Switching shifts....when it isn't your choice

[ChinupBSNRN]

Hey everyone--

Kind of in a predicament here. I am a new nurse and have been working nights for the past 3 months. I was hired for full time nights, have oriented on nights, and am due to come off orientation in 2 weeks. YAY! Today, I found out that I may be shipped out to day shift. There is apparently a staffing issue on day shift and they need extra help. Another new nurse on nights has already been told she has to go to days, and she was really really unhappy with this decision. She was told that she may need to move to days, and it was official 3 days later. I am now in her situation as well. I find out in the next few days if my move to days is official. I am guessing it is 99% a done deal that I am day shift bound.

I am kind of torn about this. I am a night person, always have been. I am thrilled to work overnight. I only applied for night shift new grad positions because I want to work nights. I finally have a routine and sleep schedule in place that allows me to feel rested yet enjoy my days off and not play sleep catch up. I will lose a HUGE shift diff going to days, as in a monthly loss of several hundred dollars.

Additionally, I will be extending my orientation by 2 weeks. I have to orient to the day shift routine/procedures so it will be 6 extra orienting shifts. This isn't a huge deal really, but I was so excited that I got to make my first schedule as a solo RN that was to start the end of September. Now that is all gone.....I will be filling in gaps of shifts others cannot or do not want until the November schedule.

I am really trying to stay positive about this. Sadly, aside from the fact that I have a job, I cannot find many benefits to this move. I am told that when a night shift opening comes up again I have first dibs at it, and that it may only be 3-4 months, but there are no guarantees. I realize there is a pecking order and first come first serve. I just feel like I am getting the raw end of the deal here. Because when the time comes that night shift does come open, I am going to be required to go back to it since I was hired nights--which is great, but I have no clue when it is going to happen, so it kinda makes any kind of long term planning or scheduling difficult. I want to just stay on nights and not have to flip flop around and sacrifice the money I was making. I feel like I have zero control and that is kind of scary.

Thoughts anyone? Just needed to vent a little here. :)

[indigonurse]

I think that when the position was advertised and or offered to you on the night shift that it would constitute a written and verbal agreement. When you took the position that was the terms you agreed to. I think that it reflects very poorly on management to hire a person for the night shift then without notice and a persons agreement tell them they will be working on the day shift. I am guessing that you may have applied for other positions and turned them down to accept this one. You may have also made other arrangements in your life and more than likely would never have accepted the position to begin with had you know this was going to happen.

Before this thing goes any further on the lowest level you do have the right to file a formal grievance. Seems like there may be a little bit of false advertisement going on with this hospital.

I don't care if there is a nursing shortage I still believe that employers have a duty to act in a responsible manner and the new hires should be treated with more respect than this.

[ChinupBSNRN]

Ponywow, you are 100% correct. When I interviewed I was told it was a night position. When I accepted the job it was night position. I signed a 6 month contract in which I can not request a move to days until the contract is over. Yet they can "pend" the contract while I go to days and then finish the fulfillment of the contract when I go back to nights. Oh and there is no option to stay on days until that contract is fulfilled. The more I think about it the more irritated I get.

Yes I turned down another night position to take this job because night pay was better and it is a magnet hospital. I wanted nights so I could work somewhat similar hours as my husband. I never intended to work days. Funny how I thought that would make me marketable as most people want day shift!

Still haven't heard a final decision from my manager. But I would like to talk to her before I agree to any of this shift switching stuff.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

sounds like my hospital!!!they work around this by hiring days/evenings/nights exclusively, so you can and will be rotated around all three. if anyone complained they would show you the door. or might transfer you to another unit that has a need on nights. you may hate that more than staying on your floor days. i excpect this from employeers. i am sure the hospital has some sort of disclosure to protect themselves.