Unhappy with new job, want to transfer to another department within organization

[lbmRN2014, ADN]

I have been at the same healthcare organization for over 5 years now, most of it spent at one of the organization's smaller hospital's ICU on night shift. Six months ago I transferred to the big hospital in the organization into the cardiac cath lab. I loved my ICU family but I was getting burned out and depressed working in ICU and wanted a change. So now I am at this large cath lab and I just really feel like it's not a good fit for me. I like the actual "work" part in the procedural area but I do not feel supported by management or my coworkers. I struggled through orientation learning all about cath lab stuff but I made it through and have been on my own for about a month now. I feel like I have gotten more depressed since working here because of the difficult time I have been having with difficult coworkers. I truly feel like they are trying to get rid of me. I feel like they will throw me under the bus on any chance they get. If there is an educational opportunity where I am unsure of something, instead of helping me understand, they are going to management and letting management talk to me about it. I have put transfer applications into different departments back at the smaller hospital I came from. My old managers in my old department in ICU wants me back to work with them but HR will not allow it because my husband recently took a position in the same ICU I worked in and it is against policy for spouses to work in the same department (understandbly).

An old coworker of mine who transferred from ICU to OR a few years ago told me they were looking for nurses in the OR that she is working in now. She gave me the same and contact information for the OR manager. I reached out to her and now I am going to talk to the OR manager at the smaller hospital and possibly shadow for a few hours to see if this is something I want to do. I just don't know how to tell her why I am looking to transfer so soon out of the cath lab into another department.

Anybody else have a story about not fitting into a new job and how did you explain yourself to a new manager/employer?

[kp2016]

Cath Lab is a huge learning curve for any nurse and with non supportive co workers it can feel impossible, i've been there. Requesting to transfer after only 6 months never looks good, but as you mention that your co workers are "going to management and letting management talk to me about it" you are almost certainly doing the right thing getting out of there asap.

Smaller hospitals are great in that the managers know you personally and if you left on good terms they are often willing to help you come back if you realize that you made a mistake. You have a friend in the OR, ask her to put in a good word for you to the OR manager. Your old manager may also be willing to help.

Honestly the less you say about the Cath lab the better. Something along the lines of "it was a great unit and I learned a lot but it just wasn't the right fit for me, having worked at Small Hospital ICU for 5 years, I'm confident that Small Hospital OR would be a much better fit".