Career advice please (x-post)

i would really appreciate any advice or input people could give me on my situation. i've been working on a med-surg floor for 9 months now in my first rn position. i work nights and love my job, my co-workers, and the shift. i'm also 4 months pregnant and due in january. i recently told my boss and discussed my options with her and while i don't have to make any decisions now i'm thinking a lot about my post-birth work options.

basically my choices are a) quit entirely and stay at home b) after maternity leave, transition to a per diem float position in the same hospital and work anywhere from once a month to twice a week, either days or nights c) come back full time nights on my floor after my 3-4 month maternity leave. luckily, money is not an issue for us, my concerns are balancing my family/work life and keeping up my investment in my nursing career. option a would be fabulous from a baby and family perspective, but i worry that one year full time in nursing wouldn't be enough to reenter the workforce a few years down the road. b might be the best compromise, but it would be hard to work with different co-workers on new floors all the time. c would be great career wise, but we'd have to do some form of child care, my husband (who works 60+ hours a week) would have to pick up a lot of slack and i worry i would miss out on my new baby's life and we'd hardly ever get to spend time together as a family.

anyone have experiences to share or advice? i posted this in general nursing discussion but only got one response.

since money is no issue, i would go with plan b. you get experience and the ability to work in different departments, which definitely increases your experience base! and you never know, you may love the float pool even more than the floor you are on now. i work for a pool agency, and i really enjoy it. i was nervous at first about going to other facilities and not knowing any of their p/p, but that exposure really helps with confidence and skills. for years i told my hubby, "no, i don't want to do pool, i don't, i don't..." and when i actually did, i just wish the hours were more frequent! i am now doing pdn while i finish my bsn. my hubby and i have 4 kids and a rotating work schedule, and get a day together. it's not much but now with my pdn experience with a home ventilator, i am hoping that will open more doors for me when i graduate.....and maybe then i will finally have a life!

Since money is no issue, I would go with plan B. You get experience and the ability to work in different departments, which definitely increases your experience base! And you never know, you may love the float pool even more than the floor you are on now.

Thanks! It's good to hear that going float has been a good experience for you. This is the option that I'm most leaning towards, it's just that I love my floor so much and am intimidated about being a float. But it's good to think of it as a chance to gain new experiences and skills.

I have worked float pool in most of my hospitals. My current facility is the first job where I do not float, and I miss it.

I would not do plan A. I think you are wise to know that you don't have enough time under your belt to quit entirely. You may not get back in if you do.

Plan B gives you the best of both worlds. I say that because I did it for years and loved it. The only down side to per diem (it might be different in your facility) is the fact you do not accrue retirement. Otherwise, working per diem gets you off for major holidays to be with the kids, more so than having a manager choose what holidays you work.

Like I said before. The floating is sort of nice. Little politics and if you have a bad night, you might not see those pts the next night if you are needed on another floor. Once you get to know the other nurses in depts and how the flow works (which isn't a lot different, you will find) it won't be a big deal.

You get to know different nurses/managers/dept. That is HUGE networking. It also lets you see how the different floors work before you might possibly commit to a permanent position.

As for your own floor, I'm sure you would float there on occasion, would you not?

It's a big step and out of most peoples comfort zone. Once you try it though, you might like it. :)

I like the suggestion that Tokmom gave you. If you ever wanted to go back to your original unit, it might not be hard to do so since they like you. :-) If you have the opportunity to spend more time with the little one, I would choose a schedule that was more conducive to that. They are only little once. :-) Congratulations on the pregnancy, by the way!!! Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck. Keep us updated.

i would really appreciate any advice or input people could give me on my situation. i've been working on a med-surg floor for 9 months now in my first rn position. i work nights and love my job, my co-workers, and the shift. i'm also 4 months pregnant and due in january. i recently told my boss and discussed my options with her and while i don't have to make any decisions now i'm thinking a lot about my post-birth work options.

basically my choices are a) quit entirely and stay at home b) after maternity leave, transition to a per diem float position in the same hospital and work anywhere from once a month to twice a week, either days or nights c) come back full time nights on my floor after my 3-4 month maternity leave. luckily, money is not an issue for us, my concerns are balancing my family/work life and keeping up my investment in my nursing career. option a would be fabulous from a baby and family perspective, but i worry that one year full time in nursing wouldn't be enough to reenter the workforce a few years down the road. b might be the best compromise, but it would be hard to work with different co-workers on new floors all the time. c would be great career wise, but we'd have to do some form of child care, my husband (who works 60+ hours a week) would have to pick up a lot of slack and i worry i would miss out on my new baby's life and we'd hardly ever get to spend time together as a family.

anyone have experiences to share or advice? i posted this in general nursing discussion but only got one response.

i would suggest plan b. if you don't like float pool per diem, you can do floor per diem.