Burlshoe114

I guess the point is that with the majority of RNs being women, and most having children, this may be something to consider seriously before getting into a nursing career path. I think that we are quick to sell the nursing profession, and while we tell potential cadidates that yes, there is a chance you will work nights, we don't say "You will more than likely be working at midnight during most of your nursing career" if you are a bedside RN.

After a short stint with a very BAD SNF job, I found myself unemployed and looking for a new nursing position. (Long story!) While there was a lot of different positions listed in my area, the majority all seemed to involve night shift work. This is not really a bad thing for me - Looking back on my career, the majority of the time I have been a nurse, I have been working at some time during the night hours. One of my friends is great with statistics and numbers, and I was sharing this observation with him. He said that this was not a coincidence, but was a logical fact that the majority of nurses were going to work night shift. Here is his reasoning (as best as I can remember it): If you have 8 hour shifts, your odds of finding yourself working at midnight are 66%. Why? Because nurses working 3p-11:30p will still find themselves leaving late or being asked to stay late, and nurses working 11p-6:30p will see midnight as part of their workday routine. If you have 12-hour shifts, your odds of finding yourself working at midnight are >50%. Why? Because half the shift is scheduled to work nights, and the other 50% will be offered overtime options at some point. So even without factoring in the natural tendancy of night nurses to drift into day shift openings on their floors - leaving only night shift positions available for new hires - your best odds of not working at midnight at some point in your nursing career are less than 49%. The majority of nurses will be burning the midnight oil! They never mentioned that little tidbit in Nursing School!

My first hospital had a room in the "back," which was the room we often put dying patients in, as it was quiet and far from the nursing station noise. Of course we never told patients who were NOT dying this fact when they were placed in this room! I can't tell you how many times we had AOx3 patients in that room calling the nursing station at 3am to report their room being full of "steam." As soon as we got down there and turned on the lights... No steam... There were no pipes, no steam vents near there, nothing.... OooooOOOOOOooooooo!!!!!!!

It's that post-interview paranoia! You just can't help it!! :-)

Thanks for the info! I checked my number, and all clear! :-) So now it is just up to the references to come through! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I just had a great interview for a job that I think could work out well for both me, my family, and the floor I would be working on. Now that the interview is over, my references are being checked as well as checking to see if there is any action against my license. I don't think there is anything against my license, but with computers being what they are, there might be some glitch out there. Would you know if something came up against your license? (Example - I once had my SSN linked to a fellon who was arrested and my SSN was entered in as his. This was only discovered during a security check for employment. Luckily, the person was a man and in a different state!) Is there a way to check on the status of your own number, to make sure it is clear?

I will never work in LTC again. This is "normal" practice for these facilities, and it is why so many of them get "busted" by the state for elder abuse, lack of proper care, etc. This is also why elders fight denture and nail to stay out of them! :-) If you want to go into psych, you can. Are you open to relocating? You will need to be willing to reside in a larger city, because this is where the larger facilities are, and where the majority of people with psych issues tend to gravitate to. (ie - Where the jobs are) Go on Monster.com and start applying. You will eventually need a MSN, though, just to give you a head's up.... Good luck!

I didn't chose to be a stay-home Mom, but here I am! There are pros and cons.... The pros are obvious: The children do better, the home is cleaner, and life is more organized. Your biggest stressor is how to keep your toddler out of the trash can and the laundry hamper. You don't have someone standing over you, reminding you that if you sneeze wrong, you could lose your license. Your family can actually look forward to holidays and weekends, knowing that you won't be working or getting calls asking you to come into work, since so-and-so called in "sick." The cons: Money is tight, people look at you strange when you say you don't have a job, and you have that nagging voice at the back of your head saying that your resume value is going down every month you are not working.

Wow, Celtwoman! I am floored by both your story and your compassion to another RN who is soul-searching! I'm not the OP, but I sure feel better just reading what you posted!

A few things I am doing to stay current while being "at home"... 1.) I put my name on a list as a free clinic volunteer RN. All they ask is for you to volunteer 4 hours a month at their clinic. 2.) I also volunteer with my local American Heart Association and my church's Parish Nurse program to do public education and blood pressure clinics. 3.) I work part-time/on call as an instructor for CNAs. I have other RN "odd jobs" I keep handy and while they seem scattered, they do come in handy as I can make my own schedule to work around my family.

amen!!! i came back to the board to get ideas for my own direction in nursing. i can't believe the negativity, blaming, poor attiudes, and yes, harsh judgements of nurses on other nurses! new, old, student, manager.... new nurses have every right to do what they want with their careers. guess what? they aren't making these choices based on their own imaginations. they are making them based what they see advertized to them by our culture. when i do a job search, i see arnp after arnp position listed. very few entry-level or mid-level positions are there. what to work in psych? better have a msn. want to teach? you also need an master's degree. interviewing or being evaluated? you had better be involved in some sort of higher education program, because if you aren't and say you just want to do the "bedside" job, you are a slacker. (my experience from one of my last interviews) i agree with miller... focus on your own career.

This is actually a really nice thread, as I am following your advice as we go! The problem I am having with following up with the HR nursing recruiter or even sending a thank you note is that they don't accept calls (phone tree), and there is no address or live person available to even send a note to. I hate to mail a generic thank you note to HR, and unless you leave a phone message in the generic HR mailbox to an HR recruiter, you have no other contact with HR. How do you get around this? Any advice?

Is it a bad idea after you have been interviewed for one position and are still listed in the "consideration" category to ask about another position listed? Today a part-time Nurse Educator position was just listed, and I would much rather be considered for this position than the one I originally interviewed for. Would it be bad form to call the recruiter back and let them know of my interest in this other position?

Exactly!!! There is my biggest frustration in medicine right now!!

Wow! You just described my EXACT situation!! Do we know each other??? :) I was in Hospice and Home Health for 1.5 years, and experienced the EXACT SAME THING!!! I quit for the exact same reasons as you mention, but I found myself in a hell-job at a SNF, not an office. Worst job I have ever worked in my entire life! On my second day of work, it was announced that the facility was being investigated by the state! I was told I was off orientation because they needed to cover the shifts. (Seriously!) Just like you, I also called my old job back. The options were either resume the old job (with the unlimited hours and driving), or be per diem. Long story short, I lasted 29 days at the SNF. I'm just glad I came out with my license intact. Did I go back to HH? No. I left that job for a reason. It was a good job with good people, but my family suffered for it. Since I have been home, my home is cleaner, my husband is happier, my son is doing better, and believe it or not, the bills are still getting paid because I am not spending money on gas, lunches, auto repairs, and I have time to cook meals and watch our pennies. Things that have been put off again and again are finally getting done, and that feels great! I have been doing serious soul-searching as to what I REALLY want to do in my nursing career. In the meantime, I have actually found a little niche for myself in on-call work! Teaching, private care... Now that I don't have to juggle so much, I have time to job hunt for a job that will fit me and my life, and is a job I want to do and can do. So my advice to you? If you absolutely dread going into work and feel you are in a wrong place, chances are you are! Contrary to what people will tell you, there is no dishonor in quitting a job, and more jobs are out there. (Trust me, hell-jobs will always have openings!) Your odds of finding a really good job are better if you aren't desperate to get out of a bad one. And if you want to go back into Hospice, at least you will know what you are getting into again. Just my 2 cents...