Down and Out

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

No flames from me--I feel exactly the same way. And I've been a nurse 34 years. I have worked about 25 years of night shift, so for me, the shift wasn't the issue. It was being away from home for upwards of 14hrs straight several days a week. It left me exhausted and miserable missing my family, especially when my babies were little. I finally had to be honest with myself that the 12s were not working. It wasn't nights at all. I wasn't any happier on days.

Can you talk to your manager and see if you can cut your days or change some of your hours? Personally, I would rather work shorter days and more of them, if I have to. I learned a long time ago that my family "works" best if one of us is home most of the time. I didn't mind cutting my hours because I liked being with my kids. While everyone else worked 12s I was working 4s,6s, and 8s. I worked evenings, nights, and weekends. Pretty much any shift that nobody wanted, as long as it worked for my family. As a result, I have never made the Big Bucks but I have been able to raise my kids the way I wanted to.

I don't know what the answer is for you, but I think before you jump ship you need to talk with your manager and see if any adjustments can be made. You might even need to talk to HR and see if you can switch to a different unit. Try to make it work any way you can as long as you're getting your needs met.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.

I think whatever you do, you need to find another job before you think about leaving. At my place of employment, new grads have to stay for 1 yr before they can transfer. My friend quit her job six month into her new grad intership without another job and she could not find another job anywhere. She ended up having to call the manager back and beg for her job back. The manager let her come back and she said no matter how bad it is, she will not leave again till she has another job. Talk to your manager and see if they will put you back on days if they get another opening. I know it suck being away from your family right now but try your best to make other arrangements because the job market sucks right now and most jobs want a least a year of experience. Good Luck!

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My theory when I am frustrated or feeling down and out about my job is, I can do anything for a year, I will give it a year at where I am at and then re-evaluate things. Maybe at that time part time will be an option, PRN, or even another hospital but atleast you have fullfilled your obligation to your employer as well as given yourself some valuable experience that you will need to find work else where and able to negotiate a different contract.

good luck

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I completely understand where you are coming from. I'm one of those oddballs who just can't stand tossing my family aside for a paycheck.

I just finished a job that had the most insane schedule you ever heard of. Everyone got one weekend off per month and spent the rest of the month working four days to have one day off. It was crazy!

I did that for two years and I visibly noticed my family suffering. I put a million miles on my car driving back and forth to work everyday, and ate lunch in there so I could talk to my husband on the phone while I ate. It was no way to live. My daughter, once an honor role student, began to have problems in school.

The house was always a mess, despite help from my husband and daughter to keep it clean; nobody cleans like mom. We had to fly through weeks of work to just have a weekend to cram in everything we wanted to do.

I looked up and year had passed; then two years. I said goodbye to my old job. I am starting a PART TIME job on Monday.

Never again will I sacrifice my family and my sanity for a paycheck.

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hey girl, long time not post on here. i have not been on here much since my last post to you due to some major and hard changes in my life, but i did want to tell you that i have decided to go into another direction with my career and honeslty with my entire life. it is a long and hard story to tell but the only way i can say it is that everything got turned upside down and everything in my world just kind of fell apart or is at least hanging on by a very thin string right now.

i most likely won't be back on here seeing how "nursing" isn't where i am headed any longer or at least for now, but i wanted to say "thank you" for all of your advice and guidence through the short time i was on here. i felt like we had a lot in common and it was very odd and yet amazing that we found one another with such similar lives. anyway, i was going to send a private message to you on here but i have yet to figure out how to work this site and it is telling me that i can't send any personal messages for some reason. i don't have the energy to figure it out.

anyway, good luck with your wedding. it is coming up really soon isn't it? june is just a few weeks away!! i know you are so excited and i pray everything continues to fall into place with your life.

i know i am not supposed to post my personal email, but if you ever feel like talking or venting or keeping in touch even, my email is [email protected]. i started a facebook page, but that mess just is not for me. i have never been a big twitter, myspace, facebook type girl.

again i want to thank you for all of your guidence. it was very nice having someone out there to reach out to. sorry for such the delay in talking on here.

take care

a-

i sent this to you last night on my old post under "guidence" but wasn't sure if you got it, so i stared reading your latest post. i see things aren't going so hot for you either. hang in there, it will all work out!

keep your head up!

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