Quitting first qualified job in NHS after a month…

[IntrovertedGal]

I got my first qualified job as a generic mental health practitioner after uni, I was so excited but it is a 36 mile drive there and back… I thought I really could manage it but it is DRAINING me, it’s in mental health so it can be extra tiring and it turns out the NHS don’t pay travel expenses anymore. I literally was chucked in the deep end and left to it tbh 😞 I’m actually being paid band 3 till my registration is complete then moved to band 5, however I am doing everything a band 5 would be doing 😣

I have also just now been offered a job that’s so close to home, with a better team of people who I get on with and it’s doing more therapy stuff (which is what I actually trained in rather than doing generic practitioner!!) same nhs trust, better job and closer to home…

I just feel bad leaving so early 😟 but that’s life innit.. has anyone else left a job, in the NHS or elsewhere earlier than you thought? Feeling anxious about what everyone will think when I hand in notice, I think as I’m still waiting for registration as a band 3. It’s a months notice? I plan on handing it in once I’ve signed on the new house… AIBU?

I’ll be backdated to the day I registered! Not from the start date 🧐 nearly everyone is a mental health practitioner in the, it’s like the car coordinator role! You can be social worker, occupational therapist, nurse to do it

Care*

Yeah, I’m technically working as band 3 so would it be a months notice? I haven’t officially transferred to band 5 yet x

What area shall you be working in ?

Mental health 😊

Ive only ever got mileage when I’ve been working in the community.

Yes but what area of mental health? (I’m being nosey)

It's not ideal to leave a job that quickly but ultimately you need to do what's best for you.

Just a side note from one RMN to another though, there are disadvantages to working and living in the same 'patch' so you may not want to work too close to home. You may find you don't want to bump into one of your patients each time you go to Tescos. Just something to bear in mind.

You definitely get mileage but not for your commute

Yes that’s very true

I live about 6 miles away (I’m in London) I thankfully don’t bump into those I work with until yesterday 😬 thankfully ds had just gone into a shop so was able to have a quick chat before making my excuses

Yeah I’ve thought about that tbh! But I did work locally in MH as HCA for a long time so I have had these awkward passing hellos! I’d rather this than feeling like I’m falling asleep on the motorway lol and money on petrol ⛽️ it’s community MH @OhWhyNot

What's a Generic practitioner? Is that role specific to where you live.

Its normal to be paid a Band 3 until your pin comes through.

Do whats right for you. Thats a long commute.

Im a mental health nurse and worked as a care coordinator for nearly 15 years. You will definitely get mileage from your base ( CMHT office or the like..) to any home visits etc. but not for the commute to your home to base, that has never been the case.
What the job nearer home then? Echo what someone else has said about being a little mindful of taking a job completely on your doorstop, but it does depend what the job is I guess.

Best of luck you will be busy !

Not quite the same, but when I started my first 6 month post in what was supposed to be a 2 year SHO rotation (back before medical training was made run-through from SHO level rather than registrar level), one of the first things I did was tell my supervisor that not only would I be going on maternity leave at the end of that post, but due to distance I'd be applying to jobs closer to home to return to after my leave, I'd definitely not be coming back for the remainder of the rotation.

By the way I can understand your confusion over travel allowances. I moved to the UK having just got my medical registration. My first post was a locum HO position (what is now F1 though I had my full registration), and I didn't have to pay for hospital accommodation. Other doctors were in the accommodation. I was surprised moving to my next, SHO level, post when I was asked to pay for accommodation as I hadn't realised it was only included for HOs (at that time). There wasn't an equivalent in my own country to have compared it to.

Good luck moving forward.

Moving to a local acute ward! I’ve worked on there before on bank, loved it and there’s generally people from all over the county there not just in my local area. I have found actually I have missed ward work in comparison to community work, I was surprised x

Thank you! Are you doing the same? 😊

It's definitely the right choice to leave, as it's whats best for you, but the NHS has never paid expenses for a standard commute!

Travelling off your main site can be claimed as expenses, but if your main commute was being paid for that would be a taxable benefit.

One thing I learned early on is never stay in a job you’re not happy in, you’ll just get more unhappy and if the tables were turned they’d get rid of you in a heartbeat.

YANBU, and in my experience a lot of staff are either with the NHS for 3 months or 30 years. People come and go and anyone there who knows you're leaving won't think anything of it. Best of luck with whatever you do

I work in forensic mh (management team)

I love it but we are always always very busy