Please, need advice!

[biretta]

Hi all. I just started my first nursing job on a medical unit. During school, I found my interest gravitating towards OR, in one aspect or another but was under the misconception that it woud be difficult to get into this area without some med-surg experience. Knowing I would hate it, I accepted my current position with the intent of gaining the supposed necessary experience to move elsewhere. Two months into my job--I am nearing the end of my preceptorship but nowhere near the end of my probationary period--I've learned that the nurse manager in our hospital's OR does hire new grads and actually prefers to do so. Upon accepting this position, I was told that my dept. asks for an 18 month commitment. I really doubt that I can withstand this for that period of time, especially now that I am experiencing daily the brunt of insufficient staffing on my unit. I am finding myself already resentful that the workload is piled on, yet management expects you to take your breaks while avoid logging in overtime. I understand that working for free is part of the nursing culture but I guess I haven't accepted this yet. My quesiton is, would it be not be advisable to contact the OR manager, who a friend of mine is acquainted with and claims (she) is empathetic to the challenge of a new grad's finding her niche in the profession? I'm afraid this will get back to my manager even if i give only my first name, as this is a small facility with only 250 beds. Am I right to assume that each dept. will honor the commitment set forth by other dept.s in hiring? In other words, is there probably no chance that if there are openings, the OR manager would consider hiring me before my 18 months is up? Thanks in advance for any input; I'm frustrated and getting desperate.