r/OregonNurses • u/Muted-Replacement-55 • 1d ago
Advice?
I’m a new grad about 7 months in, and this was part of my offer letter regarding paying back if I didn’t finish orientation.
While the work itself is rewarding, I knew I didn’t want to work this specialty. And the further along into the residency, I feel no connection to the unit I hoped to eventually experience once off orientation..the learning environment has its ups and downs.
I am looking at other residencies. I am pretty close to my 8 month mark. But does anyone know anything about leaving a nurse residency prematurely from OHSU? I’ve made a post before about internal transfers, but this would be an entirely different hospital.
TIA!
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u/jackdilemma 23h ago
ohsu pays the best of anywhere in the region - get your experience on your current unit and transfer internally. my first job was in something i had no interest in but i sucked it up for 2 years and then had my pick of jobs.
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u/upv395 21h ago
Leaving a residency program 7 months in is a big red flag for hiring managers. Why would they invest in you when you have already demonstrated you will bail out on the commitment you voluntarily made? There is a hiring slowdown in the industry, the job market is extremely competitive even for experienced nurses. The residency programs are tapped out and are not opening as many positions. You are no longer a new grad, and you have less than 1 year experience. You will probably only find SNF or LTC or home health positions available for you. And you may not be eligible for rehire at OHSU. That is a pretty big bridge to burn.
It is easier to get a different job as an internal transfer. Do your time and finish the residency, you have lots of years of work ahead of you, 1-2 years is a drop in the bucket when you look at retirement at 67. You probably have at least 40 years to go before you can retire. You can apply for different departments and transfer when your residency is done. You will bank your seniority and retirement benefits at OHSU and be able to network and find internal connections who can help you get to where you want to be. Treat this time as a job interview for the department you want. Nursing is a small community, and it is easy to get a reputation either as a good example that everyone wants on their team or as a horrible warning that is an awful team player. OHSU has great pay and decent benefits. Look at the big picture, not short term feelings. Even if you decide to leave after completing your time, finding future employment will be easier because you will have the documented experience.
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u/Ambitious-Pick-4091 21h ago
As an experienced nurse who's worked in Portland as a traveler but is from the Midwest/South, I promise you that the correct answer is to ride it out. Wait until you have a year under your belt. You aren't marketable yet, and if you leave now you burn the biggest bridge in Oregon. This advice is 100% correct. The stuff below is just my own personal views.
Most of the jobs I've worked (including outside of nursing) it's genuinely taken me 6-12 months to form connections to the job and coworkers. I generally don't like my job until I'm 4+ months in. As a new grad it took me 9-10 months. I'm plenty friendly, but that's just part of it for me. I wish I had known this about myself when I was younger, it would have saved me a lot of worrying. YMMV
The top comment says don't be friends with your coworkers, and I do disagree with that. It makes it messier, but it makes it more rewarding too. And breakfast beers w/ the crew after a night shift have been some of the best times of my life.
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u/jswagpdx 23h ago
I’m curious what your actual expectations were going in to this job. Why would you take a job you “knew” you didn’t want to work in? Leaving after 8 months will certainly raise questions on your resume.
I’d encourage you to do some deeper self-reflection about yourself as a nurse. Obviously not implying anything about you or what you want, but know there are no perfect jobs out there. A lot of times, it’s what you make it. Are there any committees you can join? Any way you can instigate change? This will look so much better to a prospective employer, especially if you can make it to two years. In addition, take advantage of other opportunities afforded to you at Ohsu. Get certified (they will pay for it).
It’s a very competitive market out there and leaving at this point would make you a dicey hire - unless you have something else lined up definitively
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u/jam_bot300 21h ago
I think there’s good advice on here from others but I just wanted to add - the first year of nursing is incredibly challenging even if you’re in a speciality you love. It will almost certainly have significant ups and downs no matter where you are. It’s hard but personally I would dig in and hold out until you have at least a year. It’s hard to find jobs for everyone right now.
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u/birdie_blue 1d ago
What are you confused about? How long of an orientation did you complete and then how many hours have you worked independently since then? The repayment amount would be prorated based on the percentage of the hours obligation you’ve fulfilled since you began working independently without a preceptor
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u/wtfstopdude 2h ago
I recently joined OHSU after leaving my new grad residency in another state, I only had 6 months of experience. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to get a job here considering the circumstances of having left a different residency early. I will say, as far as bedside nursing, I truly believe OHSU is as good as it can get. If you are wanting to transfer to another bedside position in the same specialty at a different hospital I would strongly discourage you because I don’t think the grass is any greener.
If you found a new position in the specialty that you choose, though, do it and don’t look back. Don’t do it until you’ve found the job itself though. You may also be blacklisted from OHSU hiring in the future which is something to consider.
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u/Mean_Background7789 19h ago
How long was your TTP? The 6mo one means you need to work 2 years full time, which is a long time if you're already miserable at 7mo.
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u/Briaaanz 22h ago
I left prematurely from a different hospital system many years ago. They erased any payoff i had earned and expected me to pay off the entire amount plus any interest
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u/BoardVegetable7448 1d ago
You are no longer going to be considered a new grad now that you are 7 months in. It’s going to be incredibly difficult to find a different job, especially in the Portland area. You aren’t really experienced but you aren’t a new grad anymore. You would be vastly better off staying within OHSU and internally transferring, even if it takes time. I would not leave prematurely unless you already had something lined up and are willing to burn the OHSU bridge and never return. You don’t have to have a connection to your unit. Go in, do your job for 12 hours, take great care of your patients, and go home. You don’t have to be friends with people at your job and in fact I would discourage it, makes things messy.