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Discussion

Help me choose...

hello wonderful nurses of allnurses!

your cumulative wisdom has not failed me yet, so, i need your help.

first, i am soooo blessed in our current economic situation to have a job, let alone the option for another, so please know that i feel blessed to have any job, albiet a frustrating one.

situation: working 40 hr/week in family practice, job satisfaction stinks, understaffed, overworked and underpaid...but with great benefits. i'm starting per diem in cardiac tele unit for 12$ more per hour, but no benefits. so working 56 hours a week total...

background: i did my externship in cardiac surgery icu, got used to heartmate iis, lvads, balloon pumps, vasoactive drips and much high acuity, and i miss my cardiac pts. i'm applying for cardio-focused anp programs for next year and i need this experience. on the downside, i just got promoted to charge nurse at the family practice clinic.

assessment: i would love to resign from this family practice, which has arduous round-the-clock triage call, no p/p for nursing, lots of non-nursing clerical tasks and minimal clinical assessment (as i near permanent burnout), but 2-3 unknown per diem shift with no benefits may not be secure enough given loan payments and saving...but the schedule would work better for grad school.

recommendation?: do i risk leaving a benefitted job for less hours (in my fav. specialty) to avoid burnout, to work where i want to? if nothing more permanent opens up in the cardiac unit, i might be stuck with just per diems, or no job at all... i can't do 56 hour weeks for very long...

any insight is greatly appreciated!

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    • Expert

    I wouldn't lose the benefits. I'd try to stick it out at least until after the holidays, maybe flu season will pick up census and they'll offer you a position. Some facilities offer only per-diem positions at first until they get to know you and see if you're worth offering a position to......I'd bide my time and keep the benefits. For just a little longer.....good luck :)

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    I take it you don't need the benefits?

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    It is hard to advise you without knowing your personal background.. Do you have a family? What about pets? Are they dependent on your beni's? If your single, how important is your social life? What's your financial situation? You just got promoted-- What are your career goals? Do you burn out easy?

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    In my experience, I do not count on per diem. I would use per diem

    to bridge to another specialty. My experience is in outpatient,

    so it may be different for your hospital setting.

    Is it possible a full time or part time position will open up on the Cardiac tele

    unit? or is there another hospital close with a Cardiac tele unit?

    Have you looked at grad schools, what sort of schedule would you

    have?

    You are right to think it through carefully, if you are experienced in

    family practice, would it be better to wait for a cardiac tele staff job

    part or full time to merge with your plan for grad school?

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    • Author

    @ 79tango: I don't burn out very easily, am partnered with someone with great benefits, but no kids yet. Grad school would be 30some hours a week. There is a possibilty that something would open up on the cardiac unit if it's a good fit. Honestly, paying cobra every month seems better than using 20% of my skill base, but I def. Don't want to burn ANY bridges...

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    You haven't even started yet at the per diem job, right? I would work at least a few weeks at both jobs before making any decisions. Sounds like you're expecting to like the new job, but you never know. After a few weeks, you'll have a better idea of whether or not that job is living up to the high expectations you have for it. You can also start asking around and get a better sense of whether or not you might be able to get a permanent position with them. I do think it makes sense to try to shift your employment over to them if possible, given your higher level of interest in the job and greater opportunities to develop your skills, but I don't think you need to be in a big rush about it.

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