should i stay or should i go? advise for a young nurse trying to find her niche

sunshine539 · Nov 10, 2016

I am a young nurse (BSN) with about a little less than 2 years hospital experience, total of 3 years as a "nurse". [1 year step down on nights, a 1 year bad experience in an GI office, and now about 10 months a working days in a very busy and hectic LTACH (long term acute care hospital --not a nursing home,fyi. We get a lot of medically complex patients, trachs, PEGs, etc. you name it)]

But recently I had a conversation with a travel RN the other day which has really gotten me thinking.

She was asking me what I was doing here and why I wasn't doing something more than what I was doing now. She advised me to go find a bigger hospital and really learn and push myself since I am young.

Which comes to my questionâ€¦.

If it is advisable to start looking for an ICU job now. I've always wanted to try ICU..i feel like it would be a good fit and I love the idea of organized chaos and being able to really push myself and learn things. I do not have much experience with code situations and drips (they sort of freak me out) but I feel like I need to push myself and once I get experience these things won't be so scary). What if ICU is my niche and I'm spending time here when I could be learning a butt load somewhere else?

Soâ€¦in all of my rant..I guess I'm looking for some advice on if it is too soon to be "job hoping" already and if i should stay in LTACH longer. Or just any words of wisdom from nurses.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Nov 10, 2016

"job hoping" A most excellent typo! You have the skills to succeed in the ICU setting. It is up to you to market yourself.. to a facility that will hire you into that position .Tailor your resume to current job openings. When you get an interview.. NEVER let them see you sweat. Go into the interview cool, calm and collected.. describe your skills and WHY you are the best candidate.

Best wishes.. you've got this:up:

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 11, 2016

You're a new nurse with one year of experience three times; not three years of experience. You keep changing jobs, and now you're wanting to change jobs AGAIN. Presumably, you thought you'd like each one of those three jobs when you took it only to jump ship a year or so later. What if you jump to ICU and you don't like that, either?

As someone with a history of job hopping, you won't be a particularly attractive candidate to hiring managers in the ICU. Add to that that you'd require a long orientation as your acute care experience is limited, I think it would be difficult for you to get hired in a quality ICU. Not impossible, but difficult.

I think your best course is to stay long enough in your current job to become truly competent (usually about two years) and to mitigate your history of job hopping. If, after two years, you still think the ICU is where you belong, go for it. Right now it seems like you're considering job hopping yet again just because you had a conversation with a traveler who "thinks you can do better." That's a bad reason to jump ship.

ottersloveoysters · Nov 11, 2016

If your dream is to work in the ICU and an opportunity presents itself, go for it. If you're only switching to the ICU because you think "this is what I have to do or I'm supposed to do", don't do it.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 12, 2016

threads merged

Kalohen89 · Dec 14, 2016

If you want to go to ICU because it's your dream and the suggestion gave you the confidence to try for it, then go for it. If you're only interested in it because someone said you should, then I don't think it's a good idea, sit on this for a while and if after time you decide your interest is in ICU, then you can start aiming for it. Good luck for whatever you choose.