Can you work straights days?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So here's the deal:

I started in a hospital straight out of nursing school. Left after a VERY short amount of time (like 4 weeks) because I couldn't deal with 12 hour shifts, weekends, etc. I then moved to working into a primary care office, where I've worked since (with normal M-F, 9-5 hours). I recently moved to a new area and have to find a new job, and I'm looking to go back into the hospital. For my future goals, I need the hands on experience of bedside nursing, and I just didn't really learn a ton in a primary care office. I haven't started an IV, managed patients, etc. since practically nursing school (about a year ago). So how do I get into the hospital?

I feel like I don't qualify as a "new grad" and can't apply for those sorts of positions due to my experience...yet I also don't have enough acute care experience to apply to anything else in a hospital! It's almost like I've fallen through the cracks! How can I get back in??

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

^^^ this! ^^^

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Staff nurses almost always are required to do every 2nd or 3rd weekend in hospitals. As a newer grad you probably cannot get around that with an acute care job.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

I don't think the OP is coming back..I guess the answers are not what he/she expected.

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I don't think the OP is coming back..I guess the answers are not what he/she expected.

Agreed!

OP you're a bit delusional. No nights, no weekends, no poop? What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks were you doing in nursing school? Finger in each ear yelling "lalalalala I can't hear you!!!!"?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
There was something in there about his long term goals needing to be backed up with hospital experience. Don't tell me.... wait for it ..... it's coming to me... yesssss... it's.... CRNA school! Or maybe NP school. Either way, somebody must have given him some reaaaaallllllly bad information about what hospital experience involves. Or what he went to nursing school for. Or something. Because there are a lot of big-time disconnects here.

OP, at this point all you can do is reassess your priorities: for shift work, for actual bedside patient care, or for changing your long-term goal.

They way you're setting it up for yourself, you are doomed to disappointment and failure.

So. What'll it be?

^YES!!! :yes: ^5 GrnTea!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

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As for the original question, I really don't think that a bedside nursing job that is without weekends exists. Or they're very rare.

I've heard of facilities that have a "weekday crew" and a "weekend crew", with the weekend crew working every weekend and getting a hefty differential to do so. Thus, they are able to make a living working only 2 days a week. And the non-weekend staff gets to work Monday through Friday at the regular pay rate.

But such a set up is obviously expensive for the employer, and in this economy I've noticed that weekend options with wage incentives are becoming more and more rare.

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I had no idea about the rotation of days -> nights like that. It does actually sound pretty scary to go from working days for 2 weeks to working overnight for 2 weeks o_o. I'd be scared about patient safety with my nurses being zombies, never quite able to get used to their sleeping schedule before they're forced to switch again! Thank Jesus my hospital doesn't do that.

As for a rotation of Days-Evenings and working weekends, I just figured that was part of the territory, though my hospital only has 12s so Day -> Evening isn't really a thing. Hopefully by the time I finish school in 2 years, picking a shift and getting to stick to it is still a constant thing :X.

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Specializes in PCCN.

where I am the newer grads work all 3 shifts in the same week. They are dropping like flies. The applications say must be available for all 3 shifts. Yeah , that sounds real safe.

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Specializes in ICU.

There are lots of places that don't do rotating shifts. Maybe it's a location issue, but almost all of the jobs I applied for as a new grad had a shift listed. MICU nights, MICU days, etc. Even if a hospital occasionally did rotating shifts it would be mentioned in the job description that that particular listing was for rotating shifts - and the listing would be right next to positions that were 7a-7p and 7p-7a. I personally don't see how anyone could be desperate enough to work rotating shifts (I have severe insomnia; rotating shifts are a death sentence to me and I'd rather be homeless), but to each his own!

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right.. managing the body clock is not an easy task

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
where I am the newer grads work all 3 shifts in the same week. They are dropping like flies. The applications say must be available for all 3 shifts. Yeah , that sounds real safe.

That is really awful. I have no idea why they would want to do rotating shifts. There are easier ways to manage staffing issues.

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