The grass is always greener. . .

[R*Star*RN, BSN, RN]

Hey everyone. So about 6 months ago I made the decision to leave the hospital (night shift) for a day job in home health. I had a nagging little feeling that this was the wrong choice but night shift was affecting my ability to sleep so badly that I figured anything would be better.

I was wrong. I feel like this is the worst career decision I have made yet. Not only am I working 6 or 7 days a week, but I also work 10-12 hours a day and my job is NEVER finished. My stress level is through the roof and I thought that being on the code team at the hospital was stressful -- well it is nothing compared to this 24/7 "on" feeling.

Anyway I am trying to get a hospital job again but everyone seems to have a hiring freeze. I am even applying to surrounding states. I'd go back on night shift! How difficult do you think it will be for an RN with 3 years of acute care experiance (including step-down/tele and code team exp) who has been out of the hospital for a little over 6 months to get a job?!

I've applied to about 15 positions, which is all I could find that I am qualified for (since I don't have a specialty like ER/ICU) and haven't heard a peep back even though I've made phone calls and sent emails.

Any advice or even if you share you experiences with similar situations, would be great. Thanks.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Have you actually talked with you former boss? Assuming you left on good terms with her, she might be interested in putting you near the top of her list of potential hires as you would need minimal orientation. You would also "serve as a warning to others" that the grass is not really greener out there. We like to hire former employees back and point them out in orientatin as evidence that this place really is better than other jobs out there. Your old employer may feel the same way.

A lot of people hesitate to go back to their former employer out of embarrassment, but if you were a good employee, it can be a win-win for everyone. Even if there is no job slot available right now, there might be one soon and you could be near the top of the list for it -- assuming you left on good terms, of course.