Hello,

i am new to the board. i was hoping some of you could help me. i am very interested in becoming a nurse. after trying and trying to figure out a career that would make me happy i strongly feel nursing would be the job. its the only thing i can really see myself doing.

there is one thing that is holding me back: the nights and the weekends. my husband is military and works a mon.-fri. schedule (he is gone at the moment though). since his job and his college give us limited time together i would not want to work a job that conflicted with his schedule.

i was wondering do nurses, especially new grads ever work mon.-fri. day schedules? i am very interested in working in a doctors office but i have heard that medical assistants are basically replacing nurses in that area.

can/do new grads ever get jobs in doctors offices? are there other areas of nursing that give nurses a mon.-fri. day shift? home health? per diem? are these jobs that new grads can get?

thank you for your help. and that you for being nurses. i respect each ever every one of you for the great and tough job i know that you do!:)

Tough to find those hours as a new grad but nothing is impossible. Some doctors still prefer nurses, might luck out and find a job there. There are other areas that employ nurses such as insurance companies, state health departments, mental health clinics, schools, and some hospital based positions such as quality management, case management, infection control, but those hospital based usually require experience. Most will want experience but I would apply anyway for anything that interested me with the hours I was looking for. You may luck out and find something, especially with a nursing shortage!! Good luck and nursing is a great field, even with the current issues.

Some out patient surgery centers are willing to train new grads if you like surgery. The best part about doing outpt. surgery is no call, no weekends, and no holidays. GOOD LUCK!

One thought...

If you could get your foot in the door by working at a doctor's office while in nursing school, then the doctor might hire you after you graduate. If that doctor doesn't hire you, he'd most probably write you an excellent letter of reference which would be a fantastic thing to have when looking for another job! You could work for a doctor's office in their clerical department or maybe even be an assistant in the lab there or something like that.

This is all I can think of just now... the doctor's office idea just crossed my mind.

Good luck with your nursing career!

hello, and thank you all for replying and the great ideas and suggestions. you give me hope. i really what to be a nurse.

do any of think that they will eliminate nurses out of doctors offices all together?

can you do per diem work without nights and weekends?

thank again for your help!

It shouldn't be too difficult to get a job doing days at a hospital - you might have to work every other weekend, though. At the hospital where I work, we work 12 hour shifts, and only three a week are necessary to be full time. Every other weekend is required though. We pretty much schedule our own days. My schedule goes like this: fours day on, five days off, two days on, three days off per pay period. As far as per diem goes, you have to have at least one year of experience to work it. And even if you work at a Doctlor's office, I believe you would have to work Saturday mornings.

Originally posted by blue eyed girl

Hello,

i am new to the board. i was hoping some of you could help me. i am very interested in becoming a nurse. after trying and trying to figure out a career that would make me happy i strongly feel nursing would be the job. its the only thing i can really see myself doing.

there is one thing that is holding me back: the nights and the weekends. my husband is military and works a mon.-fri. schedule (he is gone at the moment though). since his job and his college give us limited time together i would not want to work a job that conflicted with his schedule.

i was wondering do nurses, especially new grads ever work mon.-fri. day schedules? i am very interested in working in a doctors office but i have heard that medical assistants are basically replacing nurses in that area.

can/do new grads ever get jobs in doctors offices? are there other areas of nursing that give nurses a mon.-fri. day shift? home health? per diem? are these jobs that new grads can get?

thank you for your help. and that you for being nurses. i respect each ever every one of you for the great and tough job i know that you do!:)

Please, do not make your decision to become or not become a nurse based on these questions.

Yes, new grads can and do work M-F. Yes, doctors hire nurses not just med assistants. Many home health jobs are M-F. Per-diem means you work when and where you choose.

By the same token many new grads do not work M-F, Some MDs do not hire nurses, some homehealth jobs are not M-F.

By the time you graduate your situation may change. You do not know. There are MANY options out there. Nursing = flexibility. Flexibility in choosing your work and hours and the ability to be flexible yourself.

I hope this clarified and did not further confuse you.

Choose your career on what you know is right in your bones not on the hours you preceive that you might have to keep.

I spent 12 years in the Army and the one big thing that I learned there was, everything changes. His schedule will change. Don't base a decision that will not even take effect for several years on your spouses current work schedule. God forbid you could loose him, he could be in need of nursing care, any number of things could happen. If you want to be a nurse do it. The rest will work itself out. This is trivia you are dealing with. It is a problem that may not even exist when you graduate.

I know my ER has 7a-3p and 9a-5p positions. You just have to check around and it depends on how short they are. When they need alot of people, they tend to be more accomidating. Whatever you do though, GET IT IN WRITING. Managers have a way of conviently forgeting they agreed on something.

RW

I agree about getting it in writing!

Nurses are in such short supply that facilities are tending to accommodate those who have special needs.......well, some are, anyway!

Hopefully, you will have a variety of facilities to look at. Let them know upfront what you need.

Good Luck to you!

Hi there!

If you want flexibility ... nursing is a definate option. Yes, for some of the opportunities, you do need experience. But that will only take 2 years or so. (yes, seems like a long time after years of school ... but believe me, it flies.) In our area, per diem requires weekend work ... but my manager just has me take whatever shifts are short - and I never work the weekend anymore. Also, working for an agency usually is entirely on your choice of schedule. Outpatient surgery, home health, school nursing all are day shift work. Final thought though ... if you have the desire to do nursing - go for it. The details will work out.

Hi there! I'm a new grad and a proud Navy wife for the last 12 yrs. Anyway, I'm working 3-12 hr shifts a week and I only have to work the weekend once per 6 week cycle because the facility I am at has a weekender program!

Best wishes to you...and I agree with one of the above posts...don't just look at going into nursing based on the schedule.

:)