Grass is always greener...maybe?

I think I am suffering from 'the grass is always greener on the other side' syndrome. I find myself searching for jobs, even though I have only been in my current position for 3 months. I constantly go back and forth in my mind, is this what I want to be doing right now, should I look somewhere else, is this the right job for me. I left a night shift position on a horribly busy mother-baby unit to come to a case management/parent education position, and it's like a night and day difference. There are days where I want to be back in that clinical setting and others where I don't miss it at all. I can't seem to wrap my brain around what direction I should be going. When I accepted this current position, I wanted a slower pace, less stress, day time job. I got exactly what I asked for, but now I wonder if that is truly what I wanted, or just a break from the crazy floor nursing environment. A big part of me thinks it would be silly to give up such an 'easy' Monday-Friday, 8-5 position, but the other part wants to be back with other nurses. Right now I work with mainly social workers and I'm the only RN in the group, so some of this could be that I feel like the odd man out. Anyone else have similar feelings? Am I doomed to be a job hopper?
Hi Miranda,I don't have any advice for you, other than that I am going through the same exact thing. I have been on my busy med/surg floor for a little over a year now. In that past year I was so desperate to get outta there that I've excessively stalked job postings and even applied to other hospitals but never went through with anything.At this point I am looking at non-clinical positions. My colleagues always tell me "the grass is always greener" and that I might miss bedside nursing, which is true.I think I'm going to give a new outpatient position a try, and if I hate it, who says I can't go back to bedside nursing?No one says you can't go back!

Try a prn position a couple days a month and see if it scratches the itch you have!

I would second a prn job in mother-baby. It would keep your skills up-to-date, bring some perspective, and give you a little extra money. Many of the per diem nurses I work with have regular non-bedside jobs like informatics or research, and they like to work a shift or two a month to keep their bedside skills. If they ever need or want to go back to direct patient care, they will be more employable.

Three months in is nowhere near long enough to get a feel for your new position.I have a feeling you have been "on the hunt" so long you can't stop.Focus on excelling in your new job. If you don't feel it's a good fit after a year... consider a move.