Waiting for callbacks

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

I interviewed in two hospitals and I am wondering on average length of waiting to hear back. One has been 3 weeks and that seems long. No call to references or anything. I thought it went well. Although I know hospitals can move slow, I am just nervous. The HR has a strict policy of use the website to check the status of your application and I've had no change. They also said that hr only does new hiring only one day of the week.

2nd one was last week and I'm nervous about he first one rejecting me so I have little confidence in this job. I was tired during the peer interview but did great in he manager one.

I hate working in the ICU and I want out after five months. It looks bad but I hate it. I am thinking ongoing to LTC but I have to be selective. Some of the LTC facilities are scary here but I know a few that are decent. I know LTC gets a bad rep but it is really undeserved. I see two classmates that post on Facebook about how they love their jobs and their residents and I'm honestly jealous. Here I am sitting here dreading to go to work and missing my old job in a different department.

My advice? Take the job that feels right and not because of the pay and full time status. I choose full time and now I hate it.

So the important question is how long do you personally wait before discounting the job? I'm applying my rear end off. I am just nervous as I had interviewed two other places back when I was graduating without receiving a rejection email or call after the peer interviews despite promises that they do call. Would you wait a month? A week? What is a realistic time frame to try to be positive about a potential job before shrugging it off?

[MrsICURN14]

It really just depends.

I had a few call backs within a week of applying, and I interviewed and didn't get the job.

Ironically, the 2 jobs I did get offered both waited well over a month to call me for an interview. My full time position I applied for in February and didn't get a call until May. However, I think a connection may have influenced them pulling my app and calling me in, but I'm not sure.

Waiting is the hardest part! Waiting for an interview, and then waiting to hear back after the interview! It's torture!!

I'm starting my first full time position as a new nurse in the CCU, do you mind me asking what you didn't like about ICU/ critical care?

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Critical care isn't bad in itself. It's more that this hospital is more like an advanced step down unit. We have other hospitals close by that most patients are transferred to or taken directly to when they are sick.

That's not bad however the unit itself and even hospital is working in major changes. The morale is low and the staff is constantly complaining about a variety of situations which if I post it, I'm sure someone would recognize. My distaste is more hospital specific than critical in general.

I received a lot of call backs quickly when I put applications out there. I really do want to go to a L&D if possible however that is a hard field to break into. Most of the interest is in regards to ER because of my background which I miss now. I was a little upset towards the end of my previous job due to seeing a string of abuses come in close together.

So it isn't really anything bad with critical caee. It's more this hospital is set up in a way that is not really good. When the morale of the staff is low then that spreads into every little detail. The hospital is changing some policies that are affecting the ICU staff and that is also partially a turnoff.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Also, I do work on making a unit fun. I worked in an understaffed ER before and I made it fun for both the nurses and ancillary staff despite the stress.

I know job hopping is bad, but so is trying to stay in a unit that is so bad I know I will hate nursing forever. Sitting here, I realize that there are better opportunities out there than to cling to a unit that is making me want to pull my hair out. I've realized it for over a month hence why I started putting applications out. I want to do something I love instead of doing something that I hate.

I was also reading old threads about job hopping. Some points that stood out is why do a job that makes you hate nursing?

The house turnover rate is super high at the moment in most units except ER, rehab, and surgery.