Best of both worlds?

[Triedandtrue5]

Hello all,

I'm curious to find out if anyone knows of an nursing specialties that have 3 12 hour shifts, but are not hospital floor nursing or long term care.

I spent my first six months of my career in a ltc facility, and the past 1.5 years in hospital med/surg. Neither are for me, and I'm beginning to worry that NO hospital bedside care is for me. However, I do enjoy the scheduling.

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? I've considered "rn supervisor-home health" but it seems that is a 9-5 job, as is school nursing (in addition, it looks like school nursing would be a pay cut). I've also though of OR or other hospital specialties, but those too seem to be 8 hour shifts plus on-call. In addition, I royally suck at IV insertions, and I don't want to be that OR nurse that can't insert an IV. Am I asking for too much? It's okay to tell me I am, I have thick skin :)

I so badly want to find my niche, something that when I awake for work I'm, if not eager, at least not depressed about going to.

[BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN]

At large hospitals the OR team works 12's. Also try interventional radiology or cath lab at a big hospital

[Cook26]

Preop nurses start IVs. I have never once seen a nurse in the OR start one.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

You may need to stick it out in medsurg for a bit longer and find a variety of opportunities open to you. Keep practicing on the IV starts. If you stop telling yourself you suck and just try each one with a positive attitude you'll find yourself getting more and more or them.

[westieluv]

Some inpatient hospice centers are on 12 hour shifts. It may seem like this is an awful lot like LTC nursing, but it's different because the patients are not there for months or years, only days or possibly hours. The med pass is much less daunting because by the time patients are at end of life, many of their routine maintenance meds such as those for HTN, Type II DM, GERD, etc. have been discontinued and you mainly give comfort meds, and there aren't a lot of them, just basically pain control, anxiety/agitation control, and something for terminal secretions when they are actively dying.

Caring for the dying is not for everyone, but if you don't mind it, it is much more laid back than LTC and definitely much more laid back than rehab! Oh, and most of the families are so thankful and appreciative, as opposed to families wanting to know why Mom wasn't showered yet today (because three aides called off, but of course you can't tell them that) or why she didn't get her noon meds until 1 pm (because two nurses also called off and you had 2x patient load, but again, can't tell them that!)

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

At large hospitals the OR team works 12's. Also try interventional radiology or cath lab at a big hospital

Not all ORs. We have a variety of different shifts where I work, and I'm at a large hospital. OP, the OR has its own stresses and you can expect at least 6 months of orientation and a at least a year to feel comfortable there.