Why? Why is it so hard to find a job I like?

Nurses Career Support

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I am struggling to a job that feels like its a good fit. Upon graduation I started working at a homecare agency. The fulltime visits paired with an extremely demanding on-call requirement burnt me out quickly.

I accepted a fulltime NOC shift job with a small hospital. I thought I would adapt to working nights. I tried everything I could think of to adapt to night shift but I was exhausted all the time. There was no possibility to switch days for another year or possibly two. I left after about 6 months.

I then took a job with another agency but with a much less demanding on call requirement. The issue is they don't have fulltime work in my assigned territory, which they did not tell me prior to me starting. Now in order to maintain fulltime income, I am picking up overflow visits and driving to all four corners of the county almost daily.

I am disappointed and concerned that I will not be able to find a job that fits my needs. Also, it has only been a year and now I look like a job hopper on my resume.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

Well, you certainly are a trouper. Nothing wrong with wanting regular hours vs being at someone's beck and call. And nights aren't everyone's cup of tea, either. I don't have any great words of wisdom, except hang in there. Something doable will turn up.

I'm sending you my best wishes for a short and successful Job Search. Good luck.

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It's pretty rare to find everything you want. You've just got to prioritize and hope you find the top few things on the list. I always feel like I was "meant" to be wealthy and shouldn't have a job at all. If I win the lottery, I promise to split it with you, but I must warn you that I have never bought a ticket.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

1). Nights are not for everyone. Now you just know it, and that's good.

2). Do you actually know what you want? What do you like, besides hours? High stress and exitement vs. low to boring, procedures vs. chats, one boss all the time vs. many and changing, strict guidelines vs. authonomy?

3) What skills are your strongest, weakest, favorites, hates?

4). What else us important? You can get a job as a Public Health Nurse, for one example... 8 to 5, M - F, but I pretty much guarantee that it will be a paycut, and a big one.

Depending on where you are, you have a lot of options. Public Health, school nursing, outpatient dialysis (inpatient implies a lot and lot of hours - any hours), office nursing (primary care and specialties of all sorts), outpatient surgery/radiation/chemo centers are only beginning. All of them except dialysis are typically M-F, no call, all of them are days only. With a little more time and effort, you can get certified in wound care and PICC /IV therapy. Each of these specialties has its own positives and negatives, and only you can tell which one clicks with your gifts.

I wholeheartedly wish you luck. I went through quite similar situation at one point, and it sucked.

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1). Nights are not for everyone. Now you just know it, and that's good.

2). Do you actually know what you want? What do you like, besides hours? High stress and exitement vs. low to boring, procedures vs. chats, one boss all the time vs. many and changing, strict guidelines vs. authonomy?

3) What skills are your strongest, weakest, favorites, hates?

4). What else us important? You can get a job as a Public Health Nurse, for one example... 8 to 5, M - F, but I pretty much guarantee that it will be a paycut, and a big one.

Depending on where you are, you have a lot of options. Public Health, school nursing, outpatient dialysis (inpatient implies a lot and lot of hours - any hours), office nursing (primary care and specialties of all sorts), outpatient surgery/radiation/chemo centers are only beginning. All of them except dialysis are typically M-F, no call, all of them are days only. With a little more time and effort, you can get certified in wound care and PICC /IV therapy. Each of these specialties has its own positives and negatives, and only you can tell which one clicks with your gifts.

I wholeheartedly wish you luck. I went through quite similar situation at one point, and it sucked.

Thank you all! I do find that home health is a little boring to me, 75% of visits are vitals and then "educating" patients. To some degree, i like that but not to that extent. I really liked the skills that did in the hospital and the times when things got exciting such as patients having changes in condition and having to be ready for a code. I also miss the camaraderie with coworkers.

I also feel very task oriented, just making my report sheet and checking off tasks as i go.

One other aspect in home health is that i dont feel like i can truly disconnect. Even if i am not really working many hours, it seems as though the hours i do work are spread out...some daytime, some evening, some weekends. I really miss the whole "clock in, work 12 hours, clock out, done" thing.

So looks like i answered the question. it looks like i need to get back in a hospital just needs to be on a dayshift.I hope i can even be considered with my short times at the other jobs.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to nursing career advice

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Working nights and crazy hours does a physical toll on our bodies, and because of that, the lucrative pay dangled before us to tempt us into these positions ends up becoming the money we spend of medical care because of the damage done.

I do not view extra pay from on call jobs as incentive for this reason, unless it's a considerable amount.

I know some people are high functioning at night and do not get effected by it greatly, but in my opinion everyone is effected by working nights and being on call in the long term.

I can no longer work nights. My sleep/wake cycle eventually began failing me a few years ago from pushing myself thru these crazy shifts for years. I now have to take medicine at night for sleep. The medicine also treats the anxiety disorder which I developed because of the stress to my body. Therefore, I must take it daily, and take it at night. Nights are off the table for me now, and I do not feel the least bit selfish about it! Neither should you.

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This is very true, the money carrot was dangled in front of me for both the on call in hospice and night shift in hospital. Neither of which were worth the physical and mental stress both put on me. Hind sight is always 20/20! But now i do know they arent for me and unless i am going to starve, have no intention of doing either again.

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It sounds like you've figured out the best fit for you.

You may already realize this, but it's possible that in a hospital setting you'll have to start on nights and then work your way up to days based on seniority. When units have open day shift positions available, they almost always offer them to current night shifters before opening them up to new hires; the only way to get a day shift position is if there are literally no night shifters who want it (unlikely). If you see any day shift positions posted then absolutely apply, but those jobs may be few and far between. You may also face a lot of competition against other candidates with longer stretches of acute care experience.

I know you've explicitly stated that you have no interest in working nights; however, if you do have a change of heart and decide to work nights simply for the sake of eventually getting a day shift acute care position, just realize that the nights aren't forever. Pushing through a few months of nights may be worth it to get that coveted day shift position. On a related note, I'd steer clear of 'rotating' day/night positions. If you have to work some nights, it may be tempting to have at least a few days. However, in my experience rotating days/nights are infinitely harder on your body and psyche than straight nights.

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I started out as a new nurse on night shift. I figured out pretty quickly it wasn't going to work. Thankfully I got offered days within 6 months. It's def 10x more chaotic but I don't regret it. I'm almost 50 and I can't do the constant switching of times...not with kids.

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Specializes in Ambulatory Case Management, Clinic, Psychiatry.

If you're open to working out of the hospital, you can work in outpatient 8/9-4/530. I transitioned from inpatient psych (in a regular acute care hospital) to the outpatient group with a very minimal change in pay (i am a float btw our difference, so i get a differential-- but i was getting a diff for evenings in the hospital asl well).

no weekends or holidays, less stress (generally), no nights, no call.

it can get a bit repetitive and i probably won't stay there forever, but it definitely has its perks.

you could also look into case management (inpatient and outpatient-- generally day hours and mostly m-f), working as a nurse in an alf, adult day health center, community mental health/developmental disabilities, occ health, public health, liasion/screener for snf/rehab/homecare, school nurse, urgent care (some evenings and weekends, but more "skills"-y

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You would like the hospital better. Maybe a telemetry floor.

Which state are you in?

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