When is time to change jobs?

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When is the moment that you know it's time for a change? I have been a nurse for 5 yrs and I have worked at the same hospital on an orthopedic unit for those 5 yrs. It's actually not a horrible unit to work on but very demanding and stressful at times. I was glad when I got the job as it was one of the hospitals and floor that I hoped to get. I still love what I do and where I work, my co-workers have become some of the best friends I've ever had and I enjoy working with them. What do not like is the fact that it's night shift, and I refuse to work days on that floor because it's beyond stressful and more than I am willing to put up with just to be able to sleep like normal people. I do not particularly care for the 12hrs shift either, but as an associates degree nurse without experience in other areas of nursing, there aren't much choices to choose from.

At times I do feel a bit depressed and feel like day in and day out it's the same and I don't feel happy. I have many blessings in my life, so I shouldn't feel depressed or sad. The first few years of working there I did not feel this way, and was actually glad to go to work for the most part. Part of the reason I haven't changed jobs is because I'm scared to go anywhere else, I've gotten so accustomed to my job and I know what to expect. Another reason I'm reluctant to go anywhere else is the staffing ratios and the work hrs, we have pretty good staffing at 5:1 and are not required to work overtime. So I'm kind of unsure of whether I should go somewhere else because I may get another job and wish that I would have stayed where I was at. We don't have a lot of emergency situations on our floor and when they do happen it really scares me and thankfully there are many people there to help. I know I do not want to work as a floor nurse for my whole career, so I'm working on getting my BSN so I'll have more options open to me in the future. I just do not feel content, and nothing seems to shake the feeling of unhappiness even though I still like my job. Any advice would be appreciative, thanks.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Good morning - I have moved your thread to the Career forum for more answers.

Change is difficult. This time last year I had just changed jobs from a position I had held for over 11 years. I just felt stagnant - there was no one reason for changing jobs.

However, 8 weeks into the new job, I knew I had made a mistake. I ended working there for 6 months and then went back to the old job.

I like being the expert. I like learning new things too but have found ways to expand my horizons to more than just my job: I've been tapped to do a national conference presentation, I am getting more involved in my specialty's national organization, and really getting out of my comfort zone a little more.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is: what can you change in your PRESENT job that would make it more rewarding: join a committee, offer to precept, learn new skills, attend a conference.

What would make this job more exciting? If you do decide to leave, make sure not to burn bridges. I was able to come back with the same seniority and salary as when I left because I gave plenty of notice and left on very good terms.

Best wishes for your decision.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

journal, whether formally or informally, to see what you truly like and dislike. Think about this question in depth: where do I see myself in 5 years? Then answer it, even if it takes multiple sit downs and months to write an answer. Get your BSN, it will help open doors when you do in fact come to them.

I did the same soul search about 2.5 years ago and left the area I loved (LTC) due to physical limitations, and found my new love (dialysis). If you're honest with yourself, you can't go wrong

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Thanks for the advice. Even though I really don't want to move to days because of the craziness and how busy it is, it would be a change and a challenge for me. Both of which I need right now. I'm starting to think night shift has had a negative effect on my mental health and personal life. I've had more anxiety and been more irritable than I ever have been while working there. It may be affecting me more now because I'm getting older. I have thought about working somewhere else but I believe that would be too much of a change for me at this time and would cause more stress. What I know for sure is that I need a change, and I believe making a switch to days would help.

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Specializes in Neurosciences, stepdown, acute rehab, LTC.

Sounds like you’re starting to get restless which is perfectly fine and normal after a while at a job. I find when I start feeling how you’re feeling, it’s time to start reflecting on what I want to change. Just a few thoughts- there are a lot of predictable floors out there with few emergencies and lots of nurses who are uncomfortable in emergencies. I’ve said this before to others but I loved acute rehab. Ortho skills are very transferable there, you don’t see a lot of emergencies, you get to keep your skills and still have a reasonable patient load compared to skilled rehab. Also , a lot of them have 8 hour shifts so you have 3-11 option and day shift is easier than hospital day shift. It doesn’t sound to me like you’re ready to move away from bedside. There’s also hospice, home health, etc. That’s a change of scenery without leaving patients. You could also move to a different speciality to just shake things up a bit- meeting new people, learning new things. People may say “the grass is not always greener”, and it’s true- You will trade one set of problems for another. However, I think it’s ok to want change for the sake of change. I’ve made some excellent decisions by changing due to restlessness. (I had the job and income and stability so really had a chance to get in another good situation.) You do not need to Hate your life or riddled with problems to decide to change. Sometimes you are just ready to move forward. And remember, you can always go back.

EDIT: I just saw your above post. You also can try day shift for a bit to take baby steps - you’re not totally locked in after you make a change, I say just give change a chance!

I keep going back and forth with myself on whether I want to stay or go, and by go I mean change jobs. Transferring to days will only help the working nights problem and help with my sleep. I will essentially be doing the same tasks and providing the same care as I do on nights except I will be discharging patients and admitting more surgical patients. There are just a couple of changes to get used to and a more fast paced shift than I'm used to.

I've thought about applying at a dialysis clinic and have talked with someone that works at one of the major clinics to get an idea of what it's like and whether I would want to apply. It was an area that I was interested in working because I applied to one after I finished nursing school.

Even though I'm scared of change and uncertain of things, I do know that I do not want to work in the hospital setting all of my nursing career. I feel comfortable in my current position, but at times I want something different or feel I need a change in my life. I do not see myself working at the same hospital where I am currently employed or even in a hospital in the next five years. My goal has always been to get out of the hospital setting. I'm scared to switch to something else because I've done ortho nursing for so long and it's all I know, I haven't even worked on a med-surg unit. I've seen a lot of nurses that have a varied background in nursing having worked in different areas and I think it's important to branch out and gain different experiences because you become more marketable and valuable to potential employers when seeking new positions.

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I had a slightly different situation, but I got out of it in a completely different way - I just completely changed my view of my work due to excessive stress, although I worked for about 3 years. Now I am taking photos and gradually accumulating a customer base, sometimes I work with similar https://www.splento.com/hire-photographer-manchester businesses. I think I did the right thing.

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