Julia asks :
Hi Lucy,
About a year and a half ago I moved to the other side of the UK to work at one of the best hospitals in the country. It's a massive opportunity for me and my first real job. I love what I do but the atmosphere amongst the staff is making me really unhappy and it makes me want to take a job back home near my family. I'm afraid that if I do go crawling back I could end up working somewhere I hate and end up miserable. I can't decide whether to stay or take the chance and go.
Hi Julia,
Agony Aunts on Female First
It sounds like you have a lot to be proud of- having worked in one of the best hospitals in the country for nearly two years- and at the beginning of your career too.
This is something that you will never have taken away from you and will always be part of your career history. Perhaps you could use this experience as stepping stone to get a job elsewhere that is of the same standard? Is there another highly rated hospital nearer to home that you could apply to?
What is it about the staff that make you so unhappy? Is it them or is it the job that is getting them down? Could you be the one to make them happier? Find a way to boost morale by introducing something new? Perhaps they needed an outsider to recognise that they are all due a boost but are so involved they can't see ways to improve?
Maybe you are missing your family and feel the need to offload to them after a day in the atmosphere you describe? You could be lacking the support in your personal time to be able to vent about your day- thus making you bottle it up so it appears worse.
Is there another department you could apply to to move you away from the people that cause you so much unhappiness? So you don't have to give up the opportunity? It might be worth looking around to see if there is something else within the building.
Have you talked to your line manager about your concerns? You have been there long enough to rule out the possibility of it being due to you settling in- perhaps they can do something to help the situation?
Whatever you decide- keep in mind that you are in a caring profession- but you can only deliver it effectively if you first care for yourself.
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