've read this far, thanks for taking the time to do so.

[JentheRN05, RN]

Wow seems like you have some huge decisions to make. I think your judgement is right though. Since the job doesn't start for 3 weeks, I would tell the 'new' job that you need a week to think about it. After that week, you would've got an initial feel for how things on the 'current hospital' floor is going to be. It may not be a good indicator in the long run, but it will at least give you a feel for the floor and the staff a little more than an outsider looking in.

If after the first week, you feel brushed off, and hurt, take the new position. You realize, that if the following two weeks at the job makes some huge turnaround and you feel welcome, that you can always turn down the job, explaining that after a little more thought, the drive is just too much.

You have done alot of thinking, you are an outsider in their world, give it a chance to BE in their world before you feel put off. You still have your old coworkers to depend on, to lean on, to talk to. But in the end, YOU must be happy.

Good luck with your decision, keep us informed :):kiss

[zenman]

Toss a coin and notice your very immediate reaction to the results. It's amazing!

[Gennaver, MSN]

Hi everyone,

... To explain my feeling, the director of our "new" unit wanted to speak to us all before we went to "her" unit so that she could tell us what was and wasn't acceptable in "her" unit. Unfortunately, she was basing her attitude with us on gossip and comments from an old manager who left us under less than stellar terms. When I politely tried to tell her that what she thought had happened had actually NOT happened, a deaf ear was turned to me and she continued along the same lines with hardly a missed beat. She was very nice about it all, but it made me feel that the pot has already been poisoned, so to speak. ...

Hi Parrot HeadRN,

Is it a possibility that this manager was actually trying to reassure you remaining nurses that the kind of folly by those 5 inept nurses, (who truly caused the rumors) will not be tolerated elsewhere. Could she have been trying to ease your concerns that your new units will be remotely like your bad staff?

Also, if you really love the place, why not schedule to meet with the manager by yourself to double check your gut feelings. Then trust them. Sometimes I can really misread a situation due to timing for me and the timing for the other person involved. I am truly growing to appreciate stepping back and rethinking things, seeing them from the other person's perspective.

If you can schedule to meet with you when you are both fresh maybe you can establish what is really going to go on, minus the gossip.

Good luck,

Gen

[Gennaver, MSN]

Toss a coin and notice your very immediate reaction to the results. It's amazing!

I am going to remember this, thanks,

Gen

[Town & Country]

If you have 3 weeks then you have plenty of time to gather data.

IMHO from what you have posted, I would say go for the new position.

Life is letting go. It's all about change.

But, since you have 3 weeks tell the new hospital that you want to shadow. Do some serious shadowing (LOL), take all the time you need.....I would be there ALOT before giving up a job I loved.

Even if you hang around for four or five shifts, stay as long as you need to to make a decision you are comfortable with. Then if you take the new job you will feel secure about it....

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

ParrotHeadRN. . .(I love parrots!) If there is one thing I've learned over my 30 years of nursing, it's that there are so many opportunities out there. Anyway, what's 25 miles driving to someone who wants to be in a beach house on the moon? :chuckle I drive 28 miles one way to go to classes, sometimes 4 times a week. I can do it on one tank of gas. With the extra money you'll make in differential, start putting money aside for a new car. Do it by an automatic electronic transfer so you won't even miss the money. However, if you keep your car serviced on a regular basis and fix little things as they start to go wrong, you shouldn't have a problem. My brother was an design engineer for a major car manufacturer and has always advised us to take our cars in to dealerships for regular servicing because they will look after a regular customer even though it might be a bit more expensive. I've always preferred to have the feeling of having a dependable set of wheels to drive, rather than save money by using discount car services. That's the wisdom that came to me after taking care of enough auto accident victims in the hospital! A dealership will keep track of the things that need to be checked regularly, discount car mechanics won't.

If I were you, I'd go for the new job at the level 1 trauma center. For someone who is brave enough to want to live on the moon, a new job is just a pfft in the hat. You'll get the whole Christmas and New Year time off. How often does that happen when you're working? It will be a nice little vacation for you. I would go with my gut and think about that connection you felt with the manager you interviewed with. You already have experience under your belt. You will learn the names and preference of the doctors at the new place. Change is good. You grow from change. It's also good to spread your wings and go out into the world, get exposed to new ideas and ways of doing things, and see what else is going on. Parochialism and stagnation is a danger of staying in one place too long.

If you don't want to totally cut your ties with your old employer, go on a leave of absence starting January 9th. Tell your employer someone in your family is very ill and you need some time to be with them. That LOA will leave the door open for you to return if things don't work out at the new job which is what I would be primarily worried about.