New Job Advice

Blackcat99 · Feb 28, 2004

Don't leave. You would be a fool to leave right now. Wait 1 year after you become a nurse before you even think about leaving your present job. Good luck :)

IamRN · Feb 28, 2004

Don't leave. You would be a fool to leave right now. Wait 1 year after you become a nurse before you even think about leaving your present job. Good luck :)

Ditto!

Best wishes! :)

orrnlori, RN · Feb 28, 2004

So you've seen meg/surg, do you think you'd like being a nurse there? Having a built in support system is a great boost as a new grad. Have you thought about splitting the difference? Start nursing where you are but start looking for your dream job in 6 months. I think getting used to new staff and new policies is actually harder than starting out as a nurse. But I also don't necessarily agree with the one year rule, i.e. everyone should do med/surg for ONE YEAR before they do anything else. Also, I would ask, how do you know oncology is it for you? What were you exposed to that makes you think that is where you want to be?

Burnie · Feb 29, 2004

I'm going to throw in a clincker. I have worked with nursing assistants and nurse techs who came back to the same hospital, same department, etc because they loved working there and knew the staff, had friends, etc. However, the problem that they ran into was: they were still treated like a nursing assistance/nurse tech. Not as a put down for being new but because it is hard for all of us to break habits and when the nurses you are working with come up to you and say, could you go get so and so up or go do this or that, how will you feel?

I would suggest that you make that break now. If you want to come back later, that's great. Just don't be hurt if the people you are currently working with don't change their attitude towards your ability. Be assertive if you decide to stay.

Good luck!

NICUbabyRN · Feb 29, 2004

I'm going to throw in a clincker. I have worked with nursing assistants and nurse techs who came back to the same hospital, same department, etc because they loved working there and knew the staff, had friends, etc. However, the problem that they ran into was: they were still treated like a nursing assistance/nurse tech. Not as a put down for being new but because it is hard for all of us to break habits and when the nurses you are working with come up to you and say, could you go get so and so up or go do this or that, how will you feel?
I would suggest that you make that break now. If you want to come back later, that's great. Just don't be hurt if the people you are currently working with don't change their attitude towards your ability. Be assertive if you decide to stay.
Good luck!

I agree. It is very hard you and others with the role changes. You can always go back to the hospital later. But, you will come back with confidence in your nursing abilities.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Feb 29, 2004

As to the "clinker" posts, yes that kind of thing can happen. And it's good that the concern was brought up.

But know several nurses who stayed on where they were and made it through successfully and without a hitch. They also got great support from the team.

As stated previously, be prepared to model / demo you're new professional status. And should someone forget your new status, be ready to remind, them in a nice way, that you're a peer with additional responsibilities and that perhaps the PCT on the floor would be able to assist them with that task. Of course, there'll be times -- due to workload and staffing -- when everyone'll need to pitch in.

Good luck!

mary761 · Mar 1, 2004

Thanks everyone for your responses. I appreciate it. ORRNLori, I'm drawn to ONCO partly because it is an exciting field with constant new developments in treatment, but mostly because it gives the nurse a lot of opportunities to address some of the psychosocial issues that come up when a patient is facing serious illness.

I see the point some of you are making regarding the change in roles, and I can see that could certainly be a problem. You've all given me a lot to think about. Thanks!