Stay at Rehab or head off to OB/Labor?

[MissShaneS]

Hi All -

I need advice in regards to a position I am considering taking as PCT at a large and well known hospital in St. Louis, where I'd like to work one day. Starting August 2016 I will be enrolled in an accelerated BSN program. I currently work as a tech at a rehab center, and have done so for the past 4 months. It has been challenging work and certainly eye opening, but I also realize that it's not the kind of nursing that I would like to do. Many of the staff are incredibly unhappy and being employed here made me question if I wanted to continue with a career as a nurse. Long story short I have been exploring other opportunities as a tech and just recently interviewed for a position on a OB/Labor/Antepardem floor, which is much more aligned with my interests and during my interview/shadowing I felt an immediate sense of belonging.

The new position is part time, and requires three 12-hour night shifts during the pay period (14 days). As it stands now, I will have class Mon-Thursday afternoon or evening, and would be limited to working Wednesday/Friday/Sat/Sun nights. The position would be probably be much more interesting and engaging but less flexible with scheduling.

This is a floor of great interest after I complete nursing school, but I do not yet know the demands of the Accelerated program, and if I could balance working the 3-12 hour shifts along with the coursework, finding time to sleep, eat and stay sane. At my current job I'll be PRN once school starts and only committed to one weekend a month, plus whatever extra shifts I'd like to pick up.

Is this something that I should pursue? I'd love feedback from other students or people who have worked in healthcare while going through school. What's an aspiring nurse to do? I tried to figure out a workable schedule and find myself shaking my head at what looks like a crazy situation working most weekends and some nights where I'd have class at 8am the next day. Perhaps I should stay put and deal with a less satisfying work environment?

[puentevedra]

Having been in a similar position recently, I would recommend two options.

1. If you haven't already, ask the OB floor if they would be willing to let you work maybe two 12s in a pay period (once a week). I would be surprised if they weren't open to it. Balancing all that is really tough - I had a semester where I was taking 18 hours of classes and working every Friday/Saturday/Sunday. It was terrible for my health and my grades, and those were only 8 hour shifts. Definitely don't work yourself too hard, especially in an accelerated program.

2. If they're not flexible...as much as it sucks, I would stick it out on rehab a little longer and continue looking for something that fits your schedule better. Set up job alerts on Indeed, Monster, etc until you find a new opportunity. New postings are always popping up, especially in a metro area.

Best of luck!

[Pca_85revived, LPN]

Go with OB. I took an LTC job ten minutes before rejecting a hospital one. That was when I was 17. I'm 31 now and am kicking myself in the ass every day for it, it made it almost impossible to get into the kind of nursing I wanted to do. You can learn from my stupidity lol.