First job woes!

[cruisin_woodward]

I think I have fallen victim of the typical new grad taking the very first job they are offered. I was warned not to, but I have been so broke, and nearly lost my home while in school. I did my BSN to DNP, so my clinical time, and didactic took 4 years, and I was not able to work full time through out.

I graduated and am now an ACNP. I was quickly picked up by an orthopedic surgeon, as I have a lot of surgical experience in ortho. I was approached by a few different groups and chose to go with the surgeon that I felt fit my personality best. I was warned by other surgeons that he doesn't keep partners, and has gone through a few PAs throughout the years. I was not super excited about the position, because my passion is critical care, and more specifically, cardiothoracic critical care. ALL of my clinical hours were spent in critical care settings, and I focused in on cardiology, cardiothoracic, and pulmonary. My research was based on critically ill patients as well.

So, that is the low down. Here is the real issue. I actually like my job. I am not passionate about it, but I like it. The problem is, that I am putting in about 3 hours a night charting (uncompensated). There are a lot more issues, like the fact that I am still hourly, and haven't signed a contract yet, and I am realizing that the expectation is that I will put in about 50 hours a week, plus call every other weekend. But the charting is what is really upsetting me. This is worse than school! I have a child, and I am up every single night until 1 am. I am completely exhausted.

Is this how it normally is? Are other people doing this charting all night? It seems ridiculous to me.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hmm. I work nephrology and about 1-2 nights per week I do 2 hrs of charting. This is in addition to 50-55 hrs of work. Much if my time is spent driving from one location to another as I drive about 250-400 miles per week. This does bpnkt inckude my commute to the first location of the day which is 23 milestone way.

however I like my job,don't love it either but it is ok. I have phone call only every 5th weekend from 0700-1800. I am salaried.

so, yes I think you are being taken advantage of....

[BostonRN13]

That sounds like a lot of extra time you're putting in. Even if you were being paid, is all that work okay with you? Is he aware of how much you're taking home? I would bring it up, and that you'd like to be compensated or say, be taken off call every other weekend and switch to only one call weekend. In other words, see if he is willing to lighten the rest of your load.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

OP, I always kept my options open and never stayed in a job that doesn't do it for me. My first NP job was in a role that involves Mondays to Fridays 8 AM to 4 PM in an in-patient acute rehab setting (you may actually know the place, it's part of a Detroit hospital system).

The physicians were very professional, willing to teach, expressed that they liked me a lot. However, I was putting in lots of hours because admissions come late in the afternoon and I have to look over volumes of notes from a chart just to get the real picture of a patient that I'm admitting who had a catastrophic acute care admission and is now ready for in-patient rehab.

They paid me a salary, by the way, with no over time pay. In the end, I felt like I could have done better doing bedside RN work given the amount of uncompensated hours I'm putting in. But what sealed the deal for me to change jobs was I never felt a real passion for the field though I did like the job and the people. I left in good terms with everyone there after working for a bit over a year. Everyone understood where I was coming from and my reason for leaving.

There is no perfect job I'm sure but there are always trade offs that you can live with. I love the field I'm in now. I love the environment, the overall team dynamics and culture, and see myself being here for a while. I've learned tons of stuff and am still learning. But I sacrifice having to work shifts including nights and being at work on holidays. In the end, it's a small price to pay for doing something that I love doing.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Juan...you said it....I wish I was passionate about my job. However I have new family obligations that will preclude me changing jobs at the moment, as you said, there are always trade offs.

Boston - excellent points also.

[carachel2]

You say you are hourly....I am hourly and I submit and am compensated for the documentation time I spend. Is this not allowed ?

[gerry79]

Nice post Juan!

[cruisin_woodward]

Well, it has taken MONTHS to get approval to test, and then my license. (Long story involved there, but basically, I screwed up and didn't send my check, and then was told I didn't need finger printing, when I did, so that took extra time. Then I found out ANCC never sent my test results...blah blah blah). So I was sorta "training". But now I have my license, and have not been offered a contract yet. I want to go back to the ICU, but I now feel terrible if I decide to leave, because they have invested in me. I have never had anyone say a thing about being compensated for documentation. I know I could stay later in the office to finish, or perhaps go early and punch in. But I also want to get home. I'm often working 6:30 am to 7 pm... Some days more, some less.

I have always planned on being only hospital based, so I have no idea how this works. Do you get compensated for patients you bill for? Or just hourly? I am really thinking I need to work elsewhere, but I don't know. My boss keeps talking about how much money I'll be making working with him. I am not making any more than any of my friends, and significantly less than some others. This is all so confusing. And I'm not sure when I should actually sit down and discuss this with them...