so I recently started a new job as a new grad residency nurse in a pretty well known children's hospital. They have a new grad residency program which all new grad nurses are required to be a part of. It is an 18 month-long residency so a year & 1/2. It is broken up as follows: 6 months of orientation which consists of 10wks of days with a preceptor, 6wks of nights with a preceptor, and then approx 4wks of "partially alone" time (you are by yourself but not officially and have someone you can call on for support if needed). After that first 6 out of 18months, you are officially on your own for the last 12 months of your residency. I forgot to mention that of course their are mandatory education components and classes you attend throughout that 18 months.
I was hired for a night shift position and I was fully aware that I would be initially rotating with a preceptor on both day shift & night shift during my orientation phase. Makes perfect sense for a new grad to rotate in order to see how things opperate differently from days vs nights on the unit. What I was not aware of and don't feel was clarified or explicitly stated in the job posting nor offer letter was that after the first 6 months (the orientation phase) you would spend the next 12 months (a year) rotating between both day shift AND night shift. I was originally under the impression that after the first 6 month orientation period that I would not only be on my own, but that it would officially start my straight nights shift, per the position I was hired for. I did not realize I would have to spend a year rotating between the two after having just came off of a rotating 6 month orientation.
it's 3 months of days, and then 3 months of nights....and then repeat—another 3 months of days, and then again 3 months of nights...all until you reach the end of the year (your official end of your 18 month residency) and then at that point, you'd go to straight nights. While it was disclosed that I would be on nights, working every 3rd weekend while going over my offer letter w/ my recruiter, I later found out that we as new grads actually would be working EVERY other weekend for that entire 12 month rotating period and then after the residency finished, we'd then go to every third weekend.
I guess I just kinda get the feeling of not fully knowing what I'd signed up for. My questions to you are, is this a normal length of time for a New grad RN residency program? And more specifically, does it seem odd to be required to have to rotate for an entire year (every other weekend included) before I get to my initially hired position of straight nights? There is no contractual financially-binding agreement thankfully but it just seems so excessive to me and quite frankly, potentially physically and mentally taxing to switch between days and nights for a year.
I REALLY wanted this job and I specifically wanted to work at this hospital and busted my tush to land this position but now I'm just feeling so defeated with these realizations and don't know if these are red flags or not.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
LibraSunCNM said:
That's so bizarre. What is supposed to be the benefit of rotating from days to nights q3months? I can't believe in this day and age ANYONE is still mandating rotating shifts, with as much research as we have that shows how unhealthy it is.
Hospital's don't care how unhealthy it is for us. They are after the money. They know that once you burn out there are plenty of new nurses waiting to be hired in your place. Contrary to popular belief there is no nursing shortage. For profit nursing schools have seen to that.
Hospital's don't care how unhealthy it is for us. They are after the money. They know that once you burn out there are plenty of new nurses waiting to be hired in your place. Contrary to popular belief ther is now nursing shortage. For profit nursing schools have seen to that.
Hppy
Right, but how does it actually HELP the hospital? I just don't get the point of the entire concept.
I don't know if this is a trend in Children's Hospitals since there will always be people willing to work for them, but the last two where I've worked required all new people (new grads and experienced) to start on rotating shifts; the shifts weren't even blocked, and you could easily be scheduled for two nights, then two days, then two nights with only a day in between each stretch to flip around. You could eventually be on the list to go to straight nights, then ultimately straight days.
That said...
If you otherwise like the unit, I wouldn't write the job off just yet. It is super shady the way they handled your recruiting (especially with the weekends), *but*, if you have to rotate days and nights, switching every three months is not a bad way to do it. On the whole, I think it gives you enough time to find your groove and have a gradual switch back and forth from day to night life (vs. switching several times a week, like 'rotating' shifts at some hospitals).
Having worked rotating shifts, straight days, and straight nights, I also think there's a benefit when you're starting out to seeing both shifts. You learn so much from rounding on day shift, then on nights you have enough down time that you can really dig into the patho. Even though it sucked rotating several times a week, I did it by choice when I first started in a new specialty with a steep learning curve (peds cardiac) because I found that seeing both shifts was such a valuable learning opportunity.
You wouldn't be wrong to leave or to request that per your offer letter you go to straight nights. However, if you like the unit and the hospital, and you're tolerating rotating OK, it might not be the end of the world.
LibraSunCNM said:
Right, but how does it actually HELP the hospital? I just don't get the point of the entire concept.
In the hospitals I've worked where it has been mandated, it's because people can be 'mandatory moved' between the day and night shifts if there are staffing needs. Management never runs into an issue where you've over on days but short on nights for a scheduling period since they can cherry-pick where you go. That said, if you're blocked to days or nights for a set period of time, it seems less helpful to the hospital.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
LibraSunCNM said:
That's so bizarre. What is supposed to be the benefit of rotating from days to nights q3months? I can't believe in this day and age ANYONE is still mandating rotating shifts, with as much research as we have that shows how unhealthy it is.
My favorite shift was . . . rotating. There are plusses to working day shift — you're on the same shift as the rest of the world. You get to learn more, because you're around when the cardiology team rounds or the neuro team explains intrathecal infusions or whatever. Most non-emergent "road trips" (my perspective is ICU, sorry) happen on the day shift, which gives you the opportunity to witness what goes on in the cardiac cath lab, interventional radiology, etc. Surgeries happen on day shift, which means during your orientation you might get the opportunity to watch one. While the attendings are educating the medical residents, you get a chance to listen and learn. But day shift also means visitors (some of them wonderful, some of them not so nice, some of them impaired and some of them frankly dangerous) and they can be the worst aspect of patient care. Or the best. Or sometimes both. You're responsible for three meals and it sucks if you have more than one patient who needs to be fed, or who cannot be left unsupervised for meals or whose whose wife or mother persists in shoving scrambled eggs down his trach because "he's hungry.” And just when I get so burned out on getting up at 5am to walk the dog before work . . . it's time to rotate to nights.
Nights is (sometimes) a little quieter. You have more time to read the physician notes, look up lab results and X-rays, look up any drugs you are unfamiliar with, learn how to pronounce those multi-syllabic diagnoses and figure out what they are and how they are treated, etc. You get to find out the best restaurants for midnight take-out within an UBER delivery radius of your job, meet and chat with the house supervisor, find out where Central Supply is actually located because you need a coude catheter STAT and they won't deliver it STAT, and learn where the bodies are buried from the crusty old bat who has been on night shift for generations. But you're on the opposite schedule of your family and friends, many of whom cannot understand that working all NIGHT means you sleep all DAY. It's hard to schedule a plumber or a dental visit or take your mom to the cardiologist or meet with your kid's teacher around your work hours. It may be hard to sleep . . . benadryl, melatonin and Tylenol PM help. So does AMBIEN. And when your three months is nearly up, you'll be looking forward to all of the craziness that happens on day shift.
I've worked on the east coast (twice), the west coast (twice) and the midwest (three times.). Some areas seem to rotate shift regardless. Some don't. Approach it with an attitude of learning all you can and make the best of it.
hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I
4 Articles; 5,212 Posts
Hospital's don't care how unhealthy it is for us. They are after the money. They know that once you burn out there are plenty of new nurses waiting to be hired in your place. Contrary to popular belief there is no nursing shortage. For profit nursing schools have seen to that.
Hppy