Transferring units: When and why did you do it?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 10, 2011

after i'd been on the heme/onc floor for about a year, our manager left and a new manager was hired from the pool of internal candidates. i wasn't interested in being a manager, and the woman they hired had the right people skills. the only thing was she'd had less experience than me and that made her uncomfortable. she was real up front about that. what she wasn't so up front about was what she was going to do about it.

there were five of us there who had more experience than kathy. the first month of her tenure as manager, she signed linda up for an interview on the psychiatric unit which she thought would be a "better fit." linda got the job and was thrilled. the second month, she signed deb up for an interview on the float team. deb got an offer and was waffling about whether or not to accept it -- until kathy had a chat with her. deb was gone by the end of the schedule. so when i got a phone call from the micu manager thanking me for my interest in a position and inviting me to come interview, i saw the handwriting on the wall and took the job.

transferring to micu turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. the folks there were a great bunch to work with, and i fit right in. i loved it!

i hope you enjoy your new job.

umcRN, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2011

I worked as a new grad in a NICU for two years, I have just recently transferred to the peds cardiac ICU. I did it for a variety of reasons, one being my nicu has no step down and I was finding myself bored with feeder growers, I also finally accepted that I do not enjoy taking care of micro preemies as some people do (being a children's hospital my unit it NOT filled with preemies but we see our fair share), I was getting antsy to learn something new and unfortunately my unit was not providing me with opportunities to do that so I decided to make the switch. I have only had one shift there so far and it included an 8 hour class so I really cannot say how it is going quite yet but I am remaining optimistic. I also had a really difficult time leaving my home unit where I felt I truly learned to become a nurse, and I love the people I worked with on that unit, I know I will stay in touch with them and hope that I enjoy the people on my new unit as well.

diva rn, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2011

My very first job was in acute care rehab...I lasted about 3 months...didn't like that at all, but I saw an opening for Peds at our facility and transfered there. I liked Peds, but I wanted more of a challange, after 6 months I spoke to the PICU manager and put in the paperwork to transfer. About 3 months later I was a PICU nurse...or a PICU nurse in orientation...and I loved it. That was my niche. I was there for 8 years. Since then, I have done, Adult ICU (went back to PICU), NICU, School Nursing, Hospice, and now doing Case Management. I guess I like a change of pace and I always like a challange.:)

By the way, when I first started...I was fortunate enough that we could get a job just about instantly...those were the days when the interviews consisted of "Have you got a nursing license? Have you got a pulse? When can you start?"

I really feel sorry for the new grads today, it must be so disheartening.

shoegazer · Jul 11, 2011

Hi,

I transferred from an IMC to an ICU this year. I was at my 1st unit for about 5 years. It was REALLY hard to leave my coworkers and a position I was comfortable with, but I was ready for a change. It has been a difficult transition, but I feel like I learn something new every time I work. Yes, ICUs can have some challenging personalities, but I try not to pay any attention to the negative few in the bunch. I say go for it! There will always people who will test you when you're the newbie. I guess if I had to give any advice it would be to go with the flow, be as open as possible to learning and to try and take any criticism well.

Best of luck!

meandragonbrett · Jul 11, 2011

I tend to transfer semi-frequently. The moment I walk into work and I am dreading the day, the moment I am bored in my current position, or the moment where I dread going to work the entire week before I start......that's the moment I begin looking for my transfer. I am easily complacent at work and easily get in a rut.

I always enjoy a different shade of grass.

Five&Two Will Do · Jul 11, 2011

My first job as an RN was on a telemetry unit. Our floor also housed the inpatient oncology. I stayed there for 1.5 years. I liked it, but I wanted to work in the ICU. I think that ICU offers the most autonomy to the nurse. I love it very much.

Annaiya, NP · Jul 11, 2011

I just recently transferred to a new unit, about to start my 4th week of orientation. Make sure you give yourself time for the transition. It was hard to leave a unit where I knew everyone and had a nice routine to my shifts, but I'm already starting to feel more comfortable on my new unit. I definitely like the work better, it remains to be seen if I like my coworkers as much. But I know it takes time to develop those relationships and there are definitely people there who are trying to test me to see if I can handle the environment. I'm just taking it one day at a time, unfortunately my preceptor likes to work 4 in a row and I'm just totally dead by the end.

puravidaLV · Jul 11, 2011

I work on a med-surg floor right now and its only my first week and everyone I have talked to basically have said that YOU HAVE to leave the hospital get to get in where you want to be.

Really sucks considering I will be a new grad and that floor is likely where I will end up. I want ER/ICU, but even someone who had been on the M/S floor for three years was over looked by an outside application w/o experience in those departments.