Suggestions for direction

PixieRN1 · Oct 6, 2017

School nurse jumps to mind, as do specialty clinics. You are aware of the pay there it seems. Working in case management in home health might fit, and home health in general you may or may not be able to pull that off. I was prn in peds home health as a second job for a bit and in that case you could choose your shifts.

Also, PACU, pre-op, or same day surgery in smaller hospitals or free standing surgery facilities can be Mon-Friday with call every now and then (less likely to have call in the free standing centers). You get hopital pay there too.

I tried the Mon-Friday 8-5 in PACU but I honestly felt like I ended up losing more time with my kids than I did with 2-3 twelves, so I didn't stay terribly long.

I just ended up hating Mon-Friday. Even four days a week would be better; I hated not having a free day to have appointments or run errands mid week, and I could never get my kids to the orthodontist for their appointments. I had to get time off for that, which didn't go over well. Just food for thought.

Good luck

brownbook · Oct 6, 2017

PixieRN1 has great ideas. As she said, working Mon. to Fri. 8 - 5 ain't so great either.

When my kids were school age I worked 4 nights (I'm talking 11:00 pm to 7:am), a week. It worked great for me. I lived close to work, was often home before they left for school, was awake by 2:30 when they got off school. I never missed a school play, field trip, could make doctor appts., take the car in for maintenance, etc.

Sleep is highly overrated, well.....I guess to be honest I am just lucky, I never felt mentally or physically affected by any lack of sleep. I do understand some people just can't do nights.

The holidays weren't a big deal, or it was more feeling sorry for myself a "mentally" big deal than any real issue.

I knew nurses who worked three twelve hour shifts 7 pm to 7 am. Fri., Sat., Sun., so they were home all weekday with their kids.

So don't ignore the possibility of acute care floor nursing.

PixieRN1 · Oct 6, 2017

PixieRN1 has great ideas. As she said, working Mon. to Fri. 8 - 5 ain't so great either.
When my kids were school age I worked 4 nights (I'm talking 11:00 pm to 7:am), a week. It worked great for me. I lived close to work, was often home before they left for school, was awake by 2:30 when they got off school. I never missed a school play, field trip, could make doctor appts., take the car in for maintenance, etc.
Sleep is highly overrated, well.....I guess to be honest I am just lucky, I never felt mentally or physically affected by any lack of sleep. I do understand some people just can't do nights.
The holidays weren't a big deal, or it was more feeling sorry for myself a "mentally" big deal than any real issue.
I knew nurses who worked three twelve hour shifts 7 pm to 7 am. Fri., Sat., Sun., so they were home all weekday with their kids.
So don't ignore the possibility of acute care floor nursing.

I agree that night shift was the option I took for countless years. I did varying versions of night shift. That is also what worked best for me. I rarely missed events and while sleep deprivation never feels good, it was definitely manageable and it was the lesser of all the evils for me!

Sour Lemon · Oct 6, 2017

If pay is not an issue, why not try per diem at the hospital? That's what I do.

It allows me a very regular schedule, with very few hours, at a higher hourly rate than I'd get at a clinic. I usually work one day a week, but will consider two depending on my home schedule and the the needs of the hospital. I have to work one major holiday and one minor holiday, but I get to choose which ones.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Oct 7, 2017

You are qualified for many insurance company positions. They are begging for disease and case management work from home positions.

Research on the job boards.

Best wishes.