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Hello! I went through a similar situation a little over a year ago. I made the transition from working on an inpatient child/adolescent psych unit to working in a medical surgical float pool within the same hospital system. The psych position was also my first job out of school and I was in that position for 2 years and 7 months. So I can definitely relate to how you are feeling! I felt like I was losing my medical skills working in psych, especially in child/adolescent psych where the majority of the patients were physically healthy. I also didn't want to pigeon hole myself into working in adolescent psych my whole life. I also think it is a lot harder to transition from psych to medical nursing, but I am here to tell you it is absolutely possible. You will feel so proud of yourself for getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, gaining new skills, etc. You will be a more confident and competent nurse. I do not regret leaving psych to get medical experience. It has opened up more doors for me as far as job opportunities. Getting a position in the medical float pool wasn't too challenging for me. It helped that I transferred within the same hospital. You also have that benefit. I also knew another nurse who was in the float pool and she encouraged me to apply. I started my cover letter out saying My name is so and so. I am writing to express my interest in working as a RN on the Medical Surgical Unit. A former colleague of mine, so and so, informed me there would be a position open.” Networking is definitely key to getting jobs. I think it also played a huge role in getting the job I currently have working in a clinic. Also, find out who the hiring manager is for the position and address your cover letter to that person specifically. It looks good that you took the extra step to find out who the hiring manager is. I also recommend this book about resumes written specifically about nurses. I found it very helpful. Nurses, Jobs and Resumes: Resume Revisions for RNs From the New Grad RN to the Experienced RN: 9780985755201: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com Even though you might be rusty with your technical skills, don't worry too much about not having technical skills to list on your resume. HR Managers don't want to see that you can insert catheters on your resume. They know that you will be able to relearn those skills with time. When I transitioned out of psych and even from the float pool to the clinic, I emphasized my charge nurse experience – delegation skills, leadership skills, etc. The fact that you have charge nurse experience will set you apart and look good. Definitely emphasize it. Below is a sample from my resume: Medical Float Pool Successful utilization of critical thinking skills in organizing and prioritizing the care of 4+ patients in high acuity Medical-Surgical, Rehab, and Mental Health nursing units Versatile and integral team member, demonstrating flexibility and ability to work independently and with all the members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team to deliver exceptional patient centered care Adolescent Behavioral Health Fulfilled charge nurse role on a 12-14 bed Adolescent Mental Health unit, successfully handled patient and family concerns, delegated and oversaw nursing cares to ensure a safe and efficiently run unit Going back to my float position. I floated to 5 different floors: med surg, a burn unit, rehab, adult psych, and adolescent psych. I got about 6 weeks of orientation; but since I was already familiar with psych nursing, I asked for more training on the medical floors instead. Don't be afraid to let people know you haven't done something before and have worked in psych for a while. It is completely understandable why you would need a refresher on skills. I kept a small flip notebook in my pocket and wrote down tips during my orientation and reminders for how to perform certain skills. When I was on my own I kept the notebook in my pocket and referred to it when I needed to. I'm not going to lie, it was a tough transition. I felt like I was a brand new nurse. And in a way I was – a brand new medical nurse. It took about 6 months to feel remotely comfortable with my new position. At the year mark, I felt pretty comfortable and couldn't believe how far I had come. However, there are certain skills I still suck at such as inserting catheters into females and inserting IVs. This may have something to do with the fact that I floated and didn't have the practice to do those skills consistently. Overall, I think you should have no problem transitioning from psych to med surg if that's truly what you want to do. Like you mentioned, you'll be able to use the skills you have learned in psych anywhere you go. Therapeutic communication is a skill that is needed in the majority of nursing jobs. I was initially surprised at how many psych patients there were on medical floors, which makes sense because many people with mental illness also have poor physical health. Anyways, I wish the best of luck to you. If you have anymore questions let me know!

Thank you for your reply Amistad. I feel so much better knowing someone else has gone through a similar situation. I give you props for sticking it out a year. I've barely been able to make it to the 2-month mark! I sometimes play out in my mind how relieved I would feel if I just went to my manager and quit. I think a lot of nurses have the impression that the clinic is less stressful. It's still stressful, just in a different way. When the clinic is short staffed, there is no staffing department that calls people to come in to work. I think you're right about moving to Public Health nursing. I don't know if I'd be willing to take such a huge pay cut at this point in my life, especially since I live in a city where the cost of living is higher. Thanks again for your advice. I wish you luck in your job search!

Hello fellow nurses. I could really use some advice. A little over 2 months ago I decided to take a job in the clinic in Internal Medicine. It's 8-5, M-F, no weekends, no holidays, and every other Monday and Tuesday off. I made the switch for multiple reasons. I never saw myself as a bedside nurse long-term. My husband will have a M-F job when he graduates with his NP in May and I wanted to be on the same schedule as him when he gets a job. Despite the better schedule (and better sleep due to being on a regular schedule), I have been so stressed out since switching. This clinic job was not what I expected it to be. Since the first week or two I knew it wasn't right for me, but decided to stick it out to see if it got better. The training was disorganized and I felt like I was on my own to figure things out. The department I work in has had a high turnover rate lately and has had to deal with being short staffed, so that probably doesn't help. Even though I've settled in a little bit, I still hate it. It doesn't fit my personality. Overall, I just don't like the nature of the work I am doing in the clinic. There is very little patient contact. I spend 99% of my time talking on the telephone with patients answering questions, communicating test results, and triaging. I also reply to patient emails, schedule appointments, place orders, etc. I feel sooo burnt out already sitting all day, talking to patients on the phone, doing computer work for 8 hours. There is so much work to do; but at the same time, my shift goes by way slower than it did in the hospital. I've been a nurse for 4 years and I don't want to keep switching jobs. But it's the worst feeling when you are stuck in a job you hate. I want to find a job that I somewhat enjoy. I want to find my niche. Prior to the clinic I worked in a medical float pool for 13 months. I learned a lot, but working on fast paced medical floors and being floated halfway through my shift wore on me. Prior to that I worked on a specialized inpatient psych unit for almost 3 years. Overall I enjoyed that job because it wasn't as fast paced and I had time to just talk with patient's 1:1. I felt like a counselor a lot of times, which fits my personality. I left that unit because it was my first nursing job and I feared I was losing my medical skills. I also had a bully manager and couldn't take it anymore. She has since left that floor and went to another one. I'm honestly thinking of going back to my first job on the psych unit in the hospital if I can get a Day/Eve position (it's in the same hospital system as my clinic job). It definitely wasn't perfect, but since working on different medical units and now the clinic, I've realized it was the job I enjoyed the most. I want to have a baby in the next couple of years and want a position where I can drop down to casual for a little bit so I can stay home with the baby (we don't live by family). Otherwise I was thinking about being a Public Health nurse with the County, but I would be making approximately $10 less an hour than I was making in the hospital. I already took over a $5 an hour pay cut to go to the clinic and I don't want to have to take another pay cut and have to work more hours! Plus when I do want to have a baby, Public Health would not be as flexible. However, I would consider it if it made me happier. The autonomy, education, and 1:1 patient contact definitely appeals to me. I don't see any other jobs out there that I'm really interested in. It's hard to get clinic positions, so I feel like maybe I should just stick this job out until I can find a better position in the clinic that doesn't involve so much computer work and has more 1:1 patient interaction. It would also look bad if I left this job after a couple of months. Ugh! I feel so stuck and don't know what to do! What would you do in my position?