First acute care job: is it possible that they can switch me ove to night shifts without warning?

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Hi everyone! I am a nurse with 5 years of experience in the public health world. I have a steady job on days, Monday through Friday. I have a job offer for acute care on day shift. However, I know it is possible that they can switch me to nights at any time. Leaving me with only a few months of acute care experience, having left my original job, and hating my work/ sleep schedule.

I quit my my first ever nursing job (not acute care) because they promised me rotating hours between days, evenings, and nights but then permanently put me on nights. I became extremely depressed and I never want to work nights again unless I have no choice.

How likely would this be to happen to me in a small community hospital?

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.

Well at least nights are quiet because the patients are sleeping.

<Ducks for the incoming barrage>

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

I think if you have a contract that states a specific shift, that should be your shift. A change would be a breech of contract. Could be wrong.

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3 minutes ago, Crash_Cart said:

Well at least nights are quiet because the patients are sleeping.

<Ducks for the incoming barrage>

Lol that’s true. And 12 hour nights are much better than 8 hour nights. But I also don’t think I would tolerate the job for that long, either. I want a job I will stay at least 3-4 years at! Or more if I am happy.

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1 minute ago, CalicoKitty said:

I think if you have a contract that states a specific shift, that should be your shift. A change would be a breech of contract. Could be wrong.

I hope so. I have to review the contracts they give me. Is it positive/ professional to ask them if I can take the contract home and review it for a day or two?

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If you knew that the switch was possible and you agreed to it to accept the job, then you have to face that eventuality. Your only option is to admit you made a mistake and find a job without shift rotations involved. And then, you might find yourself better able to withstand the shift schedule at this time. Or, perhaps you can accommodate to it long enough to find another job. Any way one looks at it, the employer did not withhold the shift schedule information from you when you took this job. It is up to you to deal with your present circumstances. By all means, take the contract to an attorney to look over. They might be able to give you your way out if it exists.

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
20 minutes ago, Crash_Cart said:

Well at least nights are quiet because the patients are sleeping.

<Ducks for the incoming barrage>

HAHAHA!! Good thing you ducked, because yes, everyone can sleep through the night in the hospital.

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Specializes in school nurse.
26 minutes ago, ~Shrek~ said:

I hope so. I have to review the contracts they give me. Is it positive/ professional to ask them if I can take the contract home and review it for a day or two?

It's perfectly appropriate to ask for time to read a contract before signing it. And unless it's spelled out to the contrary, they can change your hours on a whim. I've heard about "bait and switch" tactics in which a facility staffs a hard-to-fill night shift position by hiring someone for days then pulling the old switcheroo...

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20 minutes ago, caliotter3 said:

If you knew that the switch was possible and you agreed to it to accept the job, then you have to face that eventuality. Your only option is to admit you made a mistake and find a job without shift rotations involved. And then, you might find yourself better able to withstand the shift schedule at this time. Or, perhaps you can accommodate to it long enough to find another job. Any way one looks at it, the employer did not withhold the shift schedule information from you when you took this job. It is up to you to deal with your present circumstances. By all means, take the contract to an attorney to look over. They might be able to give you your way out if it exists.

I verbally accepted, but I haven’t signed a contract yet. On the phone they said it’s not common to switch shifts. I don’t mind rotating shifts or sometimes working nights, but I don’t want a permanent night shift schedule

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8 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:

It's perfectly appropriate to ask for time to read a contract before signing it. And unless it's spelled out to the contrary, they can change your hours on a whim. I've heard about "bait and switch" tactics in which a facility staffs a hard-to-fill night shift position by hiring someone for days then pulling the old switcheroo...

Thank you!! Can HR give me a hard time? I asked if I could review the contract on the phone and they said “we don’t really have contracts”. What is that supposed to mean? I am assuming that when I go there, I will be reviewing all the paperwork they give me. I am not going into a job that literally has no contract, that is for sure.

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They won't provide you with a contract to review? Then, there you have it. Find a different job. Unless, you want to agree to the possibility of changing shifts, when they need you to. The ball is in your court.

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3 minutes ago, caliotter3 said:

They won't provide you with a contract to review? Then, there you have it. Find a different job. Unless, you want to agree to the possibility of changing shifts, when they need you to. The ball is in your court.

No they didn't! I am going to go in person soon and if they don't give me an actual contract to sign when I go and enough time to review it, I am not taking it lol.

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