One year down, need a change, what now?

[marshbrick07]

Hi, I am trying to figure out where to go with my career right now and would like some advice...

I moved to Houston Jan 2014 for a nursing job because I couldn't find one anywhere else after a year of applying. I've never had the desire to be in Texas (except maybe Austin) so I really want to leave Houston. Also, all my family lives about 17+ hours away driving so I am pretty much alone here.

I was accepted for a six month part time fellowship program on a Med/Surg Oncology floor. That floor stressed me out and made me want to cry every morning, so I think I am just not a med/surg nurse at all. After the fellowship ended, I accepted a position on a Telemetry Progressive Care floor with the same hospital system. I have been working on the tele/prog unit for six months and really love the people I work with, but I am already getting bored and I don't feel like I am being challenged enough intellectually, plus I constantly debate my interest in floor nursing.

My biggest interests are the ER and OR, but I have no idea which would be a better fit for me. Maybe I should stay in floor nursing and try an Intermediate Care Unit? I'm not sure if I want to be a floor nurse though.

Here are my current options:

1. ER: I have always wanted to do Trauma/ER and that is why I got into healthcare, even when I was orienting on my unit I would ask my preceptor if I could go downstairs to the ER when they called codes. However the pace of the ER scares me and I don't know if I can handle being pulled in so many directions. I should be able to get a job in the ER at my hospital because I have been talking to the manager for a while and he seems interested. My biggest problem with this though is that I will be stuck in Houston for an indefinite period because orientation will take 3 months and then I would need to gain experience to go anywhere else. I have tried applying for ERs in other cities but no luck, though should I keep trying?

2. OR: The OR has great scheduling, many employment opportunities, and appeals to my introvert side, but I feel like I would get bored in the routine of the same procedures. There are OR fellowships coming up in the summer, one I know of in Houston and one in Dallas, but again I will be stuck in Texas which I want to leave and if there is a contract involved then no way.

3. Floor: If I stick with floor nursing then I see two options. I can apply for a floor position at another hospital to get out of Houston, work the unit it for several months, then hope I can transfer to the ER/OR. Or I would love to do travel nursing since I love seeing new cities and don't like being stuck in one place. I would have to travel on progressive care tele units because that is where my experience is, but maybe I can talk to a manager in the ER/OR at the hospital I am traveling to and get hired there.

You may wonder why I seem so rushed to figure it out? Well, I plan to apply for my UK nursing license this year and work abroad as a nurse in 2016. I'm pretty whatever unit I have the most experience on is what I will be working in England, so I really want to find my niche and gain that experience before I go abroad.

Yes, I dream big

[crj96]

If you're getting bored in a progressive care unit, I think you're going to be bored out of your mind in the OR! I would take the ER position. It sounds like you're up to a challenge and I would guess that you'll pick up on the pace pretty quickly. If you like to be challenged, you'll thrive in an environment like that. Once you have some experience in the ER, you'll have an easier time transferring those skills to another hospital in a city you're happier with. Just my opinion.

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

If your long-term plans are to work in the UK, I would take the ER job and round off your experience and confirm that that's really your passion, That should also give you a better chance to get a similar job in the UK.

As far as staying another year in Houston, try to find some friends and/or hobbies, if you have more fun maybe you will not focus as much on not liking Houston.

Good luck!

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Meetup.com is awesome, just saying. In a city the size of Houston, you should have no problems at all finding cool things to do with other people. I bet there are hundreds of meetup groups in Houston. I used it when I did the same thing as you - moved far away from everyone I knew to get my first job. My drive was 8 hours instead of 17, so at least my drive was doable in one shot. Anyway, I found some cool people to hang out with on meetup. I ended up moving back home after my first year, but I didn't figure out meetup existed until about two months before I moved. I wish I'd found it sooner because I probably would have had more fun.

Anyway, I'd also say go for the ER position in the meantime. 2016 is only one year away. I think you should transition and stick it out where you are if at all possible - it will definitely benefit you in the long run .

[iPink, BSN, RN]

Six months here and six months there isn't saying much except your a job hopper. It won't look good on your resume. Why don't you stick to your current unit for at least a year and then move on.

Good luck.

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