need advice - meeting with HR

Background: Relatively new RN, graduated in Aug 2009 and started working on a busy med/surg floor that I enjoyed. Worked there for 6 months then had to move (due to my husband) across the state. Found a job at a hospital very quickly on a busy neuro-tele floor in May. Went thru orientation and have hated it since day 1. The floor is incredibly disorganized, coworkers miserable, patients sicker than I am used to and overall the floor is much, MUCH more hectic than I ever dreamed possible. The other nurses tell me all of the time it is the hardest floor they have ever worked on. I feel overwhelmed as a new RN. I have wanted to quit for weeks. Finally, I worked up the courage to talk to my immediate supervisor and tell her that I am just not a good fit there. She agreed with me, but said that they hospital would hate to lose me because I have been a good worker/received many letters from happy patients in my short time there and suggested to talk to HR about other options.

So, now I am going to meet with HR and need some advice on how to approach this. I am not sure how to find a "good fit" for me - now sure how to voice my needs. I have no idea what I "want to be when I grow up" - like some nurses know they want critical care or cardiac or L&D - I truly have no idea. I know I loved my last job because of the people - it was so supportive and everyone liked working with eachother. Even though the floor itself was busy and hectic, I always felt supported and I felt like I was learning so much.

Do I aim for a med/surg floor? Do I ask to be assigned to a caring mentor? Do I ask for something entirely different (and maybe slower?) like. . .I don't even know what IS slower!

I am so grateful that they are willing to work with me - this is why I want to make sure if I move floors that it is a good decision and that it will benefit both me and the company.

I just want to be professional about the whole thing, yet ultimately I don't want a job that is going to make me miserable either.

Any advice about the situation?
Unless there is some sort of nurse manager in HR who will counsel you, HR will be aware of possible openings in other units. They won't be of much help with the nuts and bolts of where you will be happy. I think you need to talk with another experienced nurse on an informal basis to get some of your thoughts out into the open and get some questions answered. Try approaching your immediate supervisor again. If she doesn't have time to explore this with you, perhaps she can point you to someone who would be a good resource. I definitely would talk to another nurse before going to HR. Good luck.

Start with the basics..........move into specialized areas after a year or so.....neurotele would be overwhelming......ask for a mentor to go to in a pinch...well done going to your supervisor before it got worse

I would suggest requesting some time job shadowing on other floors. If there are openings you think you might be interested in, ask to spend 4 or 5 hours some day or night simply following another nurse around to get a sense of what the floor and the workload is like. I wouldn't necessarily expect to get paid for my time doing this, but if it helps you make a decision that will make you happy it will be worth your time in the long run.Good luck!

Quote from NorimakkeI would suggest requesting some time job shadowing on other floors. If there are openings you think you might be interested in, ask to spend 4 or 5 hours some day or night simply following another nurse around to get a sense of what the floor and the workload is like. I wouldn't necessarily expect to get paid for my time doing this, but if it helps you make a decision that will make you happy it will be worth your time in the long run.Good luck!

thanks for your responses! I told her that I really wanted a mentor and that I would prefer a basic med/surg floor - a place where I could learn and grow. She was really open to that and said she will talk to some supervisors and see if she can get me some interviews. I told her how important the environment of a floor was, and she said I will be able to spend some time on the floors I interview at to see if it's a good fit.I feel good about how everything turned out. Thanks for the advice! Will let you know how it turns out.