Things have been spiralling downwards for some time now. Today seems like the last nail in the coffin. After almost two years (the 2-year mark is January 2010) working in a special area (operating room), I just got a memo today saying I'm going to be transferred back to the general ward.

I neither understand nor agree with this "policy," which is to transfer special-area nurses to the ward when they submit their resignation. However, I have not even written mine up yet!

I am seriously considering resigning from my job, and since my date of transfer would come before my obligatory 1-month notice, maybe I'll file for a leave from the transfer date until the date my resignation becomes effective. Not only will the OR lose one of its senior and most capable nurse, the ward won't get the additional personnel either. And it's not like we're overstaffed at the OR at the moment, if anything, we even need one or two more warm bodies.

The only reason I'm not resigning right away is because I was hoping to hit my 2-year mark, and I know that my family needs the money.

But I am so pissed off right now --- partly because I feel like the company treats me like I'm worthless, but also partly because there is no logical rationale behind this policy.

I hope my next employer won't have me dancing to all this #%&*$#.

Thanks for reading my vent. Your comments are appreciated.

It's good that you are in nursing though. It's a job high in demand and not enough people to fill the slots. At least in the US it's that way. Many nurses here are guns for hire. Recruiters are offering them big bonuses to work with a contract for about 2 years. After the length of the contract is up, they do it again with another hospital. The length of the contract varies by job, but you get the general idea.

Is there something special about the 2 year mark? Vested in something, cash, anything other than 2 years in?

Obviously, they know about your intentions to resign, even though, as you said, you haven't written yours up yet.

When did you intend to leave? I believe you said elsewhere you already had a new position in the UK. When does that take effect? Is there something you can use to bridge the gap, vacation or sick time, between now and when you when you want to go?

I guess my best advice is never act out of anger. This is about your employment, and future earnings and work. Don't get fired, whatever you do. You want to resign, do it on your terms in your time. You have control, even it if seems you don't. Having that other job waiting is golden.

Believe me, I've been here and done that. Not to good effect, but even people at my age can learn.

Calm down and good luck.

Its a good field but don't let your emotion own your decision. Its ALWAYS easier to find a job when you already have a job. Even in Nursing they are going to ask "why you left with nothing else lined up". No human resources departmnet wants to hire someone elses problem (no saying thats what you are) but that may perceive it as that if you quit with no other job lined up. When it comes to hiring perception is ofther stronger than reality. My advice is to hang in there while you locate something new you want to do. Count your blessings you have a job.

Unfortunately, D, I'm not in the USA. I'm in the Philippines, where for every nurse that has work, there are about 100 nurses unemployed. So yeah, we're being used and abused here. And the pay? I'm averaging US$128 per month. You read that right. PER MONTH.

Nurses here can't get work in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, or NZ if we don't have experience. How do we get experience? By working in a hospital that treats you like a machine. And pays you just a few nicks above minimum wage.

They're not paying me enough to deal with all the #%&*$# I have to go through, and they add more #%&*$# on top of it anyway.

20mm, I've actually hit my 2-year mark with the company, that came last August. However, I wanted to hit the 2-year mark of being an OR nurse, which comes in January. Is there something vested? Yeah, being able to put in my resume "2 years as an OR nurse" rather than "1 year, 11 months, and 2 weeks as an OR nurse" I want to leave, and I wanted to do it on my time and on my terms. It seems like I'll be dancing to their tune for a while more, as they hit me with a pre-emtive strike.

I intended to leave about a month before we get deployed to the UK, which should be around the start of January (start of leave) so as to have a month with the family before leaving at around February. Now it seems like I'll be leaving sooner than expected.

LoyalNine, thanks for the feedback. I guess I can consider myself having something "lined up" already, so no worries there. However, I am pissed off about 2 things - the stupid policy, and being hit with it from behind.

Eh...my sister is a nurse and most hospitals if not all of them have a hiring freeze so eventhough they are in demand--jobs are still not as plenty.

v6,
boNes

Haha, that is so true! Even here, we need more nurses. If the OR is short a nurse or two, the wards sure could use at least 5 more PER STATION. We got 4 stations so that's 20 more nurses. But no, they'd rather hit us with a 10:1 or 12:1 ratio!

When I graduated, I had 300 other classmates with me. Assuming 200 of those passed the exams, that's at least 180 nurses looking for a job FROM MY SCHOOL ALONE. How many nurses was hired since my graduation? 30. So yeah, I'm lucky to have a job, and to have it at a special area. But does that mean they get to screw me when they want to?

I've got half a mind to report them to the law, if it weren't such a hassle.

Don't let pride get the best of you, especially when you have a family in the picture.
Never quit a job unless you have another one with a start date, and preferably a letter of job acceptance even then. Jobs are hard to come by these days wherever you are, don't make things go from bad to worse.

How much will you work for? Would $70,000 USD per annum do it? That figure may be out of date.

Employment

Here's a couple suggestions for when it feels like you're a tree in a world full of dogs:

Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot by Jim Stockdale

The Enchiridion by Epictetus

Good luck, and I hope everything turns out for the best!

Cheers!

Rick...

Feel for you Ice, I did the same thing you're thinking of doing, Corrections to IT. Same money starting out where I am now compared to top pay I got to at hell on Earth at the jail. I was luckily only married, didn't have kids/mortgage so I had options, wish I could offer you some advice.. Good luck to you, it'd be tough to be stuck where I was.