When did you know it was time to move on?

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 4, 2012

For a little over a year, I almost never ate lunch. I rarely sat down, and often worked a little late to catch up. Even with all that, I didn't feel like I gave the patients the care I would liked them to have. These elderly, often frail people only got the bare minimum with the amount of work I was faced with every day.

I decided that I didn't want to be as dependent on CNAs. A good one made a day possible, and excellent one made the care of patients so much better and the bad/absentee ones made me want to quit.

I plotted my escape for months. Took time to look around, and when the time came, I left on good terms with my manager and coworkers.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2012

When I realized that my spirit was dead and that I didn't sleep at all before a day shift because of severe anxiety. When I started signing up for 99% nights so I could hide from leadership.

Full story here: https://allnurses.com/success-stories-nursing/i-didn-t-700630.html

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2012

And to add to that, I just read my article and I had managed to forget many of the things that led me to quit over the last 8 months. Being away from that place has been good for my soul.

Ruas61, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2012

When I dreamed about the residents floating up and down my basement steps.

FLmed · Dec 4, 2012

For a little over a year, I almost never ate lunch. I rarely sat down, and often worked a little late to catch up. Even with all that, I didn't feel like I gave the patients the care I would liked them to have. These elderly, often frail people only got the bare minimum with the amount of work I was faced with every day.
I decided that I didn't want to be as dependent on CNAs. A good one made a day possible, and excellent one made the care of patients so much better and the bad/absentee ones made me want to quit.
I plotted my escape for months. Took time to look around, and when the time came, I left on good terms with my manager and coworkers.

I can relate to this on sooo many levels. You took the words out of my mouth. Get out of my head... Lol! A CNA can make or break your day, and unfortunately we only have 2 good CNAs. The others are like little Houdinis. They disappear and then I get stuck doing everything. Quite honestly I don't mind the grunt work, but I also have 6 patients to manage. I'm putting out fires all day long, and I'm doing their job too. It's too much for one person.. So, I'm a RN, a CNA, a hotel concierge, and a fireman. I'm physically and mentally exhausted at the end of a 12 hour shift (that almost always turns into a 14 hour shift).

FLmed · Dec 4, 2012

And to add to that, I just read my article and I had managed to forget many of the things that led me to quit over the last 8 months. Being away from that place has been good for my soul.

Good for you, honey!! Big hugs!!

rockstar11 · Dec 4, 2012

When I was asked to plan to work off the clock every day I worked. When I was called negligent for not finishing ALL of my charting two hours into the shift (how is that possible? Why document ahead and guess what is going to happen in the next 10 hours? I digress...).

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Dec 6, 2012

More evidence (as we needed it) that people don't leave "jobs" - they leave "managers"- particularly when that individual's behavior actually creates a barrier between the nurse and what s/he really wants to do... practice nursing.

A skilled and committed first-line manager can create an environment in which it is a joy to come to work each day - and they are desperately needed. Unfortunately, they are increasingly rare as health care organizations become less and less supportive - including providing development that new managers desperately need.

Good luck OP

Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2012

I work away from the bedside but I'm likely to be leaving in the near future.

Part of the reason was when our reviews suddenly turned highly critical, with no one meeting the new standards, not even the most senior staff.

Part of the reason is that people are leaving, sometimes with little notice, sometimes after only being there a month or two. Even one of our executives left.

Part of the reason is that we've had two meetings in less than a month where the executives have assured us everything's fine (which had the opposite effect for me)

Too many alarm bells for me.

barbarake21 · Dec 13, 2012

I worked weekend nights in a LTC. Two units were LTC and one was medicare/rehab. and each unit had 40+ people. The LTC units had 1 nurse/night, the medicare/rehab. unit had 2. Management then decided that the rehab. unit could get by with one nurse at night. Several of the nurses immediately quit.

So now they're scrambling to find coverage. One morning (after a long night), I was just leaving when the staffing coordinator stopped me to ask if I would be picking up a shift. After I confirmed that it was the medicare/rehab unit and that I would be the only nurse, I said something like "I don't care what management says, that's way too much for one person so, no, I'm not interested".

To make matters even better, this happened in a public hallway with people around. (What can I say - I was tired and obviously not thinking. I should have just said I had plans and let it go.)

Oddly enough, after having NO write-ups in the previous year-and-a-half, I got three in the three weeks. I can take a hint - started looking for another job, found one (quickly, thank god) and gave my notice.