Should I work nights in ICU or days on med/surg (CNA) advice please?

[michigan94]

I am a CNA at a hospital and also in school for my RN. I currently work nights in med/surg and I don't like medsurg AT ALL and know that it's not something I want to do as an RN unless it was to gain experience. Sometimes I just feel burnt out on med/surg. I work 3 12 hour shifts a week 7p-7a. Nights can be pretty hard with school sometimes so I put in for a day position on my floor and got it. I was really looking forward to it but then I was offered a job in ICU that I wanted for a really long time, but on nights. I love working in ICU, except I've heard from coworkers that they don't schedule around school very well (my current boss in med/surg does). I'm taking an 8 am class next semester because I didn't have a choice, and I'm worried about having to work all night then go to school all day. I accepted the ICU job because I wanted it so badly but I have now been freaking out about how it's going to work with school. I have to let both of these managers know what my decision is and I cannot decide. Do I want the day job on a floor I don't like but will be sure of it working with school, or do I want to work in a unit I really like but have to possibly tough out long days and nights with no sleep? I really need to make a decision and would like advice from those who have been in nursing school and worked while doing so! Thank you

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I worked 2300-0700 for several years, including partially through my junior year of nursing school, and it was doable but difficult. I was working Sunday through Thursday nights and I had class five days per week, so I had worked all night before I had class every single day. I was usually in class until 1200-1300, but then I slept from 1400-2200 so I still managed to get eight full hours of sleep every day.

1900-0700 will be hard. It will be difficult to get adequate sleep before going to class if you work back to back nights and have class in the morning every single day. The bonus is that you will only be working three twelves, so if you could split them up a bit and work a lot of Friday and Saturday nights, there will be many days you have class that you won't have to work beforehand. I would take the ICU job, because it's actually more flexible than a day job when you really think about it. If you have class five days per week and they want you to work three 12s in the daytime, you'd have to skip class or call out of work. At least you don't have to worry about that with nights.

I am about to do the same next semester - work 1900-0700 and go to school in the morning. I will survive through it and so will you. :)

I will warn you about sitting down and resting - at my previous job, I would get off work in the morning, change clothes, and sit on the couch for a minute before leaving for school. I learned that I had to just change, eat a snack standing up, and get in the car immediately - the tiredness never hit me until I sat down. Once I started staying on my feet and not relaxing, I stopped running off the road. It was a real problem for a bit and I'm glad I didn't kill myself or anyone else doing it.