So conflicted..hate current job..two new options

[brindlenurse]

Ive been working in an ER for about 8 months now. First RN job out of school, second degree, etc. Its the busiest ER in my state. And I loathe going to work everyday. I feel anxious days before I have to go back. While I recognize Im still fairly new, I have worked in healthcare for 4 years now, and think its the ER that is just not a great fit. I've found I want less patient interaction, less risk at my fingertips. Its all too stressful. I've even started regretting becoming a nurse.

I have two opportunities right now...one is working in the OR, with a 3 year contract. One is working for Ashfield Healthcare talking to patients on the phone about their drugs and cataloguing adverse events for pharm companies....two VERY different career paths. No idea which to choose. I fear I hate my current job so much I cant think clearly. HELP.

[Green Tea, RN]

I work in OR.

OR is quite different from other nursing specialities. Surgeon, assistant, CRNA, and/or surgical tech can be nasty/abusive in a closed operating room. I definitely would not recommended a OR job with three years contract.

[turtlesRcool]

Echoing what other posters say - these both sound like bad choices for you. Additionally, both are extremely specialized, making it harder for you to make a move to another position, if you decide you don't like your new job.

I'm wondering what drew you to the ER in the first place. Did you like it in the beginning? You write that it's the busiest in the state, so I mange it's pretty fast-paced. Have you considered maybe looking at jobs in less-busy hospitals? Smaller community hospitals may not have the same high-stress environment.

You say you have 4 years of healthcare experience. What did you do before that? Which rotations did you enjoy in nursing school? Maybe if you post a little about why you became a nurse and what you like about health care, we'd be in a better position to give you advice.

Others have said it, but 8 months isn't very long, though it probably seems like an eternity to you. Of that 8 months, I'm assuming maybe the first 3 were with a preceptor, meaning you've been on your own for less than half a year. You're still in the phase where the learning curve is very steep. You're expected to practice independently, but don't really have the same big bag of tricks your colleagues do. If you stick with it, over the next few months, you will likely find it gets easier. Not in the sense that there's less work (there's always lots of work), but in the sense that more and more often you're prepared to handle what comes at you. I echo PPs who suggest sticking it out to the year-mark, and then reconsidering. You can spend the next few months really reflecting on what you want, and if you still feel like the ER is not for you, your year's experience will give you many more options than the two in front of you now.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Stick it out for a year, then transfer to PACU.