CSTtoFutureNP

So I am a nursing student preparing to graduate in December and have been incredibly fortunate to have been offered 2 different positions at the hospital I currently work at. I see such benefits (and some drawbacks) to both positions, so I don't know which one to choose! Preferred Schedule: Ortho/Neuro/Trauma Med Surg unit. 4 shifts per week, 8 hour shifts, straight evenings (3P-11P). This is my favorite shift to work and I truly enjoy working this shift. I feel like for my life, I am most productive on this shift both inside and outside of work, and I like having more of a set schedule. This position does offer a $3 premium for committing to the straight evening shift. However, people from all different roles in the hospital have explicitly told me no to even apply for this unit (I never even mentioned to anyone that I was applying there) because it is "always crazy, always understaffed, and always overworked". It does have the highest turnover rate in our hospital, it is known as the "new grad unit" because there are very few nurses who stay longer than the 1 year required before transferring. This makes me nervous, but I do like med-surg for the variety and well roundedness I feel you develop. The main selling point for this position for me however is the schedule. Preferred Unit: ICU. 2-3 shifts per week, 12 hour shifts. Flip between days and nights. I currently work as a Nurse Technician in the ICU and absolutely love the unit. I love my coworkers and feel as though I really thrive in a "type A" environment. The pay would be similar when I worked night shifts, but would be about $3 less when I worked day shifts. Both my manager and coworkers are very supportive in me coming on as a new grad RN, and feel as though they would do whatever they could to help me succeed and to become a strong critical care nurse. I love the flow of the unit, and love the knowledge and skills you can develop there. However, the flip shift position (which I know is very normal for new grads) I know already is going to be troublesome for me. I've worked overnight shifts before, and I am just a terrible sleeper. Try as I might, and no matter what I try, night shift just absolutely destroys me. It takes me days to recover as I will sleep for about 2 hours max post night shift and no matter how tired I am, just can't seem to nap or successfully flip back and forth between days and nights. I know this is something that all night shift nurses deal with, but it's hard not to feel as though if I have the opportunity not to work overnights at all, should I take the lucky chance and run with it? I really do that I would really love the actual work of the ICU though - I feel lucky to get into an ICU position as a new grad as well! I'm incredibly torn...what should I do??

I used to spend so much time writing out beautiful notes, highlighting my textbook, etc. Practice questions with remediation have been an absolute game-changer for me. I take the PowerPoint my professor provides and will take notes during lectures for my course exam, but taking practice questions has cut down significantly on my non-active studying time and has helped me to score higher and higher on my exams. When you take practice exams or do practice questions, you're constantly challenging your active recall as well as your true comprehension of the subject matter. Seeing questions framed in a variety of ways focused on the same topics help you to truly grasp the information. Nurselabs.com is great for practice questions. I will simply search nurselabs "pediatrics" practice questions, or whatever my subject matter is, and they usually have 100s of practice questions available. If your school utilizes ATI, take every single practice question they offer too. My study time has decreased drastically since doing practice questions as my main form of studying, and my grades have never been higher. Hope this helps!

So I am extremely fortunate to have been able to work as Nurse Technician in my hospital's ICU (a position designed with the intent of you transitioning into an RN role in that department after graduation). I know that my manager in the ICU is looking forward to me applying into the ICU, but the shifts are rotating so I'd have to work both days and night 12-hour shifts. I really love the ICU, but I am a terrible sleeper and feel as though the night shift would kill me. I had to transfer off of night shifts as a Nurse Tech because it was affecting my school performance during the year trying to flip between days and nights. I really love the ICU but I also feel quite intimidated by the idea of being a nurse there. However, the support and the team environment are phenomenal and I know I would never feel alone as a new grad! Plus, this Nurse Tech position is designed so that you can transition more smoothly into an RN role so that's something to think about. My other option is the Ortho/Neuro/Trauma floor at the same hospital. I completed my school clinical on this floor and really loved the nurses that I worked with on this floor. I used to work as a surgical tech, so I enjoy the surgical aspect and like the fact that I get to continue to work with a lot of the surgeons I used to work with in the OR. I was offered a position on this floor after being recommended from the nurses on the unit, and was offered a .8 FTE straight evening 8 hour shift schedule for about $3 more an hour. Now money isn't the only concern, but I do really like the evening shift and I would prefer not to work 12s if possible. The schedule on this unit is my ideal schedule for my life right now, and I love the idea of never having to work overnights and being a .8 FTE. However, from my ICU nurse friends, I've heard that this unit can be quite chaotic and has the highest turnover in the hospital because of it. So... which position would be better to choose? Do I go into the ICU where I will have to work 12 hour days and nights rotating or do I work the Ortho/Neuro/Trauma unit where I have my ideal schedule and premium pay? What would you choose??

Thanks so much for the response and insight! From my understanding my schedule is going to be 3 12 hour shifts and then 1 night of week of call and every 5th weekend. So I feel like that’s not too bad of a call requirement even if I do end up working the entire call shift, right? I’m just very nervous for my new role in the cath lab as a new grad so any info I can find makes me feel that much less freaked out, haha.

I'm a new grad going into a Cath Lab Residency program when I graduate... this advice is great to have! I'm curious what your call is like...when you're on call what is your average likelihood of getting called in? I know it's impossible to create an exact number, but as a previous surgical technologist in a hospital where we were pretty much guaranteed to work when we were on call, I'm curious what it's like in the cath lab! Should I just assume I'm going to work when I'm on call?

No, you're not confusing me at all, you made very valid points! Whichever job I take, I will be relocating to a different state than the one I currently live in. I have been willing to relocate from the get-go to find the best opportunity! I'm a pretty easy-going person, so I feel as though I can make the most of wherever I live. As a military brat, I've moved quite a bit throughout the years, so relocating and making the most of a new town is not a new endeavor for me ? I felt genuinely happy and optimistic after interviewing with the small town weekend package position. I interviewed with the CEO of the hospital, CNO, HR Director, and Scheduling Coordinator, and honestly had a great time during the interview! I do not have kids yet, but I do worry about the (lack of) employment opportunities for my husband, which I do feel will be quite a challenge. Thank you for bringing up these points, they are definitely important factors to consider as well!

You make a good point about variety at the community hospital... that's definitely something I didn't think of! Another great point you made was about the opportunity to pick up a PRN position, which is definitely a great option! I think you're right about the commute, I definitely don't love the idea of that, but it would be something I'd be willing to do. However, finding a place to live that's midway between is certainly something I could look into! Thanks so much for reaching out; it has been so great to receive all this feedback!!

I do not graduate with my BSN until September, but you are right! I could absolutely look to pick up something per diem during the weekdays as well!

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, I truly appreciate it!! I don't mind working every weekend, and you are right, I'd either have to commute about 50 minutes from the nearest "big" town, or live in a quite low-income area so that is definitely something to think about. My main concern with the weekend package position is that it is in a very low earning state compared to the other two options. So when you boil down the pay across each job, I would still be making $10,000+ more at the Cath Lab or OR positions (without factoring in call hours worked). The other concern I have with the weekend package is that it's a 20-bed hospital with a very low patient census every day... will I get enough experience as a new grad there? Writing out the options definitely helped me in the sense that I realized I just don't have the passion for the Cath Lab as much as I do the OR. I think I liked the idea of the Cath Lab more than the actual work, though I do really like that you have the opportunity to circulate, do cardiac monitoring, and RN sedation, which I feel would be an amazing experience, especially as a new grad! Thanks so much again for taking the time to respond, having this community to reach out to has been so helpful!!

Thanks so much for responding! My biggest concern with the weekend package is their low census... I worry that I won't get much experience considering it is a 20 bed hospital with an average of 6 patients a day throughout the entire facility. Will I get enough experience working there as a new grad?

Thanks so much for your feedback and advice! Ideally, I'd like to work in dermatology or plastic surgery as a nurse practitioner in the future, so of course, staying in surgery I think would help! However, I am in massive student loan debt from my nursing degree, and my husband and I want to pay off that debt ASAP! I currently work in the OR as a surgical tech, and my call requirements now are every third weekend and 1-2 nights every week, so I feel as though the call requirement for the OR job is pretty minimal! I guess my main worry with the weekend package is that I won't get much experience since they see very few patients. Should I be worried about that since I'm a new grad? Thanks again for your response!!

Hello everyone, I am in desperate need of advice! I have been blessed with offers for 3 very different positions, and I am so torn on which to choose! I have been accepted into a nurse practitioner program that I will beginning next year, so I am keeping this in mind when making my decision. Option 1: Cath Lab 3x12 hour shifts (0530-1800), 1 night of call per week, and every 5th weekend on call. I feel like this is a great opportunity especially as a new grad, but cardiac is definitely not my wheelhouse. They are obviously willing to train me, but I am incredibly nervous and feel as though this would be extremely stressful while going to school full time. Option 2: Operating Room 5x8 hour shifts (0700-1530), 1-weekday call shift per month, and every 5th weekend on call. There is an opportunity to go into a surgical specialty team and to change the shift schedule to 10 or 12 hours after 1 year. I have over 2 years of experience as a surgical tech so I feel very comfortable in the OR and love surgery! I feel as though this would be an easy transition for me considering my experience, and would be interested in traveling as an OR nurse down the road if I took this position. Option 3: Med-Surg Weekend Package 2x12 hour shifts (0700-1900) but get paid for 36 hours. This is at an incredibly small critical access hospital in the middle of nowhere, where the average total patient load of the entire hospital is 6 patients per day. It's family-oriented and flexible, and would be the lowest stress I think, and would give me the most time to work on school. I feel like there are benefits to all of these options, but I am truly torn on what to do. Any and all advice/opinions would be so greatly appreciated!

Yes, I've heard from other people not to mention future CRNA plans in ICU interviews. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

Hi everyone! I am currently a nursing student and am very interested in working in the ICU. I have shadowed nurses in other areas, like the emergency department and med surg, and also work in the operating room right now as a surgical tech, so I have some familiarity with duties of nurses in areas outside of the ICU. Long story short, I know I want to be in the ICU. I am motivated and driven, and willing to do what it takes to get into the ICU as a new grad. Are there any classes I should take or skills I should have mastered to make my application look more appealing as a new grad? Would shadowing in an ICU or taking a vascular access class help increase my chances? Thank you all for your help and advice in advance!