help me pick the right job please!

[Shondacat517]

i am a new rn and eager to try new thing but really need advice please. i am currently working home health rn, in which my pay is per visit and my load isn't up at this time meaning that i am not really making the money i could if i had a full case load which is 6 visits daily. i am currently pregnant and driving everywhere in which some of the drives are an hr away. i feel soooo uneasy kinda car sick and not sure if its from pregnancy or just no able to tolerate long driving throughout the day. i had an interview today at a hospital for the telemetry unit on nights and kinda feel like that would be more stable as far as pay and not chasing patients at home all day. please help me weight my options. please take into consideration i was have a toddler and new infant soon.

homehealth

work 8hr shift mon-fri with flexibility in schedule

no weekends

great pay if patient case load is up

day shift 8-4

i have to chase patients daily

paycheck varies

hospital

work 3 12 hrs shift

work every other weekend

pay is average

night shift 7p-7a

3-4 days off weekly

patients come to me.

no long driving daily

paycheck consistent

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I think a lot depends on how much you need a steady paycheck. Nights are really hard for new moms because people assume you can take care of the kids during the day - which means no sleep for you. But if you have good child care then working 3 of 7 days would be nice. You would have more quality time with the kids.

[Shondacat517]

what would u do?

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

If money isn't too important than I would stick with home visits until your kids are bigger. Nights are extremely taxing and I waited til my kids were school age. It's great to have 4 days off each week but

1) if you work 3 nights in a row you need GOOD childcare because you'll be only thinking about sleeping-or-

2) if you separate your nights on remember you'll be exhausted the next day

Personally I'd love to work home health day hours if I could afford it. Way less physical and emotional stress! I'm not trying to discourage you, if you have strong family support you'll be able to swing it but it's hard to work nights with little ones!

[Shondacat517]

Thanks for the comment, i dont have much family support, my spouse works 2nd shift 3-11 leaving someone(my sister) to watch them from about 6pm till when he gets off, my mother works nights also so i can count her out.

[jjjoy, LPN]

Personally, I'd go with home health because of my own preferences. I much prefer being able to focus on one patient at a time as opposed to juggling several all at the same time. I also don't do well on night shift long term, nor do I like 12 hour shifts. I do prefer a steady paycheck, but my sanity trumps my security. And I do hate driving around all day, but not as much as I hate getting up when the sun is going down.

For you, though, it might be totally different!

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

If I were you I would seriously look at the effects of 12hr shifts on nurses; especially a new mother and let's throw in that it's night shift. That being said home health is the place to be as far as being your own boss and having some autonomy with your career.

As far as that's concerned most of us have had to do the dreaded night shifts when starting out but it can be a definite challenge. If I were you and you were comfortable with the income with the home health I would stay. Yes we can make the big bucks but sometimes just being able to live comfortably is good enough. Your child will only be a baby once and then it's gone. It's the first 2 years of a child's life that sets in motion their secure attachment.

The baby won't remember exquisite clothing sets or extravagant toys. Nature needs nurture. Your a parent now and that means every decision that you make directly effects your child.

[Shondacat517]

Thanks everyone