How soon after did you look for a part-time job?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Soooo after graduating I have A LOT of free time. After you do your 3 twelve hour shifts - what do you do?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Sleep.

12 hour shifts are exhausing, especially if you do three in a row.

And then there are all the things that don't get done on your work days because you're only home long enough to shower, scarf some food and sleep before you head back out. Bills, groceries, laundry, cleaning the bathroom... There's no way I'd be looking for a second job!

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I agree with the previous response, SLEEP! But I have a spouse, kids, and a house that need my attention more than another job :).

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I am a new nurse graduate (May2010) and am working on an orthopedic trauma/med surg floor at a hospital in GA. I am working days and the pace can be absolutely CRAZY!!! So far I am liking it but am a little frustrated with my ability to leave work in a timely manner. We carry hip phones and yesterday it seemed as if my phone rang constantly throughout the day, making it almost impossible to document as I go. Presently I am bringing the COW into each pt. room as I go and charting assessments in the pt.'s room. This seems to be helping but I still seem to have many days when I am late getting all my entries in. I did my first PICC line dressing change yesterday (luckily my charge nurse readily agreed to watch me do it), hung IVs, and drew blood samples - I was in the room for 45 minutes!!!! It's also hard learning which MD to contact since so many pts. have 3 or 4 doctors following them. Yesterday I had two transporters show up on the floor to take one of my pts. to a procedure without calling first. - the pt. was not in his room (and I had no idea where he had gone). It turns out he had left the floor in his wheelchair to go outside and smoke - ahhhhhh!!!! Because of the acuity of most of our pts. I usually have four at one time. I have also found using a one-page brain sheet to be helpful. I would love to hear from other nurses about how they have tackled the whole time management issue , and would also like to know how long it takes before things get better - I am holding on to the thought that it will get better!!!!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Soooo after graduating I have A LOT of free time. After you do your 3 twelve hour shifts - what do you do?

If you really have a lot of free time and the energy to work more, let your boss know that you are interested in more work before seeking a 2nd job. The pay of a 2nd job will not be at overtime rates ... while the extra pay at your current workplace will be at an overtime rate. Also, you will earn "brownie points" with the boss if you fill in a few holes on the schedule or volunteer to work a few extra hours (partial shifts) when the unit is really busy.

Finally, be careful about over-committing yourself. A lot of new grads dive in head first and end up getting over-committeed, stressed out, and burned out because they work too many hours. I've seen that happen time and time again. A new grad feels the weight of school lifted off their shoulders and feels like they can handle anything. Two years later they are burned out, never having developed a healthy lifestyle that balances the work demands.

Use some of that free time for rest, relaxation, etc. Develop some new hobbies. Get outdoors. Get some excercise. etc. These are the types of behaviors that help you maintain a successful career over the long rung. So, just volunteer to work a few hours every once-in-a-while. Don't committ to extra work hours every week unless you really have to.

If, after a year or two of work, you still feel you have the extra time and extra energy to tackle a heavier load ... then you can add some more work hours, consider going back to school, start taking on more responsibilities at work, prepare yourself for promotion, etc. But your goal for the first 6-12 months after graduation should be to get firmly established as a competent nurse and to establish a balanced, healthy lifestyle that will support your success throughout the rest of your life.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I agree, i get called multiple times a week to work extra. i do go in extra but i also say no a lot because im so tired. I had initially thought i would be prn at another facility to network but i have decided to wait at least a year before going that route. Good luck.

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Specializes in NICU.

Free time? I wish. I work 40 hours a week (in 4 days), with an hour commute each way. At home I have a toddler and my husband. Between keeping the housework done, working, and spending time with my daughter I don't have a shred of free time to myself. My husband and I spend all of our free moments together vaccuuming and folding laundry. How romantic : P

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