Where to find the "Good" RN jobs?

Nurses Career Support

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I am 46 yrs old and have been an RN for almost 2 years now on a med/surg floor. the 13 hr night shifts are becoming gureling for me and I tend to work with mostly 20-something yr old, still in the "party scene" of life. I feel at a plateau with my skills and don't feel like I'm learning new things, nor do I see myself able to keep up with the demands of this type of work much beyond 50yrs old! I also feel like a "commodity" rather than a valued RN who cares about her patients. All I tend to hear from my manager is when I've done something wrong....anyhow. I currently work PRN - down from part time b/c I like the flexibility and not having to work every holiday. I keep hearing in other posts about the "endless possibilities" in nursing, yet when I search the classifieds, all I see are jobs in hospitals settings or from nursing agencies or travel nursing. What are the "good" jobs and where/How exactly do you find them??

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Specializes in public health.

Search your local public health job website. Google your public health department and see if they have any posting for RN positions.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Even within a lot of the hospital systems, there are often positions outside of the hospital. I am about to start a clinic job through a hospital system. Banker's hours, holidays and weekends off, floating among a few different clinics within the building. Check out the websites for the hospital systems in your area, and see what's posted.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

What do you consider to be a "good" job? What are the characteristics that you are looking for?

1. Are you really limited to working part time only? .... Or would you be willing to work full time for a position that you liked more?

2. Your original post does not mention your educational level. Would you be eligible for jobs requiring a BSN? Or are you limited to jobs for which an Associate's Degree is sufficient?

3. Are there certain types of patients that you would rather work with than others?

4. Do you only want to do direct patient care -- or would you consider other types of work? Would you be interested in sitting at a desk for 8 hours per day?

5. Does money factor into it? Would you be satisfied with a lower paycheck to get something in return? What would be worth it to you to take a pay cut?

etc. etc. etc. For some people, three 12-hour night shifts per week is the perfect fit: for others, it is not. Different people define "good job" differently. What does "good" mean to you? You have to start there so that you can start looking in the right direction -- and recognize a job as "good" when you find it.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
What are the "good" jobs and where/How exactly do you find them??

The term "good RN jobs" is relative: what is one person's nightmare may be another's dream job. In your case, "good" means off the m/s floor.

Scrounge your hospital's career board for jobs in outpatient, ambulatory/same day, or clinic (e.g., occupational/employee health, injection) settings. Most hospitals have these types of positions--you just have to find them.

Best of luck.

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llg,

I have a BSN in nursing. I do not want to work full time, and while money is not a huge factor, I want to be paid a decent wage. I have a daughter and grandchildren in MO and I want the flexibility and freedom to travel out there to visit them without being tied down to a rigid schedule. My mom is also in an Alzheimer's home 4 hours away from me and I travel up there regularly to check on her. I love working with elderly people, but have no desire to work in a nursing home, as the conditions there for nurses are usually not good (overworked, understaffed and all they do is med passess etc.) I like the freedom of choosing when I work as PRN, I can work 3 days one week and then 0 the next if I need/want to. Perhaps I am being unrealistic in what I'm looking for.

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Look for nurses who walk around with smiles on their faces and you will probably find the good jobs. Most good jobs for nurses are practically impossible to find, because once someone finds out about that good job, it is quickly taken off the job market and stays off the job market for as long as that person can hold the job.

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llg,

I have a BSN in nursing. I do not want to work full time, and while money is not a huge factor, I want to be paid a decent wage. I have a daughter and grandchildren in MO and I want the flexibility and freedom to travel out there to visit them without being tied down to a rigid schedule. My mom is also in an Alzheimer's home 4 hours away from me and I travel up there regularly to check on her. I love working with elderly people, but have no desire to work in a nursing home, as the conditions there for nurses are usually not good (overworked, understaffed and all they do is med passess etc.) I like the freedom of choosing when I work as PRN, I can work 3 days one week and then 0 the next if I need/want to. Perhaps I am being unrealistic in what I'm looking for.

Yes, I think you are being unrealistic. There are a lot of issues here, but the short of it is that you're not going to build some great career (or even a solid job situation) working PT/PRN.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
llg,

I have a BSN in nursing. I do not want to work full time, and while money is not a huge factor, I want to be paid a decent wage. I have a daughter and grandchildren in MO and I want the flexibility and freedom to travel out there to visit them without being tied down to a rigid schedule. My mom is also in an Alzheimer's home 4 hours away from me and I travel up there regularly to check on her. I love working with elderly people, but have no desire to work in a nursing home, as the conditions there for nurses are usually not good (overworked, understaffed and all they do is med passess etc.) I like the freedom of choosing when I work as PRN, I can work 3 days one week and then 0 the next if I need/want to. Perhaps I am being unrealistic in what I'm looking for.

I've never heard of ANY job being this flexible.

I'm about to start this new clinic job, but I have been working a few PRN jobs in the meantime. However, it's barely enough to pay the bills, and even with them, I am still on a schedule. For example, I do home infusions, but patients are on a schedule. One will be due every two weeks, another every 3, and so forth. The days and times are pretty flexible, but I have to work within the patients' schedules. Some are more flexible than others (like one girl can only do Fridays in the PM). Plus, infusions are 2-10 hours, most on the shorter side, and I have to drive a ways to get to some of them (no pay for mileage or driving time).

For another job, I'm at a birth center, and we have 24 hour on-calls. We get paid a small amount to be on-call (so that day is kind of shot), and hourly while we're there for a birth.

So in essence, the pay is sporadic but the schedules are flexible. Really, there's a trade-off. You're not going to be making a stellar salary AND having all the flexibility in the world.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

By assuming a "PRN only" work philosophy, it is very doubtful that you will be considered for any higher level job with greater responsibility with your current employer. PRN staff are focused upon ensuring that their own needs are met rather than the employer's - and that is perfectly OK!! I think it is great that you have the good fortune to exercise your independence in this way.

That being said - employers don't invest in PRN staff. They expect them to be 'good to go' without any further development. So there is very little likelihood that you will find a PRN staff job with any type of career advancement or opportunities for additional skills training. If you're looking to get away from bedside practice, you'll need to invest in additional training and hope for the best. Most "good jobs" require appropriate experience in addition to training/certification.

Sounds like you are really in a good place - one that many of us would envy. Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Everyone's definition of "good" is subjective though---keep that in mind!!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Yes, quite honestly, I think you are :unsure:

llg,

I have a BSN in nursing. I do not want to work full time, and while money is not a huge factor, I want to be paid a decent wage. I have a daughter and grandchildren in MO and I want the flexibility and freedom to travel out there to visit them without being tied down to a rigid schedule. My mom is also in an Alzheimer's home 4 hours away from me and I travel up there regularly to check on her. I love working with elderly people, but have no desire to work in a nursing home, as the conditions there for nurses are usually not good (overworked, understaffed and all they do is med passess etc.) I like the freedom of choosing when I work as PRN, I can work 3 days one week and then 0 the next if I need/want to. Perhaps I am being unrealistic in what I'm looking for.

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