TinyDancer01

Your best bet would be some type of remote job or 12 hr position. (School nurses don't get paid well otherwise I'd suggest that.) I don't know of many office jobs where you get out by 2-3pm unless you could find a part time or flexible hour job. I'm less tired working 3 days a week in the hospital than I was 5 days a week in the schools even though I'm on my feet more. We only work 2 holidays a year. Other places work every other one but you won't have to work all of them. I know everyone tells you this but they do grow up fast and you don't get this time back. There is no perfect position. They all have advantages and disadvantages so pick the one that aligns closest with your goals. I actually left school nursing and did a 12 hr position for a year and decided to go back to school nursing just for the summers off with my kids and my son who was 10 at the time was upset I would no longer be home some of the mornings to get him up for school (even though it was only half the week I usually could). LOL! He WAS happy when he realized I'd be off all Summer though but I didn't realize he would feel like that. Good luck! It's so hard to balance it all!

Yes and no. I did apply to several OB jobs and had a few interviews before I was finally offered one. I did have about one year of OB experience 30 yrs ago which did help me get on OB just because so many people train and decide it's not for them so it helped they knew I liked it. I went back to med surg over 10 yrs ago for a year and I didn't have any problems doing that. None of our new grads in the area have any trouble finding jobs usually in the area they want. I think it helps there are so many positions open. Also there are several nurses on our unit my age or older so I think that helped as well. However it's been hard for me getting used to acute care having been out so long. Even the new grads had recent education and clinical experience where I have not so simple things like working the vital signs machine, IV's and tubing, etc I felt so lost for a while but I have caught on quickly. Plus things are just SO different from when I was on OB in the past from all the fetal tracing to procedures. Everyone seemed to expect me to not need as much training because I've done it before but it's all so darn different that even though I'm off orientation I'm still not super comfortable.

I'm talking about the dilation beads and belly beads (for lactation). I've seen a few nurses wear them but I'm not sure if they are something anyone truly uses/finds helpful or they just look pretty. They are around $10 each on Etsy. I'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on them. Thanks!

So I ended up trying again and returning to bedside at a different hospital on OB . It's been over 10 yrs since I was last in acute care on med surg then. I'm in my 50's now but I'm loving it. I feel less tired working 3 12's then I did 5 8's!! There are A LOT of nurses my age are older still working bedside with no plans to leave and enjoying it. When I went back no one acted like I was crazy for giving up M-F job. I'm so glad I decided to try again instead of being stuck in a job that no longer fulfilled me for years!

I just left a school nurse job that was 20 min away and super easy schedule with summers off and all holidays and snow days ets. I finally landed in a nice small school with a nice staff but in my soul I was miserable. I loved the kids, the fun celebrations, the low stress etc but I was so so tired of the same situations, feeling so bored, burned out on all of it after years of the same old things. I didn't really feel like a nurse. More like a social worker who gets everything dumped on but then not all that respected at times because what teachers want teachers get. So after doing this the past 15 yrs, I decided to return to the bedside on OB. It's a 45 min drive and nights. I was so scared of regretting it, feeling overwhelmed, not being able to keep up, etc. I must say I'm LOVING it!! Working just three days a week I don't constantly count down until the next day off. I feel like I have a lot more free time and I love having days off in the middle of the week. I'm making so much more money and I'm learning so much and I love that I'm no longer bored. I'm using lots of nursing skills I haven't gotten to use in a long time. I'm still in orientation on days but I'll be moving to nights in a few weeks so I'm not looking forward to the jet lag that's going to bring. However many of the nurses on nights have been there over 20 yrs so I feel if they can do it I can too. If I don't love it I know I can eventually get back to days. I say go for it! Even if you end up not liking it, at least it will open more doors to something else! I wish I'd have done it sooner honestly instead of letting people talk me out of it because I had such a "cushy" job!

I did not experience age bias as several of the nurses working there were older and they were all very supportive of each other in general. I ended up returning to school nursing. The job itself was fine and I enjoyed learning new things but the hours and schedule after being used to a normal one for so long was something I quickly realized not worth giving up. Plus they started adding lots of call and call-in's and I just quickly felt like a body again. Also, after being used to being in charge of myself it got old fast having so many people (managers, doctors, patients etc) boss me around all day. So I'm glad I tried it for a while to know the grass isn't greener.

I agree you need to do what makes YOU happy! It’s always hard saying goodbye to a great group of people but the chances of all of them staying in the same place for years is also unrealistic. If you’re feeling unsettled then it’s ok to move, they may not be happy but they will understand. Monkey Nurse i started to read that as well and stopped. I’ve found that for the most part (and myself included) if I’m not happy and want to vent or need advice I come on here but when things are going great I’m not on here as much. There’s a lot of negativity because this is where people can safely come to complain and understand each other but sometimes it ends up people feeding their negativity off each other. Take it with a grain of salt.

I’m debating on whether a full time or part time hospital job would be best. Aside from the money obviously, what are the perks (if any) of full time vs part time? I know a lot depends on the hospital and unit but I’m just wanting to get an idea. For instance, do full time people get to schedule vacation first or get a preference on requested days off? Also, I really don’t want to work more than 3X’s a week so are a lot of you forced to work more than you want? If that’s the case part time may be best. Just kind of getting ideas I can ask about on interviews. Thanks for any insight!

Oh my gosh I can 100% relate to this and most of what you said. Everyone thinks school nursing is the be all end all but they have no idea unless they end up at a school with a wonderful supportive staff or really enjoy the social work aspect of it. I know school nurses who absolutely LOVE what they do. Kudos to them. I WISH I loved it. I truly do. I'm also looking for a change. I just wanted to say I completely understand and think you should go for it! Life is too short to be stuck somewhere you aren't happy. Plus it will open up even more opportunities down the line since so many jobs want you to have recent acute care. Good luck!

You are not crazy. Follow your dreams. Lots of people will tell you not to because it's going to be harder but you'll probably feel a greater reward than what you do now. It will be a harder job. If you mess up someone's hair color they will not die. If you mess up someone's meds they can. So there will be more stress and more responsibility. You will work long hours and you will miss holidays and weekends. School will not be easy. I know many many nurses that worked another job, went to school that had kids. It's a big commitment so make sure you have lots of support. However, yes you can do it. If God is calling you to it, He will help you through it.

Great idea! Thanks so much! I see that it does make a bigger difference than I expected.

For everyone wondering, I was offered a position but turned it down. I'm now wondering if the extra money is worth changing retirement plans for now. I don't have much in the deferred comp plan I have but if i stay I'll have a small pension (like $15-20,000 a year for life depending on how long I work so not much). I'm trying to decide if I start over in a different plan if I could have a better retirement or not since I would be making more. I know I can contribute more now but I don't make enough to squeeze out anymore. If i leave i could make $12-15,000 more a year starting out than i do now but I have only 15 or so years to get it built up.That's assuming I could last in acute care til 65!! I do have my husband's retirement that I will continue to get even if he dies before me so I won't be broke by any means. It would just be the difference of struggling to make ends meet or not. Staying home with my babies and then working prn for many years did me no favors financially.

This happens on a regular basis here (three times this week in fact) and it's so darn frustrating! Esp the ones that walk in the school with a fever right off the bat. We also send an officer to the house as a last resort but even then sometimes the parent is not home. I also love hearing from the other emergency contacts things like I don't talk to them anymore or I don't have a car...I would never allow myself to be unreachable for my own children as I'm sure none of you would either! Grrr!

Just be vague and say I'm very irregular and it's due to start any day so just put something down for last month because I just can't remember exactly...that should appease them.

I had a great interview and was offered the job! I start in 2 weeks! I’m so excited! Thanks for encouraging me not to give up!!

Thanks for the update! So glad you’re still hanging in there! It gives me hope! I have an interview soon to jump back into the hospital as well so we will see how that goes!

Thanks for your encouragement! I applied again at a few different places and was called for an interview! What are some things I can ask about or look for on the unit that would indicate it's a good place to work? Any advice is appreciated!!

A hospital I used to work at would send emergency services to come and get you if you couldn't get there and they needed you bad enough or force you to stay at work after your shift if you were working and sleep there until roads were passable again. One time we got several feet of snow and my car got snowed under but my dad was able to use his four wheel drive to pick me up. They let me go because I promised I could make it back the next morning and I did. Everyone else had to sleep there that night because they were afraid of letting anyone else leave. I have a friend in law enforcement. They do not get snow days. They provide vehicles that will work in the snow and take turns picking up and dropping people off after shift. They were happy to help transport nurses if need be. Places where they rarely get snow it would be a little crazier and take longer to get the roads clear. It's always a good idea to have a spare set of clothes, medicine, etc in your car for ANY reason. You just never know anymore!

How are things going for you?

I once applied and was hired for a part time position. I was made to work full time more often then not and the full timers had to work overtime. So no I would not. Also I could see the manager getting irritated you’re wasting their time if you aren’t willing to work what the job posting was for. I would wait for a part time position if I were you.

This is an old thread but I found it interesting! I took a hiatus from working for 10 yrs to stay home with my babies. I swore I was done with nursing. I tried to “find myself” and looked into every career imaginable and what it would entail. I was even willing to go back to school if I needed to. I decided despite all the crap we deal with there was nothing else I’d rather be doing. I mean sure a travel photographer or journalist would be cool but not with a family at home. I’ve been able work full time, part time, or prn depending on my needs and make decent money. If you get tired of one area there’s so many more to pick from which is good for me because I need variety. Also, it feels meaningful. So yes I sure would!

I would've filed a grievance. That's ridiculous! Schools want nurses and then don't want to listen to them. I think to some principals it looks like they couldn't keep things under control in their school or keep a child from getting hurt, etc if an ambulance has to come which is just crazy because you can't control seizures, accidents, etc but once again these are people not part of a medical background. Just a theory...

I have worked in oncology for a year and as a school nurse for many years. I felt much more fulfilled working with the cancer patients-I'm not going to lie! I also have had three schools at once for a couple years, then two schools sometimes and now just one. The advantage to more than one school is they sure appreciate you a lot more when you aren't there every day to handle all the problems! Plus you don't get as involved in the office politics. The bad is because you aren't there as much you kind of feel left out and not really a big part of the staff. And you can get called back and forth with so called emergencies that are rarely a true emergency but you don't find that out until you go because you are dealing with TEACHERS who blow all the wrong things out of proportion! So I love the fact I am basically my own boss. On the flip side I miss working together with other nurses all day long as a team but then there were those who never pulled their weight so...I love love love my summers off. I have never worked another job over the summer to make ends meet (when I was full time). If I had to do that I would just find another job. You see I don't prefer working five 8's because I feel like I'm ALWAYS working. But I do love being home in the evenings with my kids. And the holidays. And the snow days. And the summers. Did I mention that? Remember that feeling of excitement you got as a kid on the last day of school? That's me! So if I couldn't have my summers off I would just go back to the 12's. My job is super easy. I see 12 kids a day for scheduled meds and blood sugar checks, anywhere from 5-15 kids a day for things like illness, first aide, or some imaginary problem and the rest of the time is computer work, putting out mini fires, and all that other stuff everyone has already mentioned. I have a lot of down time a day. I enjoyed my inpatient jobs more but the pace is exhausting so now that my kids are all older and I only have one left in high school to graduate I am going back and forth on returning to inpatient care but you see now I'm much older and am not sure I can keep up with that pace esp with my autoimmune issues. I can see myself physically being able to do this job until I retire. So no I don't enjoy it as much but I do enjoy it for the most part and all those other things everyone else doesn't like I second! But they aren't deal breakers. I'm never stressed the night before work. I rarely think about work once I leave for the day unless something funny or unusual happened. I work 7 hrs and 45 min and haven't had to work over more than a few times in 16 years. I never get called in to work and I always get my lunch. To me I have a much better, less stressful work life balance even though I don't love the job quite as much. There's so much more to life than just your job. You will never regret being there more for your kids if you can and these years will be behind you in the blink of an eye. However, the oncology job also sounds like a good job with good hours and you can still be there a lot for your kids if you decide to go that route. Only you can decide which job and lifestyle will make you the happiest!

I think you did everything right! I wouldn't have been sure either. I wouldn't worry too much about teaching the staff on this particular episode other than give if in doubt because how do you teach them to be a nurse in an emergency situation? We have went to school, practiced a lot, given shots, and know all the things to look for and actually remember them yet we are somehow supposed to have a teacher be prepared to do that in a stressful situation? That's why we need a nurse in every school. Of course I'm preaching to the choir! Some of my teachers would stay cool under pressure but there are some who would freak out and make it all worse. Anyway great job!!

I graduated with my BSN (thanks to my aunt who was a nurse telling me to get it done and I would never regret it and would want/need it some day and she was right). I started on a horrible toxic med-surg unit where the older nurses found it fun to set me up (literally lie to me on how things were done) to get me trouble. So I started floating and doing a little home health to try that out. When a L&D position came available I jumped on it because that was what I wanted all along. I worked days/evenings and rarely had a day off and was forced to work over more shifts than not and just by chance (I wasn't even looking) a friend of my mom's saw us out one day and found out I had a BSN and encouraged me to apply for an opening. I've been with the same district ever since. I also took a leave of absence to stay home with my babies for a while. We have over 30 schools. I was able to work full time, part time, and prn depending on my needs. My husband worked shift work so it worked out great. I did go back to the hospital for a year to med-surg because I missed it. I stayed there a year while I continued to sub. I debated staying but the physical exhaustion and short staffing got the better of me. I'm considering trying OB again but something keeps holding me back. I have a great schedule, little stress most days, fun job-oh yeah that's probably it! Haha