Long post but skip to the last paragraph for the main jist of my issues.
I have been considering quitting my current position for a while now (like, since before COVID was a thing in every hospital). I work in telemetry, where we are chronically understaffed. I usually have 5 patients (and these are not med surg level people) and rarely ever have a tech to help the unit (we are supposed to have 2 per unit). Add to that the anxiety I have been facing as I am sometimes floated to the COVID tele unit, and I live with a roommate who would be at high risk if I expose her to COVID.
Now here's the kinda complicated web of entanglements making me unsure of whether I should stick it out.
I want to work in an ICU. That's always been my goal since I have always wanted to be a CRNA. I've only been a nurse for about a year and a half. I was trying to apply to level one hospitals in my area, but then COVID happened and it seemed like no one was hiring. Now people are hiring again so I've been sending out applications. I interviewed with the head of a major level one hospital's medical transplant ICU. I should be hearing back from them late this week or next week, since they have a few more people to interview.
When I told my nurse manager about my applications to other hospitals (I initially didn't want to tell her until I got an offer but I needed a manager's reference), she got in touch with our director about getting me a position in our level one SICU, since she wants me to stay with the hospital. I greatly appreciate her for this. But I'm not sure if I want to stay with this hospital. We are a safety net level one working in a major urban area. We get the patients no one else wants to deal with, many do not have any health insurance, some are abusive to staff- it's incredibly stressful.
Here's my main pickle- do I stay in case my director can help secure a spot at my current hospital's SICU, which I'm not even confident I want to work in, or do I pull the plug and resign, hoping I can get a spot in another ICU? I'm afraid that if I resign now and don't get the offer for the medical transplant ICU, I'll be stuck and resigning will reflect badly on me in future applications. Or will it? I have never resigned before. I have the funds to lose my income for quite a while, but I don't want to experience trouble finding another job when I only want to be in an ICU.
Any input is appreciated, thanks!
