We have a new nurse in our dept, hired as a new grad to ER in this less than stellar job market. The other day I got to hear his whining about his lousy schedule.
He's a likeable guy, but is only a year out of school and landed a pretty sweet position, got a great opportunity, and seems very unappreciative. He is really mad at my manager who is actually quite a reasonable person in my opinion.
Do some new nurses totally not get it, regarding the hours and scheduling demands of nursing?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
We let a new grad go recently, and part of the problem was his incessant complaining about working night shift. He was hired into a 50/50 day/night schedule, every other weekend and every other holiday. He knew this going in, it was specified quite clearly in his interview, his offer letter and his first day of orientation. Nevertheless, he complained constantly that he couldn't work nights, it would ruin his life, it would kill his social life, he doesn't know how people live that way. (Ditto for the weekends and holidays.) There were other problems, but I think management would have been more willing to work with him had it not been for his widely broadcast plan to "pay someone to work my nights for me or else call in sick." In the end, he was let go as "not a good fit for our unit." Currently he's complaining that "the manager blackballed me" because he isn't able to get a job in any other ICU in town. Not only do the managers in our institution all know each other and talk, but the Director of Critical Care in the other hospital in town once worked in our unit and is a good friend of our current manager. I don't think he'll hire the guy either.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I dont think anyone new to a position should complain about their hours/shift if they knew before they accepted. With that said, I have never worked night shift. My first job was 3-11 and I switched to day shift after 3 months. Since then I have only worked day shift. I have been offered "awesome" jobs along the way only to find out the shift was nights or the schedule would not work for me and my family so I turned them down. I am not sure I buy into anyone needing to pay their dues by working a less desirable shift or schedule. Once you get some experience under your belt the jobs are plentiful IMHO. Unhappy employees working a schedule they hate tend not to stick around.
You've been very lucky.
Unhappy employees tend not to stick around, but some folks will just not be happy.
If my current hospital paid $8 per hour for night shift diff, I would be glad to work nights! We only get $3 per hour extra for night shift, and nothing extra for weekends or holidays. Actually the $3 doesn't even start until 11:00 p.m.; we only get $2 per hour from 7 p to 11 p!
Nights is hard, that being said, most of us had to put in our time. I'm such a job flipper, this is the 6th time ill be rolling over to nights. Although at least it's more of a swing job. :). If someone really can't handle it, there's a few jobs that don't require nights and they should be pursuing them. Used to infuriate me when coworkers would call in sick on holidays, the ones iPad off and then I'd see them around town all the while getting multiple calls to come cover the shift if I can. Everyone puts their pants on one foot at a time....
Just to play devil's advocate here, I do agree that this "But I did not know I would have to ALWAYS work nights/eves/weekends..." gets old quickly.
With that being said, there are more than a few new grads who are put on the "every shift" shift. A couple of nights, a day off, then an evening, the a day off, then days...they are like the fill in's for the empty shifts with little thought as to how they are going to function with all of the switching about. Sometimes a "night day rotation" means all in the same schedule--and that is nuts! It is hard to work nights for a couple days, a week, a couple weeks...then switch right over to days...maybe some can do this, but any number can not.
Then there is nothing worse than taking a job believing that nights are gonna be awesome--to quickly realize that it just is not going to work, that one can't sleep, that it is getting to be apparent that one can't continue. And then some feel "stuck" as they really need a job, however, they need to sleep sometime....
In that instance, you got to be an adult professional, talk about alternatives, put in the time until you can transfer....and stop moaning to everyone in earshot who can not do a thing about it.
It must be regional. What area are you in? I'm on the west coast and I've worked in 5 different hospitals and I've never seen anyone hired into day shift. And some of the hospitals are magnet. I work nights and the extra pay is awesome, but I also have magical sleeping powers so it doesn't bother me. I'm very envious of your experience.
I don't recall anyone telling me in nursing school that night shift was the usual entry for nursing, nor that most all of the holidays would be part of my agenda. I guess they just assume we know, and it is not until the realities of the nursing world hit that new grads realize they have to work holidays and weekends. I think it was very lucky for a realitvely new nurse to get a position on day shift. It is rare and it seems nurses usually have to work nights for years before a day shift position opens up. I think the managers should be up front with the new hires to make them aware of working weekends and holidays. Hey he may not have Friday nights off all the time! I do think if one is working nights having one on one off one on is a very hard schedule, it is better to do a few shifts together. And maybe the newbie is having a hard time adjusting to nights!!! Like everyone else does!!
Not sure what he's complaining about. Even if their is a shred of legitimacy, bad mouthing the manager and constant complaining will show him the door.
Not going to lie: I hate night shift. I've worked nights as a sitter and an aide it is rough. I don't mind working weekends and holidays, but the graveyard shifts are a killer.
However, I realize that hospital nursing is a 24/7 job. Hopefully when I graduate and get a RN position, I will be able to work my three 12s in a row and not be mandated (my hospital mandates overtime nurses, and I think that is horribly unhealthy and unsafe to work a double shift 7p-11a. There is now a push for less mandating per schedule.) After I put my time in, I hope to get a dayshift in my second year of practice.
What I do LOVE about nights is that there is NO management there so it is easy to fly under the radar, less visitors (thank God) AND the money. If I stay at my institution, I will be making $29/hr on weeknights and $34/hr on weekends! And this is in the Midwest, not Cali or NYC, so starting at 57-60k/yr gross is fantastic for a new grad. :)
But I do roll my eyes at people who choose to work in acute care settings but refuse to work weekends and holidays. THAT is more annoying, imo.
We've got one of those. It drives me crazy! Her schedule is actually very reasonable, but she's still not happy. I call her on it when she complains. If you want a Monday through Friday gig, hospital nursing probably isn't for you.
Specializes in Peds, PICU, NICU, CICU, ICU, M/S, OHS....
Is he a younger guy, like early 20's? I find that this generation feels they are totally entitled and don't quite get it. I also find them to be total know it alls. I had one (a float pool new grad who was training on our unit) who wanted to write me up because I forgot to start my antibiotic after doing an entire line change, hanging TPN, lipids, fluids, etc...
I wanted to throat punch her, but me and her preceptor just laughed at her and told her she needed to learn to get along with others or her career at our facility would be VERY short lived.
Honestly, she was THE RUDEST new grad I've ever met! Interrupting CONSTANTLY during report, complaining because the patient had a set back and even implied that was my fault because they were "just fine last night!"
The he girl just didn't get it...sad thing is there seems to be more of this coming through the doors than those who have a reasonable attitude and common sense. Scary.
meanmaryjean, DNP, RN
7,899 Posts
Just another version of SSS (Special Snowflake Syndrome).