TXcatcher

Thanks for all the feedback! I think I am going to turn down the position. When I asked about the possibility of transitioning to day shift, they mentioned there is a wait list. So they posted a day position, but have a wait list? Seems shady. I also think it was shady to not even bring up the possibility of nights during the interview. I'd be afraid they'd hire a GN to days, and I'd be stuck forever. Because I've worked nights before, I know it would not be a good situation for me. If something were to happen because I was too tired, then I'm out there alone. I need to keep my license. I currently have a great position, and my hospital is about to give raises, so the money in my current position would be better in the end. I do work in a saturated market, but there is always a possibility of finding a day position. I know a lot of night nurses who don't want day jobs, so there are day openings out there. I'll just wait until mine comes along.

I am going to ask about what would happen if nights are not working out for me. It would have been nice if she at least mentioned it in the interview...

I have 3 years experience as an RN. I have my BSN, and this is my second career. I was forced to work nights in my first career, and hated it. Then as a new grad, I worked nights...and hated it. I've sworn off nights forever because I'm a tried and true day person. I go to bed early and get up early. I've been offered what is essentially my dream job, but they want to put me on nights for a while because of my lack of ICU experience. I consider this reasoning to be BS because new grads get day jobs all the time. In my interview, the manager didn't even bring up the possibility of nights, but I did mention that I don't function on nights when she asked what shift I want. She didn't explore or ask if I would be willing to try nights. I am so stressed about this potential offer. I want this job a lot, and it's where I need to go to get the experience needed for my future goals. I am just not sure I can do nights again. What's a girl to do?

That's scary! Texas is a "right to work" state, but they can't fire you for a workplace injury. Though, if I needed to, I could easily get a job down the street at another facility...making at least $5 more an hour... I'd just be miserable and unhappy. On most floors, if you take two steps, you're too far from the monitors and can be written up for abandoning your post. I've agreed to do them on my floor where we have an actual room, so moving around is easier. But imagine a small cubby desk, like at the library, and that's what most floors have tucked away in a corner somewhere... Not all changes make alarms, and of course, most alarms are false...oh the joys of telemetry! The whole point of not doing tele is that it causes so much more pain, and doesn't aide in my recovery. We have an actual need for a free charge on our floor, and the nurses love having someone handy. My manager even hired someone for this position, but allows the supervisors to count her and put her on the floor...so that's pointless. So we (the nurses) are taking full advantage of having me around while we can.

I help out with all admissions, and even attempted to help that admission. Not one other nurse on my floor has ever treated me with as much disrespect as this girl. It has been going on for over a year. I've just now started standing up to her. Please don't assume I just sit around all day and read magazines. I'm always walking laps and checking on my coworkers, answering call lights, doing lab draws and dressing changes, and doing anything I can to help out. I filed a report with occupational health, and have been seeing their assigned doctor. I was only given three PT sessions, but continue to do the exercises. The doctor doesn't really give me any recommendations for recovery, just asks if I still have pain and that's it. My restrictions do give the amount of time I can be doing certain activities. "Sitting for up to 50% of time or as needed." To me, fifty percent is too much. Even at home, I'm rarely sitting.

I tried it on the first day they put me to read. It was torture. If you stand, you have to look down, and you're basically standing in one place because the area is so small. I was actually in so much pain at the end of that day, I called my mother crying on my way home. On the most recent day when I was sent somewhere to read, that floor had an extra nurse acting as a free charge. It seems silly to pull a free charge from one floor to keep one on another. If our tech had left, they wouldn't pull a nurse from another floor because we had a free nurse. The logic behind sending me definitely seems iffy... I know one thing is for certain, I won't be preventing falls from now on. If my patient starts to fall, well then to the ground they will go.

Watching tele monitors requires sitting for twelve hours straight. Sitting is the worst thing you can do for a lower back injury. I don't even take a full lunch break because I cannot sit for that long. I was on restricted duty when I broke my leg, and they had an open tele tech spot on another floor, so I worked up there for a month. I'm okay doing it when it doesn't go against actually making me better.

I work transplant/LVAD acute care floor. We have a high turnover because of the unrealistic expectations and ratios, and because our manager is not supportive. Many people do stay because we love the patients, and this population does require a lot of specialized training and skills. I have been trying to transition to CVOR. I wanted to start in OR as a new grad, but the opportunity just wasn't there. We'll see what happens in the future...

Last month I was injured while transferring a patient. I hurt my back and have been on modified duty for over a month now. At first, my manager was "nice" about offering me light duty assignments. I have been essentially acting as a free charge nurse, which my unit does not (but should) have. As the weeks have passed, my manager, though she has never particularly been friendly to me, seems to abhor the ground I walk on. She gives me the stink eye every time she sees me, and rolls her eyes when I bring in my new modified duty paperwork. Today she said "I took you off the holiday because there's no reason for you to sit around on a holiday," without even looking at me. I do not "sit around." I try to stay up and active as much as possible because sitting hurts for one, and two, I want to be of service to my unit. I am often advocating for our staff and patients when the manager is mute on the subject. I am limited by the amount of weight I can bear and how much I can bend over, but I still try to be there for my coworkers where I can. Recently, I was bullied (per usual) by a coworker. She has a history of being awful to me, as well as others, but she seems particularly keen on making my life hell. (Side story, even a patient and other hospital staff have recognized her being awful to me!) On this day, she and my manager both yelled at me for something that is not anything I had anything to do with. She also was rude about making me do her entire admission, which I did not do - I finally told her she needed to ask nicely after several hours of her berating me for being useless. Then later in the day, I was floated to another floor to be a telemetry technician. I have spoken with my manager and the nursing supervisors about my limitations, which include not sitting for several hours at a time (ie - reading tele monitors). I personally feel this was retribution for standing up for myself to this bully nurse. My sister says it's a shame my boss doesn't like me, and I should try to get on her good side. Just a few months ago, however, my manager was the reason for a mass exodus of nurses from our floor. She does not respect the talented nurses on the floor, and we have lost some great nurses because of it. Aside from the bully nurse and two or three lazy nurses, my unit has an awesome team of nurses and nursing assistants. We are all about teamwork and being there for each other. I do not know what to do about my relationship with my manager. I am in my early 30s, and I've been a nurse for three years. I am single, and without a backup plan. I do not want to return to full duty and hurt myself permanently, but at the same time, I am losing my self esteem because my boss makes me feel so useless and like I am a burden. Any advice?

I wanted to be an OR nurse in nursing school, and even did an internship in one of the best ORs in my city. I was not offered a job (long story), and went on to be an acute care floor nurse. I currently work in a highly specialized area and have the best coworkers and work environment. I tried looking for jobs months ago during a time of frustration, and now I've been presented with an opportunity to work in the OR. It would likely be a huge pay raise, and possibly better hours. The problem I'm having is that I have a plan. I planned to stay in my current position for at least one more year, then transfer to ICU, then go to ACNP school. Now I'm doubting everything with this new potential opportunity. I am wondering what kind of career growth there is in the OR? I know of RNFA, but all the hospitals in my area are teaching, so that's what residents are for... I can't decide if the move would hurt my career in the long run.

Request sent!

In the OR? I did my externship there, but was way too shy at the time. I loved it, though, and was very disappointed that I didn't speak up. I've since learned from my mistakes. Hiring RNs without OR experience?

He's going to another hospital. If two very good nurses that are female are turned down for "not enough experience", but a male with less experience is hired...hmm?

I recently was turned down for a job in a pediatric CVICU. I rocked the interview, and was even considering working nights because CVICU is my dream job. So naturally, I was crushed when they told me they wanted people with more experience. A coworker of mine was also turned down for the same reason. We are both very good nurses. Then we find out that a male nurse from our floor was hired! He has less than 1/3 of my experience and only half of the other girl that was turned down. He's without a doubt the worst nurse on our floor. He's dumb, lazy, and arrogant. No one on the floor likes getting handoff from him, because it's always full of holes and we have to go clean up after him - make sure labs were drawn, IV fluids are correct... Experience has nothing to do with it. Just tell me that I'm not a man. Nursing just feels like one big joke.

It would be three nights a week, and four weekend shifts over a four week period. I would hopefully be able to cluster them. I just worry about getting any sleep at all ever. I'm pretty set in my day person lifestyle. My current job is okay, but I just don't make enough money. My hospital brought me on below my market value, and won't be giving out any raises for almost two years from when I started. I am currently struggling to pay all my bills, so staying isn't really an option unless my boss is able to get HR to give me a raise.