Is that the general consensus amongst hospital RNs? I for one had a terrible time with night shift... actually I seemed to adjust alright, outwardly. Inwardly, my endocrine system went haywire and I ended up in the hospital with an exacerbation of a previously well managed health condition, and out from work SICK for an entire month.
Due to the health problems, I had to quit that job only 5 months into it. After searching month after month, the only other day shift hospital position I could get was on a HORRIBLE ortho/medsurg unit 70 miles away from my home.
Despite the heavy work load, extreme favoritism, crazy boss, and absence of teamwork, I appreciated the opportunity and tried to make it work for me. The employer itself was a pretty good one I think, but with the commute and the other issues, I only made it for 6 months--- and quit.
Every other hospital job I've been seeing is for night shift.... If I see another day shift advertised will that be a red flag that the unit is very bad?
I was willing to work nights, but I really can't risk getting sick by going on nights again. Should I just stay away from hospitals from here on out?
The job market dictates whether or not nurses must pay their dues by working night shift. In a shortage nursing market the employer will often offer new hires their choice of shift, in a surplus nursing market the employer will not offer any choice in shifts.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
The job market dictates whether or not nurses must pay their dues by working night shift. In a shortage nursing market the employer will often offer new hires their choice of shift, in a surplus nursing market the employer will not offer any choice in shifts.
I worked in a shortage market for years -- new hires still had to "pay their dues" by working off shifts.
Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.
At the least, can they put you into a long day/night rotation if you have to do that? My unit tries to accommodate us with multiple weeks (example: 3 weeks of nights, followed by 3 weeks of days) and everyone seems satisfied with that. Gives us turnaround time.
Me, I'm going to straight nights as soon as I can. There's too many interruptions in my nursing care on days.
OP, what it boils down to is finding a job that fits for you but you may have a hard time doing it. Managers will look at your resume and we you've had already had two nursing jobs in the past year that you no longer have. That makes it look like you never made it off orientation. Managers are reluctant to hire people like that.
Managers are also reluctant to hire someone with a work history like yours because it is time consuming and very expensive to train someone. Why train someone who is going to up and leave in a few months. I suggest if you are offered a job, take it stay a while nits the best thing you can do.
@cola, you will need to do something to give positive points to your resume, can you volunteer with some type of patient support association or charitable organization?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I don't think I need counseling, I need income. And I need to be healthy enough to work for the income. Not all of us can sit around and wait for the perfect job. I don't know if that's what you and some others are reading into what I wrote, but it's quite the opposite. I do my very best at work, with as stressful as these places have been, and actually have to take the first job that comes up many times. When I graduated, I applied all over because there were so many employers just saying that they didn't want new grads. The ones that did accept new grads didn't "train" for long at all as another poster put it. It does irritate me that nurses (the ones who just LOVE to call themselves crusty old bats as if that's admirable in any way), who have supposedly been caring for others for tens of years are so judgmental, dismissive, and rude.
Those of us who have been caring for others for decades are honest and realistic; judgmental, dismissive and rude seems to be the territory of those who have not been nursing long enough to have been able to form a realistic opinion but who think they know it all anyway. It seems to be fashionable to dismiss the experienced nurses rather than listen to them. I'm sorry for the many new nurses who won't benefit from what we have had to learn the hard way but are willing to teach.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
It's terrible. I have a spouse who has a mood disorder, probably a personality disorder, and is abusive. He's just not that abusive all the time, but I am unhappy and would like to leave. My parents were more abusive. One of my brothers cut himself off from the family and the other one is under functioning as a man over 30, but insists on living in their house for some reason. So I have tried to make plans to leave. I have bills, a dog, and no other family. Wouldn't let me sleep when I worked nights. When I finally found my day shift hospital position my husband used to stay up extra late at night and be loud. Yell at me all the time , if I was talking about my job (any) he says I'm bragging, mocking the fact that he hasn't been able to find a job in the field he went to school for 10 years ago. One day recently, he was yelling out of the blue ---twisting my words, becoming more and more irate. Then he choked me. I got out of the house, drove around for a few hr, with my dog,then came home bc it was cold. I don't want anybody I know to know. What could or would they do anyway? I laid low at the house, he didn't talk to ME for 2 whole days, not he's feeling better and talking with me and laughing about what he sees on tv or reads in the news. No apol I am struggling with different issues, trying my best to get out of a bad situation.
Many of us here have actually BEEN in abusive relationships; we've struggled through and come out the other side. Some of us are still in abusive situations. Somehow, your post just doesn't ring true. I would hope that you wouldn't use a real issue like this just to seek attention because your thread isn't getting you the sympathy you feel you deserve. If domestic abuse is a real issue for you, perhaps you should start another thread rather than adding it to this one. There are many, many posters who would be delighted to offer you sympathy and advice in a DV thread.
This is also a very good way NOT to get hired into a hospital. Most hospital jobs require that you be able and willing to cover the off shifts.
The OP's mistake was in not working with her manager at her first job -- the one where they were willing to accommodate her need for a non-night shift position. Hiring managers looking at a stack of resumes will very quickly weed out the ones who are unwilling to work night shift and those with a history of job hopping. In the interview, if the "no night shifts" thing comes up, it's easier to hire someone else. And if it comes up while the new employee is still on probation, they can be fired immediately. It's only if you STAY at a position that they have to work with you. And she has a proven history of not staying.
Um, I've said 'no nights for me' during the interviewing process without batting an eye. Also, my work history is right there on my resume and I still get offers. I couldn't possibly "take" a dayshift job I wasn't qualified for --- it's within my right to seek employment I'm qualified for, on any shift I'd like. Same goes for anyone else. Why on earth would this need to be explained to another professional adult? Going back to focus on the constructive posts now :)
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
I see working that recovery program is really working for ya RN Dynamic.
What's that part about honesty???
Oh yea, who cares? NEVER MIND. Recovery doesn't matter.