Should I stick it out in my sucky job?

January 11, 2020 1:15 PM

I've been at my job for nearly 3 years. It was fine/great but in the last 4 months things took a massive nosedive and I don't know whether to stay or go.

I'm sorry that this is a bit ranty.

I'm an RN in an ER. 4 months ago we were audited by JCAHO and management unrolled a policy that triples the paperwork and human-work on behavioral health patients with no benefit to the patient, for the sake of passing a survey. Additionally we need to 1:1 or 2:1 with all behavioral health pts which takes away at least ten techs.

Result - the morale is absolutely miserable. Nurses are bitching at eachother. Patients are pissed because they are getting less facetime with nursing. There is not enough staff and we are wasting our time on stupid shit so actually sick people suffer. Everyone is talking about leaving, few actually have. More techs have been hired but of course staffing is still not adequate.

This has driven an even greater wedge between management and us. There is a weird scheduling policy that is driving people crazy and I don't know if this is abnormal or not. Shift swaps are not being approved if there are holes in the schedule. Say I need Monday covered. A per-diem or part time employee tries to pick it up. Management says no because there is an open shift on monday. So I call out and then they are short two bodies. Or - they reject it because there is a hole elsewhere that week on nights. So they want me to pick up another 12 hour shift night shift before I can get my Monday covered. Is this a normal policy?

I don't know whether to go or not. I like emergency nursing because it is (used to be) fun, it's exciting, it's very tasky and it's challenging. Our doctors are so smart and great to work with. The only other ER near me has residents so the nurses have less autonomy, plus they are suffering from the same problem we have.

I've always pretty much enjoyed my work, it's not a passion or anything but it was pleasant enough. Now I dread going.

A nearby new 40 bed behavioral health unit is slated to open in the fall, which I'm sure will be pushed back. I've been telling myself to wait until then to make a decision. But I'm afraid I'm going to completely burn out before then.

Anyone been through something similar? Any advice on sticking it out or looking elsewhere? There's plenty of RN jobs around but I am honestly worried they will be boring after the ER. Plus I still feel like I have emergency skills to learn and I love the confidence and satisfaction that comes from developing them.

posted by pintapicasso to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Could you take some per diem shifts with another potential job and see how you like it, or would that be too exhausting? Or, could you quit this job, get another, and pick up some per diem shifts with this one if you get bored? Life is too short to be miserable at work.
posted by pazazygeek at 2:20 PM on January 11, 2020 [6 favorites]

Maybe look into locum tenens? I believe lots of places are looking for RN's- life is too short to spend your waking hours dreading going to work, or feeling miserable at work. Also, being unhappy and overloaded with paperwork does your patients few favors.
posted by jenkinsEar at 3:15 PM on January 11, 2020

Consider per diem in another country! I met an experienced RN this summer who was planning to do a stint in South America. There are all kinds of language schools here if you need instruction and I think some of them have specialty courses in medical terminology.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:19 PM on January 11, 2020

Best answer: The scheduling policy is not normal, as most places with competent management realize that it leads to exactly the snafu you describe. Even if the staffing and scheduling issues become solved, many times this kind of morale drain really does poison the well. Or even if it doesn't drive away good coworkers, you all are constantly waiting for the next incompetent policy blunder to strike.

Luckily, since you are an experienced RN you likely have many options available to you. If your scheduling policy was set by your unit management, it may be a relatively painless process to transfer to a different floor where that management is no longer a factor. Other non-boring, tasky, challenging, fulfilling places include the CVICU (specifically--other ICUs don't necessarily check every box), critical care transport, certain OR modalities, transplant coordination... I'm not saying that you necessarily need to change your specialty, but that if there is a strong financial/logistical benefit to remain in your particular health system a lateral move can be refreshing, without losing the skills you worked hard to cultivate. Worth thinking about at least.

I can't in good conscience fully agree with people suggesting travel nursing, just because it can be an ostracizing experience even in the best of settings, and many--but not all--places that rely on agency nurses may be struggling with the same staffing/morale/management issues you currently face. At the same time, working for more $$ with the added flexibility of traveling to work wherever you choose... might appeal to you enough to overcome the uncertainty factor.

I vote Go, wherever that ends up working out best for you. You shouldn't dread going to work. Lean on your network to find out where the good hospital culture is, because it's out there. Good luck!
posted by skyl1n3 at 4:25 AM on January 12, 2020 [2 favorites]