Tuesday, October 9, 2012

2 weeks

Yup.  It's happening.  I gave Hood Hospital my notice this week, and I'll be starting a new job soon.  I'll still be an ER nurse, and it's pretty close by, so the stuff I see will be somewhat similar, but just less crazy.  New hospital sees a little less people, but it's also run waaay more efficiently. The most amazing part of all- ER BFF is going with me. Apparently when you work in the most ghetto, batshit crazy ER in the city, it's pretty easy to get hired on wherever because they know you can hang.
I'm beyond excited.  I'm sleeping a lot better, and even when shifts at Hood Hospital are shitty, I can at least tell myself that I'll be out of here soon.  It's gonna suck to leave my friends, but I'm so afraid that if I stay here any longer that it could potentially ruin nursing for me forever.  I'm watching people that have stepped up into the roles that I've stepped up to before me- people that I know are amazing nurses, but who have lost a lot of the love for what they do.  This place has taken everything they have.  Before I could see my way out, back when I was still trying to figure out what to do, I would seriously just sit up and cry for absolutely no reason I could identify.  I was a complete and total basket case a month ago, and I pretty much made life impossible for my poor husband.  I know things where I'm going aren't going to be perfect, but I really don't think that I have to settle for a job that's so toxic.
We'll see how it goes.  I'm just relieved I have someone here with me who is going to be going through the same adjustments and growing pains that I am.  I think part of the reason I stayed so long was oddly how horrible it was for me there as a new nurse.  I know the situation was different, but it was really tough being new and isolated and being shy and weird to boot.  I've honestly been a little scared of having to go somewhere new and start fresh with all new people that don't know my quirks and such. Even if this place is staffed with 100 percent total princess Bs, I at least know I have one friend.
The funny thing about all of it is that we're among several people who have jumped ship in the last couple of months.  They've lost nearly a quarter of the staff here recently, and it's finally, finally, caught the attention of the bigwigs.   Despite being told this for multiple YEARS, these idiots are all of a sudden all "OMGZ, you mean you guys don't like running this place with half the staff you're supposed to have and never eating or peeing, and that comparable places with more staff get more shit done and have happier patients? Well OKEY DOKEY then, let's get you a bunch of new staff!"  Except...yeah... the amount they're hiring will only serve to replace the experienced staff that left, so..yeah.
But you know what?  It doesn't matter anymore.  They can make all the promises they want, because I know they're full of crap, and I don't have to take it anymore.   It's a pretty great feeling.

20 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new job! The awkward phase will pass and they will see what a great nurse you are!

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  2. Woooo! And how awesome that your friend will be there too! I would be sad if you burned out, because then no more funny blog. :P

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  3. Congratulation! I know my leaving my old job has done wonders for my outlook, & I feel like there's some sanity in my new job. In a few months you'll wonder why you stayed at your old job as long as you did!

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  4. Congrats on taking the leap! You'll be fine; you're a BAMF and they'll figure it out soon enough.

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  5. What a feeling of relief! Congratulations, this is so exciting!

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  6. Congratulations! I also switched jobs recently and feel like Tonja!

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  7. I hope the new place is good, it will be nice get back to some wacky funny stories.

    I am not a nurse (something in the world of medicine, case loads, charting, ect but not a nurse), and I stayed way too long at a job that was tough, way under paid, and sucked my soul away for many of the same reason you post about (but at least mine was not as severe or as important .. well... crap..that is bad to say... it is an important job, to the pateints, but everything around makes a person feel like it's a crap job so it must not be important .. anyways) I left, I moved on to the evils of ... INSURANCE, yep I went to work for the Devil. (but I dont deny claims) It sucks at my soul only .01% that the important job did.


    I like my new job, it is easy, it pays better, I does not make me cry at night, it's not important compaired to my old job, but I do help people (it would be better if I did not have to play a numbers game and I only worked with people I knew I could help, then I coudl say it was more important) I left behind friend at my old job, I miss them (6 yrs later) I dont see them like I use to over the years, some have moved on and other still are there. We all have a place, I stayed for too long out of fear of leaving them, silly I know, but when you feel like you do an ok job, at the very least dont cause other to have to pick up behind you. It is hard to become another burden to your friend, you know leaving will be a burden for a while, but you have to do what is best for you. we all have a place.

    I look back and I dont regret staying too long (my bank account does) it taught me so much and apparently I was just not ready.

    Good luck!

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  8. I guess I should proof read.. oh wells.. Y'all get my point! lol

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  9. Congratulations! I hope the new job is everything you wish it to be.

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  10. How wonderful for you! Your "Character Development" is over! :)

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  11. I'm happy you and BFF are leaving together to start on this new wacky chapter. Best of luck. Hey, will you still be Hood Nurse??

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  12. Good luck on the new job, I hope it's a fabulous fit.

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  13. Dude, I'm telling you, this is going to be great for you. I did the exact same thing a year and a half ago and it changed my life. Instead of having to spend a full day recovering after a shift at my old hospital, I actually can ENJOY MY LIFE. I'm even thinking about going back to school for my NP because I'm not exhausted and emotionally wrung out after work anymore. Yes, occasionally I'll have a bad couple of shifts, but the difference is that there are PEOPLE THERE TO HELP ME when it gets crazy. The whole place is better organized. The nurses are treated better. The docs are better. The only downside is that the nurses who have never worked anywhere else complain: "I have FIVE [non-sick] patients and Charge Nurse sent me a SIXTH!!" (Uh, it's a finger lac. Go get a tDap and you're all set...) Also there seems to be a lot of blah blah blah going on among some of the nurses--you know, gossip and politics etc. I've discussed this with a few nurses who also came from super awful situations and have come to the conclusion it's because these nurses HAVE TIME ON THEIR HANDS to gab about each other. WHO CARES. I just keep to myself, avoid gossip and enjoy my awesome job.

    Listen, don't stress about fitting in and being the new kid on the block. You are awesome because you've been baptized by fire and will immediately be head and shoulders above most everyone there. Just stay mellow, be nice and polite, and do your job. You'll do great and you'll be SO HAPPY.

    Congrats! Enjoy! Seriously: enjoy your new life!

    xo

    GGRN

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  14. SO happy for you! Change is hard but you'll look back and wonder what took you so long. I hope the new place treats you right! I'm a SICU nurse and I'm about to move 2000 miles across the country to a hospital that values its nurses. Cheers to having a job you can love again!

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  15. Congratulations! I have worked in a 'hood hospital' of my own since I graduated 6 years ago, and recently I have been seriously considering moving on. A person can only be beaten down and put in dangerous situations for so long without asking themselves why the hell they do it every day. Keep us posted on your new adventure and maybe you will give more 'hood' nurses out there the courage to jump out there and try something new.

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  16. Congrats. Where ya going? Email me at serenitynowhospital@gmail.com

    ER Doc

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  17. Jeez. New Nurse. I'm just like you. I was a nursing assistant for twelve years and i just walked away from it. I'd never thought that I would be treated the way I was at my position. I mean it wasn't as if i was an RN and I could a new job. I mean I realized that the only position I would be able to get would be at a nursing home and it's horrible there. It's like that at every nursing home I've ever worked at. One element of nursing that really gets underneath my skin is when there are people who do not understand a damn thing about nursing yet hold a position higher than you. And yet try to tell you how to do your damn job. That has ALWAYS pissed me off. I can't stand that. Kudos to you. I'm headed to physical therapy. Yay better hours and better pay!!!

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  18. Congrats! A good friend once told me to never make any decisions based on fear. It's great advice! Proud of you for not letting your fear of being in a new place control you and keep you in a toxic job.

    I second what GuitarGirlRN said about going to a better hospital and then hearing a lot of complaining from people who have never worked anywhere else and have no idea how bad it can be at other places or how good they have it. I hear this all the time at my job now and I'm like...y'all don't even KNOW. Ha!

    Anyway, congrats!

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  19. Good on you! Best of everything in your new job. And you might want to convince Dr. No Bullshit to come with you as well.

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  20. Congratulations. You aren't going to believe you hung in there as long as you did. They are going to love you. I'm with Shash though - take Dr No BS with you. We love the stories.

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