New Grad-ish. Need advice

[newnursemoon, ADN, RN]

Hey guys! I graduated in 2020 and I’ve been off orientation and in my own for about 2 months now. I work on a busy PCU floor and I love the work, but there’s a couple of things starting to weigh down on me. First off, I live hours away from my job. It’s about an hour drive in the AM and 1-2h drive back. At first I didn’t think much of it (the hospitals closer to me weren’t hiring and tbh I needed a job d/t medical bills piling up), but it’s starting to get me now. Second, new grads or new nurses are severely (at least how I feel) taken advantage of on this unit. I got yelled at yesterday by my charge bc another nurse asked me to help and I said I couldn’t (I had 5 pt and a heparin drip..). When I tried to explain my side of the story I was told something along the lines of “nursing is a team sport” which I wholeheartedly agree! But I’m one person with my own assignment and was trying not to drown that day. For the past 3 weeks I end up getting a 5th pt halfway through the day because “everyone else is busy..” 

Alright enough whining though. Here’s where I need advice: I’m in a contract that says I’ll work for the company for 2 years. I know I can transfer from hospital to hospital (if it’s within the same company: ie: XYZ hospital of abc, to XYZ hospital of def) but I don’t know the time frame. Right now the hospital of my dreams has an opening and I’m trying to decide if and how I should approach my manager about possibly transferring. 

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

Sounds like the culture there sucks. If I am too busy, I apologize and say so! I don't do it often, but it should be OK to say no. 

5 pts in a PCU is ridiculous. I know that Covid has changed everything, but that is difficult on its face. 

I am not sure how to approach your manager. Is this person responsible for the poor work culture? Does this person have the ability to keep you from being transferred? The manager I have now is great and if I wanted to transfer, I know she would be positive. The one before? Forget it. She was evil. 

Sorry I can't help more!  Best of luck!

[newnursemoon, ADN, RN]

3 minutes ago, mmc51264 said:

Sounds like the culture there sucks. If I am too busy, I apologize and say so! I don't do it often, but it should be OK to say no. 

5 pts in a PCU is ridiculous. I know that Covid has changed everything, but that is difficult on its face. 

I am not sure how to approach your manager. Is this person responsible for the poor work culture? Does this person have the ability to keep you from being transferred? The manager I have now is great and if I wanted to transfer, I know she would be positive. The one before? Forget it. She was evil. 

Sorry I can't help more!  Best of luck!

Hey! My manager... I haven’t had much experience with her (which I guess is good?), as she mostly comes into contact with us when there are issues. She does have the ability to block a transfer, which makes me nervous. 
Thanks for the reply!!

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

Check your policy for specifics about how long you must wait before initiating an internal transfer. I know my hospital requires six months before transferring to a new position. Two months is probably not going to be enough time, unfortunately, but at find out for sure so you know for sure when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the meantime, let's try to think of some ways to make this situation livable. Are you able to move closer to work, or is there someone you could  maybe stay with between back to back shifts? That may help a little with the commute fatigue. As for the issues of being taken advantage of...sadly, I don't have terrific advice. Some places just have this culture, and it can be challenging to fix it. Do the best you can with what you've got, volunteer to help others when you do have time, and don't beat yourself up when you can't help - even if others seem determined to.