RNinSC88

I actually just made this switch myself! I've been working weekends only (every Saturday and Sunday, 12 hours) and I miss out on all of the fun stuff, and don't even see the baby, at all, the entire weekend. I start 7-3 M-F in about a week and a half, and I am beyond excited to finally have time with my husband AND my baby! I hated 12 hour shifts because she's asleep when I leave and when I come home. By getting off at 3, once she starts school especially, I'll be home right about the time she gets home. And I'll be home to make dinner (almost) every night! My husband will drop her off at daycare, & I'll pick her up. He already works M-F 8-5. I tried nights, and it didn't work for me. For us I think this will work very well, but you always have to do what is best for your family!

Thank you all for the tips and advice!! The interview went very well, & I should know later this week if I will be recommended for the position!! I don't know if I can accept it if I am offered it though...I was expecting a pay cut, and when they showed me the salary scale at the interview it didn't look too terrible, at first ($12,000 pay cut from what I make now)...they then said that what was listed was for 230 days, not the 180 I'd be working. When I got to my car and figured out what I would make annually, it was a $21,000 pay cut. And if I took the pay cut, plus factoring in the added thousands/year for daycare for the baby, I just don't know that we could make ends meet-it would essentially be half of what I bring home now working weekends only...And I hate it sooo much because I want to work with kids, and not be in a hospital setting anymore. I know I'd work less days/year, and have an awesome schedule when the baby starts school, but if I have to work extra on my off days to make up just some of the salary difference, I wonder if the good schedule is really even a factor anymore? There's a 7-3 M-F position opening soon on my floor that I think I'm going to go for to at least get off weekends! And if I'm still at it when the baby starts school, at least I'll be home every afternoon with her, and off every weekend.

I am so torn about this too! An interview I just had for an elementary school nurse position went very well, & I should know later this week if I will be recommended for it!! I don't know if I can accept it if I am offered it though When they showed me the salary scale at the interview it didn't look terrible, at first ($12,000 pay cut from what I make now)...they then said that what was listed was for 230 days, not the 180 I'd be working. When I got to my car and figured out what I would make annually, it was a $20,000 pay cut. And if I took the pay cut, plus factoring in thousands/year for daycare for the baby, I just don't know that we could make ends meet-it would basically be half of what I bring home now with the daycare added in. And I hate it sooo much because I want to work with kids, and not be in a hospital setting anymore. I figured up that it is $9.25/hr less than I make now, or $74 a day difference for 8 hours of work. It's $1 more than I made as a new grad. I know I'd work less days/year, and have an awesome schedule when the baby starts school, but if I have to work extra on my off days to make up just some of the difference, is the schedule even a factor/positive anymore? Unfortunately I think I'm going to hold out for a Monday-Friday 7A-3P position on my floor opening soon instead of the only weekends I work now...as much as I'm ready for something new and wanted to go into school nursing

I just landed an interview on Monday at an elementary school!! :) So excited!! Do you have any advice for the interview? Any questions I should have answers for? And any advice if I land the job?? I'm coming from 5 years med-surg adult experience, and very little pediatrics (except my own 9 month old), but I was an elementary ed major my freshman year in college haha!

I currently work weekends only. I have been on the same unit for 5 years & have done weekends for 1 year...and I hate it now. I have my own group of 6 and am charge of up to 30 patients on the unit, and one of my coworkers is always behind, so I feel like I have at least 8 patients every shift I work. I'm holding out for a 5 day/week charge position without patients (most days) on the same unit, but it could be a few more months (The nurse in it now is definitely leaving it once a 3 day/week position opens). I miss my husband, as we only get from 5:30-9:30 during the week so we can pretty much eat and run an errand since all the baby friendly fun stuff is closed...I get home about 8:30 the weekends I work, so I don't see the baby and I barely see him all weekend. I like being home with the baby, but we have an affordable sitter lined up as soon as I make the switch. But now a school nurse position opened up near me, but in a better school district than we're in, so the baby could attend in that district when the time comes...but going from med/surg to school nursing is intimidating & would be a pay cut (like a $10,000 pay cut!). But I'd be off every weekend and extended time for holidays. The start date is in like 12 days so if I was hired, so I'd probably have to work the next month straight (no days off) to work out my 4 week notice for my current job to stay re-hireable. I would feel guilty about leaving my unit though because I've been here for 5 years. The school nurse position would alleviate the eventual stress of finding someone to watch the kid on school breaks though because I would be off, but school for her isn't for another 4 years and the husband thinks I'm crazy for worrying about that now haha (and that means less money we'd have to pay for childcare during those times off). I'm determined to get off weekends to enjoy my marriage and husband more...but do I hold out for the position on my unit, or go for the school nurse position and take a pay cut?? The husband says as long as I'm happy we can make it work financially. But I really don't know if it will make me happier??

Questions for those of you that take charge and a full load of patients: How do you stay positive and help others when you have your own group to deal with, and overall how do you deal with the stress of it? I have a great opportunity at my job in that I only have to work weekends, so that means no daycare for the baby, and I am considered full time but only work 24 hours a week, plus make an extra $2/hr to be charge. The downside to this is that I am always required to take my own group of 6 patients, and often feel like I am doing the job of 2 people...and after doing it for over 6 months, I am getting burnt out, and I don't feel it's safe overall for patients. I think I am a good nurse and a good charge nurse, but doing both at the same time makes me feel inadequate. I have high standards for myself, and it bothers me when I cannot focus on my patients as much as they deserve, and it frustrates me when I barely have time to look at staffing and then get phone calls several times a day, while I am in my patients rooms, to handle it. I don't want to change jobs because I do like my job overall, and I LOVE that the baby is home with me all week. I try to hide my negativity and stress while at work, but it's becoming harder the longer I am in the position, and harder the more demands my manager makes of me while there and when I am supposed to be off. I know I am in a 'leadership' role, and I understand the importance of meetings and classes, but I work weekends because I don't have childcare for the baby and it can be difficult to get someone to watch her (my MIL can watch her, but it takes me an hour and a half just to get the baby to her and to get to work, then another hour and a half to get her and back home...for an hour long meeting). I know I just need to suck it up and deal with it because it is what works best for my family at the moment...but I'm open to suggestions on how make it more tolerable.

I LOVE women's services-I'm really not sure why, but it has always just fascinated and interested me. The announcement of this new specialty is honestly pretty devastating to me, as I was hired 3 years ago to work on 'women's surgery', not colorectal. I saw an opening on the postpartum floor, but it's for nights, and my husband said I was more miserable on nights than I am now :/ I didn't think I was that bad, but he really doesn't want me working that shift. I just want to be happy at work and at home! Haha

As far as strengths go, she's typically fairly decent at IV's, occasionally helps with admissions if asked, will give patients discharge instructions if asked, will give pain meds if a nurse is busy or at lunch and she's available, will run to the pharmacy if asked, and does type up about 50% of the discharges. I doubt I would ever actually report her, I'm just frustrated...and several nurses on the floor are in school, have to take a group of patients, and barely get a lunch break; they don't complain about it, and don't have time to do any of it at work. I'm nice to her, and don't talk about any of this at work (hence why I am venting here, and it's essentially anonymous), but it's like night and day when the other charge is working. She's pleasant, helpful, attentive, and doesn't complain about helping, just does it. Maybe if the one charge wasn't so sweet and helpful (which I am thankful for), I wouldn't dislike working with the other one so much.

So on my floor, we have 2 charge nurses, are budgeted for one, and so they work three 12's a week. One works Mon-Tues-Wed, the other Wed-Thurs-Fri, and then that one comes back to work the next Mon-Tues-Wed, then has like 8 days off. Then they are only free from 7-3, then pick up patients from 3-7, causing a regular nurse to be pulled to another floor (it's miserable). I like one of the charges, but only maybe one nurse can stand to work with the other. Another nurse actually quit because this particular person got the charge nurse position. She is going back to school to get her BSN, and literally calls people on other floors the whole shift to get help with paper writing, has printed at least an entire pack of paper worth of material that is school related at work, will shove her school work in front of you while you're trying to chart to ask for help, has actually complained to patients and their families about needing to work on her papers, and has openly talked about hiring people to write a paper or two for her, and continues to claim how 'honest' she is and how hard she is working on getting her degree. She then neglects her charge duties, or does them and complains about having to get up from the computer. She also thinks it's her duty to tell other nurses all the things they do wrong, even though she is obviously not the most qualified to call them out (literally had another nurse crying to me today about her doing this). I have gone to my manager, and she talked to her, but it hasn't changed a thing. The only thing it did was she has to sort of 'sneak' to do it at work, but our manager leaves her office so infrequently she never notices any of it. I am a bit passive, and hate confrontation, so I haven't talked to the charge nurse yet. What would you do? She makes work awful.

I have worked on a floor for 3 years that is rather varied-we 'specialize' in women's surgery and fetal demise, but also get medical and general surgery overflow. We are going through a lag in the patient census, so a lot of nurses are being called off or floated to other floors. My manager announced today, without any input or knowledge from any of the staff, that our unit will now specialize in women's surgery AND colorectal surgery starting in August. Umm...excuse me?? I did NOT sign up for this!!! and while I am ok with colostomies and colon surgeries on occasion, they have truly struck my weakness; poop and colostomies. I just don't think I will look forward to going to work (at all) if this will be my patient population every day that I work. I will suck it up when I have to, but I genuinely felt nauseous at the mention of this change, and the thought of my future on this floor. I have been feverishly looking at new jobs...but I'm pregnant, due in November, and I took a scholarship in April to get my BSN (not knowing this change was coming), and have to stay at least until April to 'work' it off (even though it's called a scholarship)...they already did something similar to us when a weekend nurse quit and they just didn't hire back the position, so now all the weekday nurses have to work weekends (not the end of the world, just wrong how they went about it-no warning, just changed it). I'm SOOO over this job, this hospital, and honestly hospital nursing in general. I've already met my insurance deductible, though, thanks to the pregnancy...but I'm miserable...how do I make it through the next 10 months???