Day Shift Position

NPAlby · Apr 18, 2013

So theres no cookie cutter answer for this one. Your school schedule is going to change a few times I imagine. I worked 3 12hr weekend shifts which fit perfectly for lectures and clinicals. For awhile I worked 8p to 8a followed by hour drive to school which sucked but hey you gotta do what you gotta do.

Jessicalynn · Apr 18, 2013

It is an online program & clinicals are only second year in this program. It's challenging to know what to do! How do you like being a NP compared with RN?? I love nursing and am really excited about learning to become a NP!

kguill975, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 18, 2013

I worked compressed weekends, 2 16 hour shifts, since I'm a single mom. It was night shift, but that wasn't a problem for me. You can make anything work, until your final year, when the clinical hours get heavier. I was ACNP, so I had some overnight rotations, but FNP will probably be Mon-Fri bank hours? Trying to work a day shift during that time will put unnecessary stress on you. If you can afford it, just go PRN. I loved graduate school, but having to work made it miserable.

NPAlby · Apr 19, 2013

Love being an NP. Glad I did it. I was three years in when I started the program. by the time I finished I was at 7yrs of being an RN and soooo ready to move on. I agree with another poster. During the classroom portion it was ok but then getting those clinical hours ... that was tricky. If you're going to work I would try to save up some PTO and try to use that time for straight clinical time. As much as you can anyway.

Jessicalynn · Apr 19, 2013

Thanks for the response. Glad you like being an NP...that's encouraging! I do enjoy nursing. I would really love being a NP. I will see if this clinic would be flexible with me second year...if not, there are clinics around that do weekends...we'll see lol. Do you work 4 or 5 days per week?

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

phillycpnp-pc, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 19, 2013

I do weekend program. It sucks to work every weeekend but it cleared my schedule for class and clinicals during the week and i didnt have to take a decrease in pay.

Trauma Columnist · Apr 19, 2013

I worked 3 12 hour nights in a row in an ER while in school. It wasnt fun at all, but like others say, you gotta do what you gotta do. I had saved up PTO that I used for clinicals. I did a lot of my clinicals at night and on the weekends but I did a CNS program that was very flexible. When I did my peds program I did all day shift clinicals and that stunk too. I know work days only but they can be long......

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2013

I have had a NP who does Sat clinic say I could do clinicals with her. There are also urgent care and clinics with extended hours that have 10-12hr days so you may be able to avoid going to clinical as often if you can find something longer than an 8hr day. If you know you will be on nights, could you see if your manager could just let you work Fri-Sun night? It would suck, but you would have the week free for clinical rotation. I was lucky that I am starting clinicals next semester and thanks to seniority my boss offered me a straight day shift position, otherwise I am not sure how I would have made it work.

Jessicalynn · Apr 19, 2013

Thanks for all the information and replies! It gives me hope that it can be done regardless of the shift. My program is online and we set up our own clinicals the second year of the program. I would love to work days. I think it would even help starting this August with Master level courses. I understand new nurses have to put in time on nights sometimes. I just want to make everything as easy as possible on myself. Right now, even just working nights is blah to me. I love the atmosphere, people, etc. the bedside work is stressful, but I do enjoy it. It is just hard for me to adjust working all different days every week.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com