What should I do...? I am SO bored!

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Currently I work on a med/surg floor in a very small rural hospital. I am still in the new grad phase. I will have 6 months LTC experience and 6 months med/surg experience when I reach my graduation anniversary this june. So that means I will hit the wonderful 1 yr RN experience mark and will finally be a marketable nurse.

My current job has been great to start out in. The people are great, the hospital is great, and most of the patients are good people. Even with all the good things about this job, I still hate med/surg nursing, not as much as the LTC facility, but still. Plus I had to relocate and hate the small ghost town that I live in.

I find myself wanting to move on as soon as possible. I want something more exciting (like the ICU in a big hospital in a fun city) and something that helps me get where I want to be. My end goal is to be a CRNA, I defiantly DO NOT want to be a nurse forever!

So my question is, will it look bad on a resume to have only worked on med/surg for 6 months? Should I stick it out until the 1 yr mark? Would I even be able to get into an ICU with that little of experience? Has anyone else felt the same way about med/surg? I have learned a lot in just my 3 months there but I already feel bored, is that common? While I am still learning new things everyday, none of them are exciting. Its just a new med or a new dressing change, ect. I crave the excitement of critical patients. But with the job market these days I am really going to get where I want to be?

[zorabanks]

Congrats on finding a job in a hospital as a new grad, because I couldn't. CRNAs are nurses, advanced practice, but nurses. I have a good friend who is a CRNA, so, no disrespect. I think it is normal to get board with what you are doing. If I knew then what I know now, I would secure a job in that large hospital first before I moved or gotten a job in small hospital for 1st year, then moved. I too was in a small ghost town and moved to a larger city with simular goals in mind. However, found that the area is saturate with RNs and learned it is as much about who you know than what you know. I ended up taking a job in a SNF ( fancy way to say nursing home). Good luck!

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I should have specified, I don't want to be a floor nurse forever. The OR with unconscious patients is much more my style. :) But I agree that I was very fortunate to find a job in the hospital (took me 6 months of applying), and maybe I am letting my good luck get to my head. I should be more grateful to be out of the LTC facility. I had to move from the big city which was VERY saturated with RN's to a tiny little town in order to get this job. I should be more patient and do my fair share of time here, but I can't help being impatient to get into the ICU and get into CRNA school. I guess things could be worse...

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

if you're already bored, you're not working hard enough to identify learning opportunities. there's no way you can know it all in such a short time, so clearly you're not looking to learn everything you can about disease processes, surgical techniques, drugs, lab values, tests, co-morbidities, etc. even after 20 years in med/surg, there's still more to learn.

yes, it looks bad to change jobs after only six months. and if you've been a nurse for a year but only have six months in this job, you've probably already changed jobs. anyone who looks at your resume and thinks "job hopper" will be absolutely correct. any icu manager willing to hire you would have to be desperate for staff. probably not a good indicator.

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Thanks for your advice. I should have clarified that it is not the lack of learning new things that is boring, because of course everyday I learn something new. But like I said before I am not learning anything exciting, new labs, new diseases, new meds, or new ways to chart, ect. are not really my idea of exciting, interesting yes, but not exciting. I am an adrenaline junky (at work and outside) and those don't really get my blood flowing, ya know? I want a job that I can continue to learn all those things, because they are interesting and important, but that also gets exciting at times. Is that so wrong to want? I was an EMT and loved it. Now things are just a little slow. Maybe I was expecting more when I came from the LTC facility.... and maybe I am just disappointed that I don't get to be in the action anymore. Being busy and running around is not my idea of action either.

And while I only have 6 months of RN experience at the LTC facility I have a year of LPN experience at the same LTC facility so really I have 1 and a half years as a nurse at one place.

Either way I am sure you will still say to stay for the full year. Which you are probably right.