transferring positions with in same hospital

[italianrn07]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am not happy at my current job but I really like the hospital I work for and am looking to transfer from one unit to another. There is a question on the internal transfer form that asks if they can contact your current supervisor for reference. I'm not sure what I should put. I want to put yes, since this was my first RN job and I thinks she would give me a good reference, but I don't want her to be surprised that I'm thinking of leaving. Or should I talk to her about the possibility of me leaving and have applied to transfer to another unit? Thanks for your help!

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am not a RN yet but I do work in a hospital and I have transferred before. I think you should contact your supervisor first and put on the form that your supervisor needs to be contacted too. The reason being, THEY FIND OUT!

Unlike applying for a job outside of the hospital, within an organization rumors fly and it is very easy for your current supervisor to deny that your prospective supervisor told him/her you wish to transfer. So accept that everyone will find out anyway. Plus pretend it is no big deal that you want to transfer. In fact, come up with a valid reason that has nothing to do with being disgruntled with your current unit!!! GL!

[shellsgogreen]

i would talk to my current manager about it - being upfront is a good thing, and you never know who you're going to work for in the future.

best of luck to you

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Totally agree with above posters - tell your manager yourself BEFORE you put in for a transfer.

[llg, PhD, RN]

It depends on the hospital. At my hospital, any nurse can talk to our Nurse Recruiters and explore the possibilities of a transfer with total confidentiality. The Recruiter can help the nurse assess her chances of being hired by the new unit and find out from the hiring manager exactly what she is looking for, etc. without the employee's current manager finding out.

If it gets to the point where an actual interview is arranged, that can also be done with confidentiality. The current manager will be asked for a reference before any decision is made -- but the Recruiter and the nurse can discuss exactly how and when that will occur.

We promise our nurses that confidentiality (in the early stages of the process) to encourage them to explore their options on other units when they are unhappy -- rather than simply resign from the whole hospital. The Recruiter and the Manages respect and cooperate with that system because everyone sees the overall benefit for all involved.