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.

I interviewed for my dream job yesterday in a pediatric CVICU, and I have an upcoming interview for SICU. I've been working med-surg for 2.5 years. I worked nights during my first year, and had to change positions because nights were interfering with my life too much. I was depressed, had sleep problems, and was completely isolated from friends and family. I've been looking to move to ICU ever since I became a nurse. Both of the opportunities I'm interviewing for are night shift. On the job postings, one did not have a shift mentioned, and the other said "days." My previous night shift experience was on a matrix schedule, so I only ever had two days off at any time. There wasn't a way to adapt to a different sleep schedule to have a life outside of sleeping. The CVICU job is self-scheduling, but I'm not sure what the reality will be. I don't yet know much about the SICU (interview next week). I'm so excited to start a critical care job (pending I get an offer), but I'm so worried about working nights. I've done it, and it didn't work out for me. I don't want to trap myself in that situation. I'm in my 30s, and rarely stay up past 11pm. I'm usually awake by 7am on my days off. I have terrible noise issues, and sleep with earplugs while alone at night just because my fan ticks. I can't imagine trying to sleep when it's okay to play loud music. I am just not sure I can handle a night shift job, but I don't want to be stuck on the floor for the rest of my life just because no one ever hires for days.

I just received a job offer for another hospital working with transplant/VAD patients. This hospital's program is fairly new, and the hospital doesn't have the best reputation among nurses. They are punitive and work the nurses way too hard with little respect. Everyone I know who is familiar with this hospital and my current hospital say not to take the job. BUT, they are offering a significant base pay increase, and with all the differentials, I'll be making $7k more per year plus a 10k bonus (over two years). I am underpaid at my hospital and make less than coworkers with the same experience as me. My ultimate goal is to get into ICU. If I take this job, I'll have to wait at least two years to transfer, and possibly longer because I've heard they block people. If I stay in my current job, I can move as soon as a position opens up (at least hypothetically). Is the money worth a bad environment?

I may have to look that up if things don't pan out here soon!

I found out I'm being paid less than my coworkers with the same amount of experience, so I'm leaving for sure. They certainly have no interest in offering raises to keep people.

A friend of mine worked in an ER at a fairly big hospital, and only saw peds patients. Do you live in an area with multiple hospitals?

I've been looking outside the med center. I live inside the loop, but I'm not being too picky.

I haven't mentioned CRNA. I am not even sure that's something I would actually do in the end. I do have the problem with "where do you see yourself in five years?" I have no idea. My career has not turned out the way I would have liked or even imagined, so how on earth can I predict that or even think about it? "It depends on 100 variables" is my real answer, but I come up with some fake BS about wanting an MSN in education.

Thanks for the advice. I'm was very upset today because a recruiter at my hospital keeps stonewalling me, and I totally blew an interview at another hospital a couple of weeks ago. I didn't like the manager or educator who interviewed me, so not that big a loss...but still frustrating. I have a super long post in interview advice if anyone has expertise there.

Let me start by saying I've never wanted to be a floor nurse, and I've rarely enjoyed my jobs. I have had three in two and a half years. I left the first one for a day position, and the second because of the awful environment. My current job was at first challenging and fun. It's been a year, and I feel almost burned out. I'm just going through motions. I also would like to mention that I was lied to about the acuity and ratios on my floor. I was told IMU with max 4:1. We have 5 more often than not, and I recently had a patient with "foot pain" as their admitting diagnosis. I started nursing school to be a midwife, but realized I hated women's health (and OBGYNs). I loved loved loved the CVICU. It has been my dream job ever since. I want to take care of the sick people. I also really like the adrenaline of crashing patients. I will try my darnedest to be involved if there is a patient going down on my floor. I don't quite have it down yet because it's just not that common. I realize ICUs aren't constantly coding, too. I want to focus on one or two patients, and actually know what's going on with them. Currently, I get mixed up which patient had the Cr that was uptrending because I've checked five sets of labs and read five sets of notes. I think I'm a good nurse with good instincts. I'm not afraid to ask for help when I need it. I don't stress out easily, but I have been becoming quicker to anger when I have to take three admissions in four hours. I don't act out, but my insides are boiling. My floor involves a lot of tasks, so I have excellent time management skills. I kinda want to do CRNA because I totally think it would be cool to show up in an emergency and intubate someone, but I'd hate standing around in the OR. I also love the ACNPs on my floor, so their job is appealing. I think the cath lab sounds awesome. You need ICU for all of this. Though I may score a cath lab interview because my hospital drove away all the nurses. Now that you know my favorite color, here is my question: is it okay to say, I want to work in ICU (or the cath lab) because I'm an adrenaline junkie and I want to take care of fewer but sicker patients? I try to stick go moving up in my career, this is the next step... Can I just say the floor is not satisfying?

I've been looking. I have a passion for CV, but can't find any openings. All I seem to find are neuro (not my cup of tea, but about to just go for it). It baffles me that recruiters and managers will spout off about being "ready" for the ICU when they hire new grads. One nurse I know had to cheat on her EKG exam and is not even mildly bright, but works in my hospital's highest acuity ICU! I am just frustrated. I felt this same way when I left my last hospital...like I was at a dead end. I am in my 30s, so don't feel like I want to waste more time on dead end floor jobs.