PRN night nurse with a problem

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Specializes in previously Med/Surg; now Nursery.

Hello! I'm new around here and this is my first post.

I'm an RN and I worked full time night shift before my twins were born. I'm mom to a 13 year old daughter and now 14 month old twins. Long story short, I work prn around my husband's full time rotating swing shift schedule. One of our twins has a feeding tube and goes to speech, occupational, and physical therapy 3 mornings a week. It is alot to balance and juggle. At work, I'm offically on prn night status, but since November 2005, I have been covering day shifts. I have asked my unit director every month to change me to day shift status and each month she tells me there are no prn day positions open. Last week, my dear friend (who works full time at another hospital) walked in off the street and applied for a prn day position and was hired! :angryfire She doesn't even really want the job. Her unit director at her full-time job made her mad in a meeting so she wanted to get a prn job at another hospital to use as leverage. Yesterday, my unit director called me wanting my "nights" available for the next schedule. She told me that I can't work days anymore because I am night status. I told her I would get back with her after looking at my calendar. I emailed her this morning and told her that I need to be switched to day status. I am waiting on her to call me because I plan to tell her that I know for a fact the hospital has made "new hires" for prn days.

I feel like my hospital has been lying to me for months. I feel like it is unfair to give something to a new hire that they wouldn't give to an established employee who has dedicated years to them. I'm even mad at my friend because she knows my situation and knows that I have been asking for a day position for months now.

Thanks for letting me vent. How should I proceed? Should I find a new job at a hospital who will give me prn day slots? Should I go agency?

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Specializes in ICU, tele.

I would tell her that you are currently applying elsewhere for a PRN day position and that you will no longer be able to keep your "night" position there. I can almost guarantee that she'll find you a day position. If not, move on. You have to do what's best for you and your family!

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Specializes in Med Surg, ICU, Infection, Home Health, and LTC.

thanks for letting me vent. how should i proceed? should i find a new job at a hospital who will give me prn day slots? should i go agency?

sounds like you have a lot on your plate. i would look for an agency staffing position but only if you are really comfortable working in all the various hospitals, locations, and units that might come up. staff nurses are not the most gracious nurses there are to help out the agency nurses and often they get the worst assignments and have to hunt and hunt for suppplies because they basically don't know where anything is kept from one place to another. it can be a great stressor.

on the other hand, the pay is very good and some companies do often benifits now. you can decline any shift or location that you feel is not right for you.

i would look for a prn day shift job and call the hospitals in the area and be patient, a position is out there that will work for you. with one of your children ill, it may even be a good thing to find a facility that offers on sight child care.

good luck.

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Specializes in previously Med/Surg; now Nursery.

I did not hear back from my unit director today which has me feeling really uncomfortable. It is very clear to me that it is time for me to move on from my present employer.

Agency doesn't really intimidate me because for the past year I have been floated to every unit in my hospital. I feel fairly comfortable having to figure things out and find things. I have seen how unfairly agency nurses can be treated by some nurses.

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Specializes in Pediatric.

Prn with a problem:

You have to take a deep breath and prepare yourself.

You are a valuable staff member. I always say " keep the night shift happy"

A reliable 11 to 7 nurse is hard to beat ...it keeps staffing schedules so simple when you have them..and makes life a nightmare when you don't.

So you have several things going on here:

First ..dont be mad at the friend..thank her ..because she is your PROOF of unfair business practice.

Prepare..don't give indication that you leaving until you have another job. Its so much easier for nurses to find a job when we already have one.

Give formal request for the day shift ..do not make ultimatums..they dont' work anyway.

But keep your copy and who all you gave it to in the organization.

THEN after you continue to fail to get assigned the day shifts...AFTER you have found position that you want...walk.

Don't even look back..

You have plenty on your plate as it is without being hasselled by a nurse clerk with a schedule vendetta.

I lost my BEST RN a few years ago...because of one of the manager nurses and her attitude..This RN needed TWO days of vacation time after the Christmas blackout period began (on Oct 1 thru Jan 31) for her two week honeymoon...

she requested the vacation time in March of that year and when it came time to schedule she wa sdenied the two days...she resigned before the wedding. It was petty and vindictive and it cost us thousands to replace her.

But its the way it is..and guess always will be.

Good luck and keep trying to make changes in our profession.

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Specializes in previously Med/Surg; now Nursery.

Thanks for the advice, Animalhouse! I talked to my friend, and she is a dear friend. It is not her fault. Management and administration at my hospital is shady. Prior to my twins, I preferred night shift. I'll follow your advice and ask in a more formal way than I have in the past.

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Why not simply call your boss out on it? In a very professional manner, tell her your friend got a day shift job there and you would like to know why you did not. It is certainly not an unreasonable question IMHO.

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Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.
Thanks for the advice, Animalhouse! I talked to my friend, and she is a dear friend. It is not her fault. Management and administration at my hospital is shady. Prior to my twins, I preferred night shift. I'll follow your advice and ask in a more formal way than I have in the past.

Seems your hospital is a lot like soooo many others across the country. Let them know in your department and in HR exactly what happened - someone's lying to you, and there's really no excuse for it.

I truly don't understand why nurses are treated this way, you all deserve soo much better. I think (and please don't flame me for this...just an observation) that women are constantly trying to "one up" other women, particularly when you have the whole "nurses who do the work" vs. management issue. It seems like someone's always getting stabbed in the back. And many times they sit idly by and take it on the chin.

I absolutely hate to see that- and I hope that anyone faced with that type of situation can stand their ground and vehemently defend their position. It's the only way anything will change. Hospitals don't run without nurses, and nurses shouldn't feel intimidated by their superiors just because someone wants you to do something that suits "their" agenda. You have a life, too...and yours comes first. You have responsibilities to your family, and if the hospital doesn't recognize or accept that..it's time to move on.

vamedic4

someone who's work schedule evolves around his life..not the other way around.;)

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

These kind of things happen for a simple reason. You are already on nights. A night position is very hard to fill, and you are reliable. Therefore, she wants to keep you on nights. If she moves you to days, who will take the night slot? Day positions are easy to fill. So they give it to someone who is only willing to work days. If it were me, I would very politely call her on it. And if she still won't let you move to days, I would look for a new prn position. And let her know when you find one. She may budge then. And if not... Well you have a new job lined up. You will probably make more working prn for an agency. You are very experienced, and have floated. I say go agency!

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Specializes in previously Med/Surg; now Nursery.

My unit director responded to email today. She wrote back to me using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and lots of exclamation points. The meat of email was that just because my status is nights and there is an "N" beside my name, it doesn't mean I have to work nights. It also said "IF YOU CAN'T WORK THEN YOU CAN'T WORK!" I'm applying with an agency Thursday when my dh is off. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and Wednesday, but after the email today, it is going to be uncomfortable. :uhoh3:

I just have to ask - if my official status is prn night shift, isn't the expectation for me to work night shifts? Am I thinking like a reasonable, prudent person when I think that?

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
My unit director responded to email today. She wrote back to me using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and lots of exclamation points. The meat of email was that just because my status is nights and there is an "N" beside my name, it doesn't mean I have to work nights. It also said "IF YOU CAN'T WORK THEN YOU CAN'T WORK!" I'm applying with an agency Thursday when my dh is off. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and Wednesday, but after the email today, it is going to be uncomfortable. :uhoh3:

I just have to ask - if my official status is prn night shift, isn't the expectation for me to work night shifts? Am I thinking like a reasonable, prudent person when I think that?

Forard this email you received to HR with an explanation from your point of view of what has happened. Let them know that you have been trying to get a day PRN job and that she has repeatedly told you there are none available but that you know someone who walked in off the street and got the position you wanted. Ask them if they would investigate this.

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Yup, its time to try something new then. Such a shame to treat another nurse like this who is only prn, and has small children, one with a feeding tube. Really evil.

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