New grad....how to quit or reduce hours at first job after 1 1/2 months....

[KarriRN]

So I graduated in May. Got my first nursing job in Sep at a ltc. It is horrible. I love the job but I hate the way the place is ran. We will be told one thing in inservice then when we are on the floor told the opposite (by the same members of management who held the inservice). We are over worked and put in positions with too few staff. I have an interview this week at the hospital in town. If I get the job, which I'm not sure if its full time or part time, I'm not sure how to approach my DON to ask for fewer hours or to quit. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!

Karri:nurse:

[SweetheartRN]

Can I ask what leads you to believe the hospital will be much better? I'm currently working my first job in a hospital on a very busy med surge floor and I've also done LTC as an LPN and thought at that point and time that was extremely busy. The hospital is by far busier. In acute care decisions have to be made NOW.

In your interview to avoid the same or similar situation ask about nurse patient ratios, patient census, how the cna/pcts are staffed, if you are expected to work overtime, etc...check it out well before you find yourself jumping from the pot into the fire.

You need to first find out if you will be full or part time at the hospital and depending on that you will know if you can work at the LTC facility at all. I would just be honest and tell her you've been offered another opportunity for experience and that if possible instead of leaving can you just work out a schedule that works with your hospital schedule.

[KarriRN]

The unit I will be interviewing for as a low nurse to pt ratio. It is a geriatric psych unit. I currently work in a ltc facility secure Alzheimers unit. Many of my pts have underling mental illness as well. The facility I currently work at has a high nurse turn over rate. Normally people stay less then a year. The hospital has a much lower turn over rate. I did clinicals in the hospital during school so I do have some idea of how things are done. I also have friends who work there. I wont be talking to my current DON until I know whats going on with the hospital job.