DU nurses, could use some career advice.

[SarahB]

This is not medical advice- I am a nurse BTW.

I like what I'm doing for work. What I don't like is the hours. There's lots of people on the unit that are part-timers who have been there for years and the schedule seems to work fine for them. I have to work full-time. I also have a family. The standard around my area is 3- 12 hour shifts for full-timers either 7am-7pm or vice versa and every third weekend. That's even the standard for the most part in my hospital. My unit however is still 40 hours only for full-time, fine, but I'm all over the place- some days I work 7a-3p, some 7a-7p, 3-11p, 11a-11p, and every other weekend. I agreed to work a 12 hr night shift every other Friday night (on my OFF weekend) for more regular hours (at least predictable ones I'd know more than a week or two in advance, but still varied times).

I'm not getting my promised hours. I'm being scheduled all over the place and although I've been working this night shift for two months, I've never gotten the promised schedule. I have spoken to the schedule nurse about it to no avail. She's "trying the best she can". I can speak to my supervisor. It still doesn't solve the basic problems though. I still will have crazy schedule (although maybe a bit more predictable) and essentially every weekend I'm somehow responsible to work.

How bad would it look if I, as a newer nurse employed for 7-8 months, leave? I know there's plenty of opportunities and I've already decided I'm either leaving for a new department in my hospital or to a new hospital after I've been there a year, but then if I end up at a new hospital in May or June I'm starting a new job AGAIN over the Summer with no possibility of any vacation (even any time off). I'm just trying to have a sane home/work balance and right now, I'm most certainly not getting it. :(

[Joey Liberal]

1. I just underwent 2 surgeries

And my respect for nurses is sky high.

[NMDemDist2]

2. my stepmom is an RN and she worked in Home Health Care

I never knew her to work at a hospital and she made a good living

[UTUSN]

9. Home health nursing, or nursing supervisor of in-home care providers

Fairly regular hours, usually M-F, at something like $40/hr. The nurses who do the supervision and hiring of providers do little to no nursing. Lots less stressful than hospital nursing.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Maybe X-Post this in the Career forum

You may find some good input there, too. :hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=362

[Texasgal]

4. Have you tried talking to

your professional organization?

I have found quite helpful when I had some issues with hours.

[ileus]

5. Find a Dr. office or a small clinic, that's what my wife did.

They still pay great, great hours, No weekends, no call.

[bettyellen]

6. try the dept transfer, so it'll be one hospital on your resume for the year.....

and you shld be able to get inside info on that transfer, maybe end up loving it.
at least take that vacation before getting out of there...

[PeaceNikki]

7. Have you checked with agencies about doing traveling contract work?

It can be travelling and local to you. My sister is an RN and did this for many years working 3 month contracts (sometimes renewing contracts several times). She only worked the 3 12-hr shifts/week. And the pay was premium. She could get the schedule so that she worked 3 on, 8 off and 3 on to travel the world (or in your case, spend with family OR travel). She is now signed on full-time and loves her job, but the travelling option let her bank money, work great hours and find someplace she wanted to settle.

[Taverner]

8. There is the selling one's soul option

Work for a Pharmaceutical corporation...

9-5 work, but you have to sell your soul in the process...or maybe you don't. I happen to think drugs can be a good thing...

[TZ]

10. Do you have my soul?

I seem to have lost it when my biotech was acquired by a Pharma company about 6 months ago..And sadly I may have traded it in for a pen and a jacket....;-)

[Wapsie B]

11. I would look into the transfer to a new department first.

I realize that staffing for nursing units can be chaotic on good days but that type of schedule for anyone can be a killer.

[likesmountains 52]

12. ok, here is my take on this..

Your hospital is probably short of RNs..use this to your advantage and let the schedule nurse know that this is not working for you and that you're considering looking for a different position that would offer you a better schedule...no need to be threatening or anything...just a friendly "heads up" so they know they might be loosing a nurse..check with agencies in your area and see if they are hiring RNs with your expertise. I would say that these assignments can be tough if you don't have some good experience and are able to think on your feet...sometimes the orientation periods are not so great.
Typically MD offices don't pay near what a hospital or agency will...but you get the benefit of much better hours. In my state Home Health nurses don't get paid as well as hospital nurses..and they have to drive all over the place, sometimes 40 miles round trip. That said Sarahbelle..you have the advantage over the people who need you...use your leverage..RNs are in short supply for exactly the reasons you mention!

[raptor_rider]

13. The life of a Nurse

My sister is a RN sine 1998. Her hours are so out there it is not funny. She started on the medical floor, then moved to a branch that was the Urgent care center. There she had constant 12 hour days. 9:00am - 9:00pm. After that, Trauma ER. She had been ER since. I know that you are OBG/YN, that floor, you have wacky hours. ER has wacky hours also. She has moved from Farmington, NM, to Phoenix, AZ, to Albuquerque, NM. She is now between two hospitals, one in Santa Fe and one in Rio Rancho, working Thrauma ER in both. She loves her job. The stress is big. With having three kids and a husband that refuses to work, she works the late shifts that she can get. In NM we have the sliding scale of hourly wages of what times that you work at the hospital. I do not know if you get that there. The more graves that she works, the more money that she makes.

You are new to this profession, and it takes a while to get the schedule that you want. You may either tough it out or go to part time to get the hours that you want. At least with the part time you can actually schedule the hours that you can work, and add in times that you can be called in.

Just some outsider advise from a state that needs nurses.

We appreciate our RN's, though the places that they work for do not!