Knowing
When It’s Time to Move On
by Donna Cardillo, RN, BS
Do
you wake up each workday with a headache or a knot in your
stomach? Would you rather do anything than go to work? Do
you feel disdain for your coworkers, supervisors, and employer?
Are you focused on the injustices and inequities of your
current work environment? Do you no longer get satisfaction
from your job? Have you simply been in the same place too
long and crave a change? If you answered “yes”
to any of these questions, it may be time for you to move
on — or at least start looking for another job.
Nurses
stay in unhappy work situations for a variety of reasons.
Some stay because they’re afraid of making a change.
They know they’re in a rut, but they don’t want
to leave the “comfort zone.” Others feel they
have no options and therefore no place else to go. Many
of us exist in a self-imposed prison, paying a sentence
for a crime we never committed.
Staying
in a bad or unsatisfying situation, whether it’s the
work, the people, or the environment, is not healthy. It
takes a toll on you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
It erodes your self-esteem, and if you stay long enough,
the damage can be irreparable.
Years
ago, I worked for a miserable man whose wife also worked
in the office. He regularly spoke in an angry, degrading
tone to her and others in the office. One day, I heard myself
using an expression of his that I hated. That scared me.
It was then that I admitted to myself how unhappy I was
with the job. Staying in that environment had a negative
effect on me, and I’d been taking it out on my own
family and friends. I realized it was time to move on.
Why
It’s So Hard to Make a Change
It’s
human nature to resist change. We want to maintain the status
quo. When we have to step outside our comfort zone, we get
nervous and anxious. While making a change, self-doubt creeps
in. We start thinking of our own perceived inadequacies
and ask ourselves, “Who else would hire me?”
Or we think, “I’m not qualified to do anything
else.” We imagine that no one else would give us the
same compensation or schedule and find many other excuses
to stay in an undesirable situation. But face it, it’s
our fear of change or our own feelings of inadequacy that’s
holding us back.
You
owe it to yourself, your friends and family, and the clients
you serve, to find the right kind of work in a setting that’s
appropriate and comfortable for you. Today, nurses have
many choices in traditional and nontraditional settings.
Many positions pay well, provide good benefits, and offer
a selection of work schedules.
Making
a change, sometimes just to another department or another
facility in your same specialty, can make a world of difference
in your attitude. Of course, change for the sake of change
is not enough, so don’t be rash in making a move.
Take time to consider where you want to go. Then ask around
to see what facilities and companies have a good reputation
for treating their nurses well. Find out what companies
are offering the position and the circumstances you’re
looking for.
Get
Started Now
Since
fear of the unknown is a powerful force for resisting change,
your major objective in considering a move should be to
make the unknown “known.” Build perspective
by doing the following:
| • |
Get
your resume up-to-date. Make sure it focuses on your
accomplishments and shows a diversity of experience.
You never know when an opportunity will present itself,
and you want to be ready. |
| • |
Brush
up on your interview skills. There are many good books
on the subject in libraries and bookstores. Polish your
skills by reading and going on a few interviews to “test
the waters.” |
| • |
Launch
a massive networking campaign. Start getting out to
professional association meetings, career fairs, conventions,
and recruiting events. Make connections and see what
else is available out there. Talk to people from other
facilities and specialties and see what they like and
don’t like about their current job and employer. |
| • |
List
your strengths and assets. Take time to write down your
strong points. Think about what you’re good at.
Everyone has special talents. Look for jobs that will
give you an opportunity to develop yours. |
| • |
Think
about what you enjoy doing. Some nurses keep jumping
from job to job in pursuit of the elusive “niche.”
Give some thought to what you love to do. Is it teaching,
direct patient care, or working with computers? The
key to being happy in your work is identifying what
you love and then finding a way to make that work for
you. |
| • |
Get
motivated. Listen to your favorite motivational tapes,
or read motivational books to get yourself pumped up.
This is important, especially in a time of anticipated
change. Get to the library and borrow some books or
tapes on the subject. |
| • |
Don’t
burn your bridges. Even if you can’t wait to get
out of your current situation and never want to look
back, ease out with grace and style. Anything else will
come back to haunt you later. You’ll feel better
about yourself, too. |
| • |
Do
some soul searching. Examine how your current state
of mind is affecting your personal life, self-esteem,
and physical and emotional health. Decide whether there
are things you can change in your current work situation
to improve your outlook, sense of purpose, and job satisfaction.
If so, by all means try them. If not, or if you just
don’t have the energy or desire to try, then it
may be time for a change. |
Start
looking into your options and get yourself prepared for
a change, even before you’ve decided that’s
what you want to do. Life is too short and the nursing profession
holds too many opportunities to get stuck in a rut. Change
can be frightening, but it can also be exhilarating.
Stay
or move on — the choice is yours. But remember: The
door is always open.
Copyright
Nursing Spectrum Career Fitness(sm) Online (www.nursingspectrum.com),
All rights reserved. Used with
permission.
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