Anyone working two jobs?

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Nov 4, 2008

i did work 2 jobs until about 2 weeks ago , the stress was to much between the 2 jobs and i quit... i now work 1 job and miss the extra money .... but my finger nails are gowing back ..lol..... i don't bite them much any more from anxiety....lol

rn-jane · Nov 4, 2008

I do work two jobs so to speak. I work full time on a critical care and stepdown unit. I am cross trained on both, and on my days off/eves and saturdays I am a farrier. This is a horse shoer or blacksmith. My rn job I make more money, blacksmithing I've only done for the last two years but I enjoy that much more. The horse is my so called patient and I think appreciates what I do so much more than some of my patients!

Riseupandnurse · Nov 4, 2008

When I first got out of school, just one job was enough. But I have worked a job and a half for almost all of my career. It actually feels much less stressful, as if I am having problems at one, there's always the other. I have done acute care, nursing research, home health, even selling sweatshirts in the mall and ManPower. But mostly it's been acute care combined with nursing education. I can honestly say I've never been bored.

Neveranurseagain, RN · Nov 4, 2008

Go volunteer at the Humane Society or Animal shelter or Women's Clinic or join Civil Air Patrol and be a Nurse Officer (like me!) Get a camper van and go camping!!!

Southern Fried RN · Nov 4, 2008

I've worked 2 jobs (at several different hospitals) in my career. I didn't do it out of boredom per se but to broaden my experience.

Most of the time, when I got over 40 hours is was NOT overtime because it was 2 different hospitals. D'oh! My body sure knew I worked OT even if my bank account didn't.

Scheduling was always crazy. My PRN job always came second and sometimes they seemed irritated that I couldn't commit more. That was due to waiting on my schedule to come out from my FT job. Don't even get me started on holidays. I had to cover my FT holiday requirements but then my PRN would ask for my help to cover day before/after holiday.

It's easy if you are young and single with no kids. Now that I am only 1 out of those 3 I prefer to just work one place.

I would suggest doing something completely different that nursing to fill your time. What other hobbies do you have? Maybe get more involved in church or volunteering? My point is to expand your social circle and interests outside of nursing. Working alot and hanging out with nurse friends all the time could make you burned out.

Nurseboy1 · Nov 4, 2008

With the current economy, living on my own as a not-so-experienced nurse has required me to work two jobs. I don't really regret it, I am learning new things and taking care of a different population in my other job.

Pigskin_RN,BSN · Nov 4, 2008

I work two jobs and go to school full-time. I also have no kids or husband but I do live on my own. My full-time job is home health and my second job is acute care with a registry. I love home health because I work in peds. My patients have ventilators, trachs, and spinal cord injuries. This is experience is great! I also work in telemetry/med/surg as a registry nurse. I love the experience and feel like I am well-rounded. The money isn't bad either!!

RNgonewild · Nov 4, 2008

I have done it on a few occassions. I keep my regular benefitted job(parttime) and then do a per diem or agency gig. Haven't done it for a few years, but I'm getting bored again at my regular job, so I may branch out again. And many of the nurses I work with have a couple of jobs. Usually a benefitted and a per diem. Some are married, some aren't. Some have kids, some don't. And there are a couple of nurses I know who work extra to accomplish a goal, for a short time , like a month or two, to get a decent down payment on a car, buy an appliance, go on a fancy trip, pay off a big credit card bill or up the income to qualify for something. I call them appliance nurses. I once knew a nurse that worked 30 double shifts to buy all new appliances for her kitchen, therefore the term appliance nurse.

life-time-learner · Nov 4, 2008

I work 2 jobs and what is messed up about it is that, I graduated school and found a job in a really nice LTCF. After 14 months of being there it was time to find another job closer to home with the raising gas prices. I found a job 4 miles from home verses 21 and over a dollar more an hour. It killed me to leave the pt's that I had taken care of for so long, but I had to do it for me. I still work prn at the first place, they dont offer me alot of extra hours but its nice to go back to and see my pt's...I have found at my new full time job that there is less stress and less drama, and yes even more people that I have become very fond of. But the jist of all of this rambleing is that you will have to learn to balance your time and remember to give yourself a day off here and there not to long ago I stopped to look at the hours I had worked and I had worked like 20 days straight not to long after that I got a URI. My own fault thats is what happens burning candle at both ends. :nurse:

DDRN4me · Nov 4, 2008

I have worked two different jobs for most of my career..sometimes out of necessity and sometimes just for the experience. not hard to do if you are good at juggling and at saying no when things get crazy ( i do have trouble with the latter)

sometimes the second job was in nursing. not always..at one time i worked for $5 an hour at a florist. the most fun mindless job i ever had and i made a lifelong friend in the process.

a great nursing part time job is private duty. you basically pick your own hours and see what pts you can accomodate thru the agency . most pts love evenings and weekends and those are the hardest for the agencies to fill. but please take lifelonglearners advice and leave time for yourself. i learned that the hard way!! :nurse:

FA to CRNA2b · Nov 4, 2008

Make sure to schedule regular exercise.