Seeking advice: 5 months in at my medsurg nursing job (first out of BSN). Very unhappy. How long should I stay before trying something else?

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Followed the advice to start out in medsurg to cement skills before moving settings/into a more specific specialty. 

I have not had a good experience so far. 

Had 1 month orientation - I shadowed my preceptor for 1 day and the remaining shifts she set me out to do everything on my own with minimal guidance or support. Managers on the unit said that is her “teaching style” but I don’t feel it prepared me well. 

After orientation - it was a lot of figuring everything out on my own. I was told by the head manager to ask a ton of questions - but whenever I tried/try to, I am ignored and brushed off. 

I understand how busy everyone is and I feel bad to be a bother but need to know answers to important questions so that I do not make a mistake and can provide the best patient care possible. 

Despite getting good feedback from the head nurse manager during my monthly reviews & feeling like I have gotten an OK handle on things - I really dislike the job and environment itself. 

Reasons:  

-stretched too thin… more tasks than humanely possible to get done in 12 hours 

-if you hand something off to the night nurse, it is not a good situation.

-the floor is always short staffed 

-every nurse on the floor since the day I started has not had 1 good thing to say about the job/the hospital. everyone is very open about being unhappy, depressed, anxious and/or burnt out 

-although I do not get involved- I have witnessed a lot of drama and talking badly about other nurses/staff 

-there is & always has been very minimal support from the charge nurse & other nurses on the floor. they make you feel stupid for asking a question and many things go unanswered 

-unable to take lunch breaks - go from morning til late at night without eating 

There are a ton of other reasons but way too many to list. 

I dread going into work every-time I have a shift and have anxiety while I’m there and feel stressed, anxious and very down & depleted on my days off. 

I have not lost my passion for nursing and do want to have a long career doing it. I want to be the best nurse I can be - I just don’t think this is a good fit for me. 

I feel like I would do much better in a different environment or unit - possibly in a school, clinic, doctors office, ambulatory care center, etc. 

I am just unsure if leaving at 6 month mark would hurt me in the future. 

Looking for any words of wisdom or advice. Thank you for reading this!