Need some advice

[hollyberry678]

I semi-recently graduated, started a job last September as RN where I used to be an aide for 3 years, on an intense, huge step-down unit.

I do love love love the actual work, and am comfortable/challeneged, ect in it, but I think I am having trouble 'fitting in' in this new role. Some of the RN's still see me as an aide, that dosent bother me too much, but I have had to somewhat demand support on occassion..., but some of the aides have really not been helpful, and in fact one was somewhat hostile to me one day when I needed her help. this upset me greatly. The unit is so busy, there is no one really to go to for support. I did talk to the unit mgr who said that I should 'talk to her outside of work and resolve it' (my thinking is that with that type of behavior, there is no 'resolving' it is just plain unacceptable-- but I dont want to get into that).

the mgt for the most part is nice, however...

Not the other day, this other aide started off hostile to me (I never had problems with her before when we were both aides), and I had to tell her, 'look, I am not going to deal with this today, either we resolve this now, or we go to the asst nurse mgr right now'. She backed down and wasnt 'hostile' anymore, but I can't see that this approach will win me popularity points, but it's like I have to set a limit, too, as I am very busy and can't be dealing with this type of thing.

I did request to go to all nights for awhile (I am day/night)as the staff at night seems more of a team-- while busy, not too busy we cant help each other, which we do.

I also put in for a transfer to the float pool, had an interview today, told the mgr there 'where I was at'...and said should I work this out? She said anything can be worked out, but sometimes its not worth dealing with the piddly stuff, and maybe to make a fresh start..

Can anyone give me advice? I worked very hard for this and am in such a dilemma...

[elkpark]

I would agree with your manager's suggestion that it would be a good idea to make a fresh start somewhere else -- not because of anything negative about you at all. If you had posted and asked about this before you graduated and started the new job, I would have recommended that you find a job on a different unit or in a different facility.

It's hard and scary enough for someone to make the transition into the RN role to begin with, and people tend to want to stay with the familiar (it's human nature) and continue working where they've been working before, if they are offered that option. However, it's not at all uncommon for co-workers to have great difficulty, also, with that transition -- even if they don't mean any harm and are doing it unconsciously, they have trouble seeing you as anything other than the aide they've always known you as, and the people who used to be your peers can easily be resentful that you're now their superior ... (I'm not saying that has to happen, but it's not uncommon.) Anyway, long story short, the end result is that everyone means well but it often doesn't work out.

Don't take it as a negative reflection on yourself, and take the opportunity to start over in a fresh environment where you don't already have a lot of "history." Best wishes! :)

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

I've seen it happen a few times, the nurses were fine, but the aides did have an attitude like they thought the former PCA(now RN) was too good for them or something, it's weird, one nurse left ( but that was a move to another state), two others didn't take positions w/ our unit, I do agree its probably better to start fresh

[nursegreen]

I agree with elkpark, make a fresh start. Good Luck to you!!!!