Hi everyone, so I graduated with my RN in 2014, worked at a subacute rehab for about 8 months, then worked at a small community hospital for the past 2 1/2 years. The facility I work at has been miserable, the patient to staff ratios 1:9 on med-surg/tele. Everyone is overworked, overwhelmed and nurses are dropping like flies lately. Management does not care even though they tell us to address our concerns. We are a very small community hospital 300 or so beds. So there is not that many staff members to begin with. Who wants to work for a hospital where you get absolutely no recognition for busting your butt and being told to do better when you are doing your absolute best? Day shift tends to get all the recognition but nights never get a thing. There is also no room for advancement and the education department has been terrible in training new and current staff members. Everything falls on the nurses.. making sure phlebotomists come to draw blood, calling dietary for trays, doing accuchecks and finding stretcher or wheelchairs in order to set our patients up for tests. There was no accountability in the other roles in this hospital.
So I finally had enough and started applying at other facilities. I got the job I have wanted at a great facility. It is a level 1 facility with so much room for advancement, encouragment and financial assistance in continuing education and every role/position is expected to work to the max of their scope of practice with no excuses. The people that work there seem so happy and supportive which is what I need because there was no support at my other place. I have a few coworkers that work there now and love it. Plus it is a pay jump as well. I want to love what I do but I have hit a brick wall at my facility and actually went into a depression imagining being stuck there for longer. The only reason I stayed as long as I did was because I took tuition reimbursement with them so that was holding me back but I finally said whatever and that I would pay whatever money back that I owe in order to be happy. I start next month on a telemetry unit which is what I am interested in. I will have max of 6-7 patients. Any encouraging words on starting over at a different facility and not knowing anyone? I am so happy to be leaving my current facility, but I will miss my routine and the people that I work with. This gives me the opportunity to start fresh and finally use my nursing skills and learn instead of always being task oriented and in survival mode at my other job. Please anyone with some advice on starting at a new facility would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening to the rant!